Help – moving cross country

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

I have a LOT of pets. I just got a new job teaching next year, so my hubby and I are packing up and moving cross country. According to google maps, the trip will take 30 hours – not factoring in traffic or stops. We plan to break it up over several days, but we’re worried about our buddies.

We have 4 cats, 2 lovebirds, 2 bunnies, and a beta fish. Oh yeah, and a small Prius. This’ll be an interesting move for sure.

I have tried bonding my bunnies, but have yet to succeed – I don’t know if they will be bonded by the time we move. They are house bunnies, though, and are not used to having cages. In fact, we don’t even own bunny cages. For bunny safety, and for the safety of cords in the hotel rooms, our bunnies will have to spend a few nights or so in cages. Any tips for how to get them used to this?

Any tips for minimizing stress? We have read about getting the bunnies used to eating extra vegetables and spraying them with water so they stay hydrated on the trip. But I’m worried about their safety, anyway. Stress for bunnies is extra scary.

 

If anyone has any advice about how to make this move successful, please share! I’m worried already and am preparing now so that all my animals are ready. We plan to start taking all our animals on weekly drives to get them used to being in a car.

[bunnylova123]

I’ve heard somewhere that lavender ( leaves ) and chamomile can help with stress, Vienna hates chamomile, but lavender is a firm favourite and does seem to relax her. Try putting the cages in the house, so they can walk in and out of them and get used to it.

[MeggoWaffle]

I actually think getting the trip done as fast as possible is better than taking several days. When I moved across the country we drove around ten hours per day until we arrived.

Bonding – take them on those test car rides together and they could bond quickly. Even if they don’t bond in time, I would stick them in the same cage, separated by a wire grid – they should be bonded by the end of your move.

Hotels – I would bring an X-pen just to give them a bit of space to move after a long day in the car. Or, you could stick them in the bathroom where there aren’t any cords.

Nutrition – Start each morning with a pile of wet veggies, end each night with another pile. Definitely have hay in the cage as you drive (and in the hotel of course). They probably won’t eat it in the car but you never know. Bring a tasty hay like orchard, I break that out when my buns are sick and turn their nose up at the timothy.

Hydration: I mixed pedialyte in their water on my trip, which may or may not have helped. Now if I had to make the same trip I would definitely administer some fluids before we left, and bring the lactated ringers along. But my bunnies are old and much more touchy now.

Stress: cover their cage with a towel – don’t block air flow but reduce what they can see.

Good luck!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Try putting them in cages for periods of time up to your move. Also try some short car rides.

You can tape pillow cases to your windows to keep out the sun, direct sunlight for more than a few minutes will be pretty hard on them, so I’d block out the back windows.

Honestly after about 1/2 an hour, they go into ‘whatever’ mode. They just settle right in. Granted I didn’t do 30 hours, I did 13 or so. But still it was a cinch. We stopped every couple hours and syringe fed apple juice/water mixture for hydration. I brought their favorite veggies. They did just fine

One of our members (well two, as husband and wife both post!) went 1/2 way across country with…umn six rabbits if I recall correctly. And their dog. It can be done!

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

Thank you all so much for the tips!

Any ideas on where I can find lavendar or chamomile?

If I syringe feed them to keep them hydrated, is there a guide to how much I should give? I’ve had to do this before when a bunny was sick, but never for this situation.

Should the bunnies be separated while traveling, such as in a cage split in the middle as Meggo suggested? I was wondering if they could be in the same carrier and separated only at the hotel. Whenever they have gone places before now (30 minute drives), they have been in the same carrier and cuddle the whole time. If I can get them bonded while moving, that would be fantastic! It’s been a struggle filled with many highs and lows so far.

[BunnyDuck]

I actually bonded my trio by moving from California to North Carolina. I had a bonded pair and another bunny that I needed to bond with them. I had unsuccessful attempts before the move. But I knew once I got to my destination I had to either have them all together or they had to be separated in small cages, as I was moving in with my mother-in-law.

