Thinking of taking Gizzy on a trip

[luna21]

We are needing to go up to my parents next month and they live about 2-3 hours away from us. I have no idea if I can get a sitter for Gizzy, its not looking too good and i will not leave him alone. I am wondering if I should bring him but of course i am very worried about how stressed he would be, especially in a 2-3 hour car trip. Has anyone ever attempted this? is it at all possible?

 

[NorthernAutumn]

How long will you be gone for?
I have left the house for up to 3 days at a time due to impossible circumstances, and had no petsitter available. I absolutely stuffed the condos with hay, and provided 2 huge waterbottles to each bun. I did not leave any food with them that could potentially cause stomach upset. Just regular old hay and some pellets.

They were absolutely fine on my return.

The one time that I did take the buns on a 2 hr trip to my family home was for a 2 week vacation. There was no feasible way around that one. They sure did not appreciate the 2 hr car ride. There may be some soothing remedies available to limit stress in transport.

Have you got a neighbour with a kiddo about 9-10? They make good petsitters

 

[luna21]

We will be staying 4 days, I have a huge hay rack for Giz and he eats it all within 2 days I only give him 1/4 cup of pellets a day if i gave him more he would actually eat it all and get sick thus leaving nothing for the rest of the time he would be alone. I actually would not feel very comfortable leaving him, I might ask my MIL or my SIL but if they cant, I am thinking our best option is taking him, i thought we could stop every hour to break up the car ride:?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I think it depends on how long you will be gone for. If you are gone for up to 4 days, then I would not choose to bring him unless you cannot find a pet sitter. If you will be gone longer than 4 days, then it would be easier on him to take him. Some rabbit do take change better than others. If he stresses after a short trip (like to the vet), then a long trip is probably not the best. If he is Ok with shorter trips and want to explore new places, then he would do better with a longer trip.

I have taken my buns on a 3.5 hour trip (one way) for a day trip for bunny hopping. We ended up having to do it all in one day, so they spent quite a bit of time in the carriers. My rabbits are fairly used to travelling, but this was a lot in one day, they are more used to 30-45 min car rides one way and a few hours at the place before going home. We do this at least once a month, some months are more. At the event where we go, I do have a pen for the rabbits to hang out it and they get to do agility as excercise during the day. They also have food and water at the event and a bit in the carrier.

Assuming that you end up having to bring him along, you should get him used to the carrier and begin in the car. I would first get him used to the carrier, then just being in the car, then a short trip, then a longer trip. If there is a safe place near you, you can see how he does in a new environment after being in the carrier. You can even try giving him hay or treats in the carrier to help him get used to it. Put a soft blanket in the carrier and have food and water dishes in it too. I put hay and sometimes veggies in. Hay is for eating and the veggies help with hydration as water bottles and bowls and leak.

For the actual trip, you should bring an pen or safe place for him to be while you are there. Also bring food and water from home as different places have different water and you might not be able to get his usual food there. Have dishes that won't break during travel, but are easy to keep clean, if he uses a water bottle, have 2 just in case. Bring some blankets that have his scent on them so he has something that is the same. Bring a litter box, litter, some bags and other litter cleaning supplies, bring enough litter for the trip plus some extra. Toys are also good to bring.
It is a good idea to get the info of any rabbit savvy vets in the area just in case. You don't want to be scrambling for that info in an emergency. A small first aid kit is also helpful.

 

[butsy]

i think he would be fine.. might shed alot tho !. when butsy was a baby ( i didnt know better) i brought her everywheres with me !!! she did fine ..

 

[luna21]

I have his carrier out in his play area, he usually goes in and out and I shut it while I clean his cage because he tends to circle and spray ..LOL ( not fixed yet) He does not have any issues with the carrier or with being enclosed in it for a short or long while. As for containment at my parents, I am going to bring his cage from home, its big but it folds up and i can take the wheels off, and i will be taking his food and water dish and his toys and plenty of hay and pellets. The carrier inside the car is a different matter all together, I will have to get him used to being transported.

 

[FelipesMommy]

I take my bun home to my parents, which is 3 hours away. He does fine in his carrier, no problems. He hops right out when we get there and enjoys "visiting" with them. I just put plenty of hay in his carrier and make sure the car is a nice temp for him. He just chews up the hay and rests.

 

[golfdiva]

We take Hershey to Florida every year. That's a 2 day car trip! He does fine.

He needs a break every two hours or so as he doesn't like to eat while the car is moving. We don't leave him alone in the car, so we just go through the drive through when we eat.

Mostly he will just sit on my lap.Sometimes he likes to lay under neath my (passenger side) seat. I have a litter box on the floor by my feet for him. I have water, pellets and greens in the litter box also.

However, he's been trained. I took him for many small car trips first. He also knows that if he "digs" at me, I will put him down, so he does that when he needs the litter box!

Oh, and he absolutely LOVES hotel rooms! It can be difficult getting him back into the car in the morning! lol!

 

[luna21]

Hershey sounds like quite the character..lol what a little sweet heart ! I figure we will take a break every hour, i usually put a good layer of hay in the carrier so he can eat and also have some padding I am going to bring one of those portable water bowls, they are not breakable and you can fold them, I thought of maybe taking a case of water with us since I need to have access to water with my medical condition and I could just pour him some water when we take breaks. Gizzy doesn't like to stay on my lap for too long...lol he is a restless boy