Movingday

[BelleBlanche]

Hey,

My name is Bel and my rabbit is called Reemus. (Yes he is alone after being partnered, and he has been on two rabbit dating holidays without succes)

I am moving and he is coming with me. He is free-roamed in a bunny proof house. He has a cage for doing his business but the door cannot even close. I read a lot on the internet about moving rabbits but the focus is on the new appartement and letting him out and giving him time to get used to things. I am missing the solution on when to move him. Should he be last? Because he is free roamed I am not having him in the cage that day when the movers (family) come or is that for him better? Even though the cage is too small for him to be really in. It is really only his toilet. Another way I was thinking to buy and have him on a leash that day so that he still can lay in his favorites spots during the day... ohohoh the stress of moving...

Other thing I noticed was the tip of giving only a few meteres in the beginning in the new appartement with the cage before letting him in the whole space... but this was suggested only for new bunnies and I am not sure if he would be confused if all the furniture and cage are the same...


Sorry for the long text...

 

[Blue eyes]

With all the commotion of moving day, I'd suggest keeping him confined to his cage during the moving day process. This will be more secure for him and less stressful than being underfoot.
Once everything is set-up and in place (mostly, anyway) at the new place, that is the time to bring him over. Set the cage where it normally will be housed and let him stay confined for a few days. There will still be new sounds and new smells in the new home even if the furnishings are from before. He will need time to get used to that.
I would keep my rabbits confined for 2 weeks when first moved to a new place. But my cage was a bit larger. In your case, I'd suggest at least a few days and then placing an ex-pen around his cage to give him a bit more room to stretch. That set up I would keep in place for a couple weeks.
He'll have plenty of time to explore his new home later on. Rushing things can lead to stress and possibly to naughty behavior as well (potty accidents or marking territory or even chewing what he used to not chew). So it may seem like 2 weeks is a long time, but he'll be better off for it.
I've had rabbits which, after the 2 weeks, were eager and ready to explore. I've had some that were more cautious and still took a couple months beyond that to find their boldness to explore.
And yes, it is still advised to offer the new roaming space in small increments just to be sure he easily finds his way back to his cage. Too much space too soon can lead to undesirable behaviors. No reason to rush. (But plenty of reason to go slow.)

 

[raven123]

I am also moving in a couple weeks here and this is so helpful because my bunnies will be getting so much more space in the new house (free roaming entire basement) and I am kinda worried about it because they were most of the time confined to my room which is I think maybe a little less than half of the new basement. I will try to keep them in a bit of a smaller space for a couple weeks, the basement is unfinished and my mom wants to finish the basement in the spring which is when the bunnies will probably join me in my room and after that i will have my bedroom downstairs with them.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We moved here 12 years ago with 17 total. The only one that was upset and acted like a brat (only 2 months) was our Avatar bunny, Nikki. Finally accepted her new room and situation.

 

[Fuz]

I just moved a few days ago. I think I panicked about them more than they did about their environment. I had my room set up with all familiar items, and had someone transport me with them last. I just let them be, no enticing to come out etc. Normal diet, everything else remained the same so their routine was unchanged. They have adjusted well thankfully. Good luck with the move! As long as your baby can see you're around, he will be okay.