The first day and night of the drive they were kept separated. The next night when we stayed in a motel, I knew they needed to stretch their legs and I didn’t have a way of separating them so they all ran around the bathroom together. I guess it being neutral territory helped, as there wasn’t a single fight. After that they all stayed together in the car and in the motel rooms and they have been together ever since. I guess the stress of the move and the different motels helped them to all bond together.

Maybe your move will help your bunnies to bond together.

[FlemishMom]

First of all, bunnies do not like the motion of the car usually DO NOT WANT TO MOVE much at all until sometime after stopping (or eat and drink for that matter) and while this may sound like an odd suggestion, the carriers designed for show rabbits are probably the best way to transport them— they have a mesh bottom (usually covered with polyurethane; for larger rabbits there are sitting mats with slots so poops still fall away) and a pan underneath for litter material. Because they enclose the rabbit and are rectangular, they can usually be packed securely and will protect the rabbit from impact from any direction and yet allow good air circulation (but a towel over them is definitely a good idea if they happen to be on the sunny side of the car or happen to be nervous). There should be plenty of hay in the carrier to cushion them further and to encourage them to gnaw.

My own preference, when traveling with just one bun, is to have the carrier on the seat beside me the lid open just enough for me to keep my hand on the rabbit. The rabbit is not used to the car and cannot anticipate curves and stopping and slowing.

For a long trip I would definitely recommend frequent stops to air out the car and encourage the rabbits to eat their favorite, moistest greens and fruits. I know some people will even substitute various flavors of gatorade or other ion-replacing and sweet drinks to encourage drinking (but I’ve never found that helpful).

I would also recommend a hand vacuum cleaner. You will want to let the bun out to stretch its legs in the hotel room and because it is new territory he may not observe his best litter habits. This is for the cheap people like me who sneak the rabbit in and don’t want to get caught out by asking for a vacuum that might get me in trouble. Just clean up the mess and if they don’t have installed corridor cameras you’ll be fine. If they do have installed corridor cameras, just throw a towel over the carriers. . . . I know. I am oh so naughty!

Other favorite calming agents are Bach’s Flower Remedy (though for some reason with my Flemish bucks, it has always riled them up though it seems to work on most buns). I have capsules of Holy Basil to calm myself and have started mixing that in with a little snack just before I need to do a lot of grooming on Sam because he was not handled much as a kit and is easily overstimulated. I just prick the capsule with a pin, and have found that quite useful. A lot of GNC’s sell the Bach’s Flower Remedy for Pets. I know you can get it online. Most of these herbs you should be able to get at an organic foods market. . . . I also know my Dutch Poindexter, who ran in the yard of my childhood, always slept under the sage so I suspect sage has some calming qualities too.

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

Is this a show bunny carrier? I googled it (never heard of them) and this type of cage popped up. It’s got 2 very small compartments for 2 bunnies.

http://www.bunnyrabbit.com/equipmentpix/2compt_1224.jpg

I will be taking our gates with us to set up a living area for them in the hotel rooms. Great advice on the portable vacuum! I’ll add that to my list.

BunnyDuck – you gave me hope that this trip will get them bonded! It would make me so happy!

[FlemishMom]

Yes, that is a double carrier. We are so used to wanting to give our rabbits lots of room, but you do not want to give them a lot of room in a carrier; it’s safer for them that way–keeps them from injury. And they generally don’t want to move when in a moving vehicle anyway. Bunnyrabbit.com (pat vanacek) is a reliable dealer and approachable; Pointer Hill, a supplier in my part of the country also has them and I think it was Pointer Hill that I could order it semi-assembled and save money that way. Both suppliers are very approachable; I would feel free to contact them by email or phone and discuss specific sizes and dimensions– consider where you want to put them in your Prius. Pointer Hill customized a number of triple carriers for a friend of mine’s specific rabbit/car requirements. . . . .

[MoveDiagonally]

I don’t know if I would use a show carrier. I think a bunny that’s not used to wire floors would find themselves VERY uncomfortable and it might even be more stressful for them. Bunnies like to feel like they’re “hiding” when they’re scared or stressed. Show carriers are wide open and I don’t think any of my buns would feel secure in one.

