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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A 3-4 day driving trip with rabbit

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    • meow1
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        Well, we are moving across the country! It’s a 36.5 hour drive (plus stops, sleeping at night, etc). I’ll have my doggy and my rabbit Sunny. I’ve read several things about traveling with the rabbit as far as making sure he stays hydrated and bring veggies along to make sure he eats.  The issue I’m having right now is…what to keep him in during transport and HOW.

        Normally he has his own room he free-ranges in, so he’ll probably not like being kept in a cage for so long. I have a few options. I have a Great Choice Small Animal Pet Home Small Animal Pet Home . I have a smaller Petmate generic carrier, or I can buy a new one. I want to bring the Great Choice Small Animal Pet Home anyway so he can stay in that overnight in the hotel room and have more room, but I worry that it may not be the safest choice while in the car, and he would absolutely be in the “very” back of the SUV out of view. I simply don’t like the petmate carrier I have right now, mostly because it is old and dirty and I’d prefer to have a new one anyway. I’m sure I’m capable enough to choose a carrier I’m happy with, but thought I’d ask for suggestions here. is there a particular size range I need? Does it matter if he’s way in the back out of view? If he needs to be in the back seat, he will be sharing that with the dog, so space is an issue.

        In addition, is there anything I can do to separate the litter/potty from a dry portion of the crate while in the vehicle? We will probably be driving 12 hours per day. 

         


      • Flopsie
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          I can’t speak about rabbits in general but from my own experience the rabbits are usually so terrified that they just huddle and shake in fear. It’s actually quite heartbreaking to see.

          Anyways as a carrier goes it shouldn’t be too large because if there is a sudden need to break, the rabbit can go flying the In the carrier so a small one that allows the rabbit to turn around and sprawl out should be ideal


        • JackRabbit
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            How big is your bunny? Do the bunny and dog get along or is your bunny afraid of the dog?


          • JackRabbit
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              BTW, the airflow in the very back of the SUV is not going to be very good so you want to shoot for the bunny being in the passenger area.


            • meow1
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                The bunny and dog get along OK, the dog is a little too hyper compared to what Sunny bunny was used to growing up (he grew up with a laid-back great dane and they were pretty close friends). He’s not afraid with the dog, I think he just gets ANNOYED with the dog.lol But I think if I can get him a carrier that’s not too big for the back seat, but not too small for him to be in 12+ hours a day, I think I can make this work. I’m just not sure if smaller or bigger is best for this long of a trip, and like I said, at night in the hotel, he will be in the bigger cage anyway. I’m also trying to think of if there is any way I can set up the carrier with his litter (pine pellets) so that he stays pretty dry and clean….but if it is a small carrier then I might just have to cover the whole bottom of the carrier with litter. The bigger cage I have I mentioned in the first post is big enough to have litter on one side and leave the other side empty so he could lay there, but again, it doesn’t seem to me to be the safer option, and plus he’ll be in the very rear of the SUV.


              • JackRabbit
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                  I would go with whatever size carrier you can get to go into back seat that still allows him to stretch out. Plan on taking breaks to let him out. Can you take an xpen to give him a safe area to stretch his legs during driving stops? You could even use the xpen in the hotel. I just think that back of the suv puts him so far out of view that you wouldn’t know if there was a problem, and like I said, the airflow isn’t great back there.


                • meow1
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                    I got a carrier today at Petsmart to see how it will work out (I can exchange it if not). So, I brought it home, put it together, checked to see how it will fit in the car, etc. I think I have it set up ok, the only problem is the water dish takes up too much space. I may have to find a way to attach a water bottle. I put a litter box in there (I’m not sure if he’s really too big for it now or not), a small hay rack, and I also bought a small cat crate pad just in case, or I can just fold up one of his small baby blankets if he needs traction or anything. It WILL fit in the back seat.  I do not have an ex-pen, and to be honest, I’m afraid he would be too nervous to get out at rest areas and places like that. He’s not a very mellow bunny. SO, what are your opinions on this, other than I already know the bowl takes up too much room. (I also just left that hay ball there just on entice him in lol)I’m satisfied with this carrier but I do kinda wish I had gotten one that includes an opening at the top. Also, Sunny is the type of bun who will bite the cage door and shake it. I hope he doesn’t hurt himself.

