Bringing our bun home

[BigDaddyBuddha]

We'll be bringing home our bunny in a few weeks and I have a few questions:

1) What size carrier should we look for? We plan to be traveling a lot with our "little" bun (he's a Flemish Giant) and I was going to get a carrier that we could use his whole life but will it be too big when we first get him? I'm really liking the Dog Whisperer top loading crate at Petco but I was wondering what other people thought of that carrier in particular and plastic vs soft sided carriers in general.

2) I know we need to put a towel/blanket in the carrier but I was wondering: would it be good to rub it on ourselves (get our scent on it) to get him used to our smell or leave it alone and not overwhelm him right away?

Thanks for everyone's input.

PS Here's a link to the carrier: http://www.petco.com/product/109125/Dog-Whisperer-by-Cesar-Millan-Top-Load-Travel-Den.aspx

 

[Flash Gordon]

1. yes the carrier will be too big for him at first..id start with a small carrier cuz u dont know exactly how big hes gonna get so u could buy the wrong size at first anyways..i personally dont like soft sided if it doesnt have a frame it will colapse in on em..and if it does have a frame..ur bun might chew his way right out of there anyways.
2. if ur bringing ur bun home ur smell is EVERYWHERE already ..he smells u trust me..
\if ur not picking him up for awhile ,then that would be a great idea to give him a fleece blankie with ur smell until he comes home with you.

im gonna check out ur link for the carrier now..

 

[Flash Gordon]

thats the carrier i have for my giants..i have the biggest one on there ..cuz i didnt want their ears crushed down when they were in it.also pretty important when ur gonna wanna use the front entrance (and u will) its tough getting a giant out of a skinny opening..i still struggle with getting them out that way with my big carrier...no way in heck i can pull them out thru the top of it..they are 16lbs...but i do like having the top entrance for when im with them in the car ride cuz i can get my hand in there and give em some luving as needed to calm them...,,

oh yea and Welcome to RO ... all the info u will ever need about rabbits is right here ...

 

[BigDaddyBuddha]

Thanks, that was really helpful.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

The carrier looks good. I am not sure about size, I have ones that are about the size of the medium one (22X24") and that works for my bonded pair and my giant angora. The medium or large size would work. You could ask the breeder what size their carriers are, but keep in mind the breeder carriers tend to be on the small side compared to pet carriers.
If you are going to travel a lot, then a hard sided one is better. It is safer in the car, can't be chewed easily and easy to clean. Soft ones are good if you only use it for vet visits or only once or twice a year. A hard one is harder to store, but much better in the long run.
A top door is handy, but you can save some money and just get a regular carrier that is easy to take apart. The ones with screws are hard to deal with, but the ones with latches (like the one in the picture) are easy to just take the top off. I also like ones with big doors as it is easer to get the rabbit out if needed without taking the top off.

I would just use a clean towel or something. You don't really need to let him get used to your scent.
One thing I do in my carriers is have newspaper under the blanket. I also have an absorbent cloth (like a Sham Wow), is it is newspaper, cloth then blanket. This prevents the blanket form sliding around and does help when they pee.
If the trip is long, put some hay at the back of the carrier for him to nibble on. Don't put water in there as it will leak, but bring some along and offer it if you stop.