Travel

[bun1000]

I am moving to Canada from Los Angeles. What is better for my two buns, a 7 hour day of travel on a plane or a 6 day road trip across country? 

[Bam]

Pushing this so more people see it. I have no experience with air travel with a bun, so I can’t be of any help, I’m sorry to say. But I know we have members who have travelled with their buns, so I’m hoping one of them will see this and share their experiences!

[cinnybun2015]

I would reccomend the road trip, if that works out okay for you. I don’t think that there are any nessecary vaccines for a rabbit to fly on a plane, but I’ve heard that pets (large dogs and cats) are kept in an unsafe place, along with the cargo… with no air pressure. I would imagine that it would be frightening for a fragile animal like a rabbit… if your buns are small enough, maybe you could bring them on the plane with you? I’ve seen small dogs being brought in their carry-on crates with an owner and kept with the owner. I would ask the airport.

[tobyluv]

I don’t have any personal experience with road trips or plane trips with rabbits. Here is a link to the HRS page about traveling with rabbits, with several articles. They all seem to be from 2011, so if particular airlines are mentioned that let or don’t let rabbits fly in the cabin with a person, the info may not be up to date. http://rabbit.org/category/care/travel/

[Vienna Blue in France]

I suppose it dépends how big your bun is and how “happy” your bun is in a small carry cage (plane)? You could have a bigger dog style crate in the car for bun to boing around and lay out ?
Maybe try to contact a rabbit club whose members maybe travel regularly with their prize show winners…. :o))

[MeketatenBun]

Addressing pros and cons always helps.

In my experience, I’ve only travelled by road with Meki, and that was a 4 hour trip only, but the articles I’d read before that trip kind of summarized this:

Pros of flight:
-Quicker, less time the bunny may be stressed and can settle into new home faster
-If you can carry bunny in the cabin with you, your full attention is on them the entire way

Cons of Flight:
-some airlines may make you carry the rabbit in cargo, which stated above, isn’t very good
-The stress, even in the cabin, can be huge for bunny
-No way to prepare the rabbit for the flight
-Need airline specified carrier

Pros of Driving:
-slow moving, so bunny has time to calm down during trip
-frequent stops can let you check up on bunny and give them a rest
-can take bunny on subsequently larger car trips leading up to moving day to get them used to car rides
-Your car is with you in your new home

Cons of Driving:
-Very long, rabbit will not be settled in new home for days
-Your attention is on the road, not your bunny (unless you have other passengers)
-possibility of an accident is greater than in a plane

If you travel by car, I would actually recommend a smaller crate than a large one. If you have the crate secured like you should in a car, if the worst thing happens and you get into an accident or even simply have to stop fast, your rabbit will be bouncing off the walls, literally, in a large crate and it could even be worse than if you didn’t have them secured at all. A smaller cage keeps them contained in one spot like a seatbelt would as long as it’s secure. You should be making frequent stops every few hours to let your rabbit recuperate and stretch their legs, even just hold them. When I travelled with Meki, I had a harness and leash on her (which I know is very controversial in these forums) so that when we stopped halfway on our 4 hour drive, I could simply attach her leash and make sure she couldn’t run under my seats or anything, but hop around the backseat, use her litter box, eat food and drink water without the car moving, etc. Look for pet friendly hotels along the way that you can stay in with your bunny, and even if you can’t find any…. between you and me, it’s easy enough to pop a “do not disturb” sign on your door and sneak the bunny in if you’re in a real pinch.

Others have done this kind of thing before, and it make take some wording with google searches to find the information you need, but in my opinion, I’d choose the road trip despite it’s length simply because I don’t like the pressure of airplanes on my own ears, let alone a bunny.

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