                     


                  • hedgeaholic
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                      I know for hamsters, instead of a water bowl you can supply watery veggies instead of water. I don’t know if this would work, but maybe you can give veggies while driving and once you get to a hot you can give water in the water bowl.


                    • JackRabbit
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                        That looks like a nice carrrier, and I think a water bottle would be perfect for it. If you use the litterbox, maybe attach the water bottle to the outside of the carrier with the spout coming in through the bars so that if it drips it will drip onto litter and be absorbed. I’d take a towel(s) to cover the end by the door if the movement out the window upsets him and maybe one to cover the end by the dog if the dog starts to annoy him (you could even use binder clips to hang a towel at each end if needed). Being in the seat with the front open should give him fresh air and let him hear your voice, and if you aren’t letting him out at stops will make it easy to feed him fresh greens through the bars.


                      • Eepster
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                          I’m usually a big advocate of using the smallest carrier with almost nothing in it for safety reasons, but considering the length of the drive the one you got seems a better choice than the smallest possible. Make sure the litter box is tightly secured though, so that it won’t slide and hit him.

                          I would call ahead to all hotels to make sure you will be welcome, so all three of you don’t get stuck sleeping in the car in a strange place. I would bring an xpen for using each night at the hotel.

                          I would also bring a small mat that you can roll out under the xpen. This would both protect the carpet from the bunny and the bunny from the carpet. A bunny who is very good about litter and digging at home may not be when staying in a strange location with weird smells. Also, hotels use a lot of pesticides and heavy duty cleaners and there may be toxic residues in the carpet.


                        • meow1
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                            I plan on giving wet veggies throughout the trip but I will still have the water bottle available for him in the car, and then the bowl at the hotel.


                          • meow1
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                              Those are all great ideas, thanks!


                            • meow1
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                                The carrier is too big for a seat belt to fit around normally, but I may be able to make it work if I rig something up like with the dog seat belt connector things. If not, I plan on using bungie cords to keep it somewhat in place. I’ve written down pet friendly hotels along my route, I suppose I ought to check and see if they allow rabbits.lol . You are the second person recommending an X pen, so I may go to the store and see how much room they take up in my vehicle and see how heavy it is, then I will be able to decide if it’s doable on this trip or not. Yes, he only uses his litterbox at home, but I know what you are saying about maybe not being good about it in a strange location. Thanks for the tips!! I just want him to arrive safely. He can be mad at me about the trip, I know he’ll eventually forgive me, but his safety comes first, comfort second.


                              • Phwoffy
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                                  I’m afraid I have absolutely no advice but I just wanted to wish you luck! I stress bad enough taking our boy on the half hour drive to the vets, so I really hope it goes well for you and them. So many people relocating from where we are rehome their animals because they don’t want to take them on the ferry overnight, so this just makes me really happy and you deserve it to go very well.


                                • meow1
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                                    Thank you! I will update with how the trip goes! I am very nervous about how Sunny will take it, I’m not worried about Rhys at all, I know he’ll be fine. We are planning on leaving saturday morning!


                                  • meow1
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                                      Update:
                                      We left a little before noon on Saturday the 15th and made it safely to our new home on Tuesday 18th. Sunny and Rhys both did great the entire trip but they were happy to finally be in one place.

                                      I had a system for Sunny involving a carrier, a crate for the car rides, and a cage for the hotel. I kept his car crate the same way you saw in the pictures above except added the water bottle instead of bowl. He did eat lettuce and treats for me while in the car. The second day of traveling I heard him drinking from his water bottle which made me realize I hadn’t heard him drinking from it the day before, however, he did have a water bowl in his cage every night at the hotel. I let him out for a few minutes each night and morning in the hotel. He explored just a little then would go back into his cage. He handled the trip better than I expected! Thanks everyone for your input!


                                    • JackRabbit
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                                        Glad everything went so well!

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                                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A 3-4 day driving trip with rabbit