Instead I would just put a small litter box in a carrier (the regular kind with solid walls), put in the litter and cover it with hay. They can lay down in the litter box and it’s not taking them completely out of their element. I would make sure the litter box can’t slide around or anything (I found a smaller one that fits perfectly in the carrier). You could even put a folded blanket on the bottom of the carrier, under the litter box, that smells like them and home for extra comfort.

Anyway, my 2 cents.

[FlemishMom]

Well, one puts a lot of hay in. It’s not as if they’re standing directly on wire, and the wire is covered by polyurethane. . . there are also the sitting mats I mentioned. It’s just it takes the waste further away from their bodies than a litter pan does and it provides safety and good aeration because it’s fitted right to the rabbit (rabbit won’t slide around in it as it might in larger carrier if the car skidded, etc.) . . . We can each have our two cents. . . . .

[MoveDiagonally]

Flemishmom – I was sincerely not trying to put you or your opinion down and I hope my comment didn’t read that way. I was offering my opinion and travel preferences based on what I know of my own rabbits and my own experiences. As I’m sure you were.

Of course we can both have our “2 cents” . That’s what makes the world go ’round and why I love this forum.

EDIT: I reread my comment and I see how it can see how it could have read that way. So much is lost without vocal inflection! >.<

[MoveDiagonally]

To address the concerns you brought up though.

Most of my rabbits currently hang out and sleep in their litter pans and it would be easy to switch out any soiled litter when you stop to give veggies and fluids. So they wouldn’t be hanging out in filth or anything. My rabbits don’t slide around when I travel this way, but they fit pretty well in their store bought carriers.

I also have a gentlemen rabbit who’s had some trouble with sore hocks (he’s a rescue that came with the issue) so even travel time on wire isn’t really an option for my bunnies. That’s not to say I think it’s a bad option for someone else.

[FlemishMom]

How thoughtful of you to have been concerned I might have been offended!

Not a problem. (That’s why the sitting platform; the hocks aren’t on the wire; I inherited a rabbit who had had sore hocks at one point; I know exactly what you’re talking about; yet he’s fine with the platform and hay). As long as their secure and safe and comfortable, that’s the important thing.

I was just trying to give her the safest possible situation given the cats that might be loose in the car and at some point (skidding or something), there could be chaos.

For my own part, I confess– The lower their position, the lower their center of gravity, the less they are thrown off by turning, etc. I have two bonded bucks who always travel on the floor in front of the front passenger side (on short trips at any rate) — that’s where they’re most comfortable and as long as I am not taking them to the vet, I don’t require any kind of carrier. So I don’t always take my own advice; and some on short trips just sit on the passenger seat with my hand on them and a towel under them.

[MeggoWaffle]

If they are riding fine together in your short rides, I would not use the wire grid to separate them on the long ride even if they aren’t completely bonded. So I take back that suggestion =) I think BunnyDuck’s point about neutral territory is great. It will be neutral in all the hotels and your new residence will be neutral so this is a great opportunity!

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

I’m getting very excited about this helping them to bond. They were so close before and they both seemed happier with the attention and grooms they gave each other. I will hold off before getting their long-distance traveling cage(s) to see how their rides around the neighborhood go first.

As for my cats – they will NOT be loose in the car. I want all my pets to be as safe as possible, which means everyone will be belted in as best I can. I found some soft travel tubes meant for dogs and cats. I tested them and my kitties will fit inside comfortably. I’ve already traveled cross country with my lovebirds and still have their old setup, so they’re good to go, too. I’m mostly worried about my bunnies.

More questions –

I don’t think this one was answered, unless I missed it. How much fluids should I syringe feed them?
How often would you recommend I take a 30+ minute break from driving to check on them and see if they’ll eat?

[FlemishMom]

If you’re like me, lol, your smaller bladder will tell you exactly when, lol! I would stop every two hours. It’s also important to keep an eye on how the sun is moving relative to you, in case you need to shift a towel or something to shield a rabbit from its heat. . . . When is the trip? Good luck! (Glad to hear the cats won’t be running around; I don’t think they had cat carriers when we were growing up; we woud drive from Missouri to Minnesota every summer with a scrawlijng cat running and hissing all over the car . . . . .

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