Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Moving Across the US

Viewing 9 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • colleenbunny
      Participant
      335 posts Send Private Message

        So there is a very good possibility of us moving across the country for work, in the middle of summer in a hot car. The only car trip Pepper has taken so far was a 30 minute ride from the breeder to our house, and he was SUPER stressed. I already found a list of pet-friendly Marriott hotels (we are using points to keep it almost free) here for future reference. We will be driving about 14-16 hours per day for 4-5 days (unless one of our cars breaks down like it did on the drive here). I have no idea what to do, so here are all of the questions I can think of right now:

        • How can I keep Pepper cool during the ride?
        • How big should the carrier be for the car ride? Pepper is about the size of a composition notebook when sitting.
        • Should the carrier have room for Pepper to be laying down (does that include legs extended)?
        • What should I put in the carrier?
        • How do I make sure Pepper is eating/drinking enough?
        • I read somewhere that you should stop every 2 hours or so to give your bunny time to be out of his carrier. Can anyone verify that?
        • What caging options are good for overnight in a hotel? Pepper isn’t fully litter-trained yet, but he usually pees inside his litter box.

        Thanks in advance guys! We will probably know for sure if we are moving within the next month or so.


      • Sarita
        Participant
        18851 posts Send Private Message

          I’ve never moved a rabbit cross country but I’ve done a few transports.

          Your rabbit should stay cool in the car if you have the air on – if you are comfortable Pepper should be as well.
          Well the bigger the carrier the better – as big as you can manage. Luckily he’s a small rabbit so it won’t be difficult to find a large carrier.
          If you can find a carrier that big so he can extend his legs, that would be ideal.
          I would just put one of those fleece cat beds on the bottom to line the carrier and some hay.
          It is doubtful he will eat or drink much while you are driving – when you stop offer him some fresh water – most water bottles are going to be messy and difficult to maintain on a long drive – you can try it but I’ve never had success with this.
          Well, I don’t see that you can safely let your rabbit out of the carrier and I never would anywhere but you can stop and offer fresh water and fresh veggies.
          I think if you can get one of those dog kennels that is easy to set up or an exercise pen that would be a good option for overnight in a hotel.


        • colleenbunny
          Participant
          335 posts Send Private Message

            Thanks Sarita! Do you think it would be ok to use one of the small cages they sell in pet stores? Kinda like this one? We already have it to hold Pepper’s food/water and litter box, so it might be more familiar to him. Also would a fleece bed like this be good? What size?


          • Little Lion Head
            Participant
            1706 posts Send Private Message

              I was also going to suggest maybe putting down puppy pee pads and hay on the bottom of the carrier (if Pepper won’t chew the pads) or even putting a litter box that fills the bottom of the carrier.

              I wonder if you even need a cage in the hotel room. I guess it depends on Pepper’s chewing and digging tendencies. If he’s not a chewer or digger you might not need a cage. I would think he’d want the time to stretch his legs as much as possible.

              Offer wet greens when you stop to keep fluids. Mine won’t eat in the carrier at all (even when stopped).


            • Little Lion Head
              Participant
              1706 posts Send Private Message

                Keep in mind whatever you put in the bottom will get ruined. So if you get the fleece bed are you going to want to use it for 5 days knowing it’s peed on? You might be better off with fleece or towels you can throw or clean (or the pee pads).

                I would worry about a cage that big in case of sudden stops. You don’t want Pepper flailing all over. You can probably find a dog carrier that opens from the top (then you can reach in and pet too )


              • colleenbunny
                Participant
                335 posts Send Private Message

                  LLH: Pepper isn’t really a chewer, but he is definitely a carpet digger and a hotel probably wouldn’t have a bunny-proofed room. And I never thought about the fleece bed getting peed on, and we already have a bunch of towels and blankets, so I wouldn’t need to re-use them if they are dirty. How big should the dog carrier be? I was also a little worried about that, but I also don’t want Pepper squished in a tiny carrier all day. It would be nice to be able to reach in and pet. 


                • Little Lion Head
                  Participant
                  1706 posts Send Private Message

                    We got a carrier at Petco for our two buns. I think it was medium sized (the 2nd smallest). It’s perfect for two and if we put one in it they could stretch out fine.

                    Pumpkin manages to pee on a short car trip to the vet….I just always expect it now!


                  • Little Lion Head
                    Participant
                    1706 posts Send Private Message

                      You might want to invest in a xpen for the hotel room? You could put down something on the floor of the pen (maybe some broken down cardboard boxes) to make sure Pepper doesn’t chew.


                    • colleenbunny
                      Participant
                      335 posts Send Private Message

                        Thanks! Would a 13×22 inch be good? That’s what I was thinking about the hotel.


                      • Little Lion Head
                        Participant
                        1706 posts Send Private Message

                          Will you be letting Pepper for some supervised time in the hotel? If so, then I wouldn’t worry too much about the size of the xpen. The nice thing about xpens is that you can manipulate them into whatever shape you want! the biggest thing would be the height. If you get it tall enough, you don’t need to worry about a cover. Mine is only 30 inches tall and Rocky just proved that he can jump over. I know most people go with 42 or 46 inches tall.

                      Viewing 9 reply threads
                      • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                      Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Moving Across the US