Travelling With Rabbits

[Cait]

Hey all! I know a lot of you travel or have travelled with your rabbits. In a month or so, my family and pets (including CiCi the diva) will be driving for 2 days to our new home in Iowa. The farthest I have travelled with bunny in tow was 4 hours from Ft. Rily KS to the same place in Iowa.

CiCi will be travelling in her carrier, not her cage, although her cage will be along because obviously she needs it when we get there. I plan to keep her blanket and her stuffed mouse in there with her, so she will have something familiar with her. She has been on car trips before, such as when we got her and to the vet and to Petsmart (naughty me!). She seems to like it, although she'd rather lounge on the seats than be confined... I'm not sure this is a good idea for such a long trip. Any thoughts?

Also... I know bunns are supposed to have unlimited access to hay. So do I keep some in her carrier along with her carrot? Or can she go without until we stop for the night?

Thats another thing... We have to stop at a hotel that allows pets anyway, as we will have a dog and 2 cats with us. If we just take CiCi in without saying anything, we should be fine, right? Usually by "pets" they mean cats or dogs. I dont want to ask, then them say "No we dont allow rabbits (or mice or hamsters, which I will also have along)". Or do some allow rabbits?

Is there anything else I should keep in mind? The truck is airconditioned, and she'd have prime seating up there with me and my sister.

thanks for the help in advance!

 

[rubysmom]

Definitely keep fresh hay in her carrier. I would refresh it each day and make sure you keep a water bottle attached to the carrier. She might not drink from it on the road. I would also keep some bagged, prepared veggies (whatever she is used to) ready in a little cooler or stop by a grocery when you stop to buy bagged field mix. This will help keep her hydrated on the tip. I would line her carrier with newspaper and hay. When you stop or in the morning change it out in case she went potty on it. Good luck!

 

[Haley]

If you do attach a water bottle to the front of the carrier, just make sure its really secure. Ive had my bun get a little wet once when the bottle tipped a little.

When you stop, will she be able to get out of the carrier for a bit? This might help her stretch her legs. Maybe you could let her run in the hotel bathroom for a bit.

Other than that, just make sure she has food and water with you and that she has plenty of hay for the ride. Also, I know my boys appreciate the music being turned off in the car and I stop every once in a while to pet them and soothe thema little. Keeping her away from the other animals would also probably make the ridea little less stressful.

Good Luck!

Haley

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Here are a few that I can think of at the moment.

>some bunnies might not like a different source of water, so you might have to bring some water in a bottle from home.
>Woody Pet in the litter box to keep the smell down. You might want to try some Puppy Training Pads.
>be sure CiCi is secure in her cage or on a lease when you stop the car and open the door.
>use the seatbelt on the cage.
>good ventilation and keep her shaded from the sun.

Rainbows!

 

[Cait]

Thanks guys!!! That sounds very doable. I'm a little hesitant to travel with the water bottle attached to the carrier. Everytime I try to do that, they end up leaking and soaking the bedding, not to mention the animal inside. When we travel we always have a cooler with our drinks in it. I planned on keeping waterbottles (animal ones) in there, and to offer all the critters water when we stop, as well as giving them cucumber and lettuce for when we are driving. Would that work out ok too?

When you stop, will she be able to get out of the carrier for a bit?

Yes, whenever we stop we have to let the dog out to go potty, and I had figured CiCi could go for a stretch on her harness while we did that. Of course when we are at the hotel she will have the bathroom to herself while the mice have to bathtub... That's going to look odd, LOL.

I'll have to remind everyone to use their portable cd players, just in case. The times she has ridden in the car, she didn't seem to mind the music any. And CiCi will be the only critter up in the first backseat, so she should be good. And the dog is ALL the way in the back, plus we have a metal grid that seperates where the dog will be and where the luggage and other carriers will be.

some bunnies might not like a different source of water, so you might have to bring some water in a bottle from home.

Ooo thanks for that!!! I wouldn't have thought about that... I'll have to get some water canteens so I can get the critters used to the new water.

Thanks for all the advice, its been really helpful!!! :bunnydance:

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

Whenever I travel with my rabbits to shows, I don't allow them to have water. Only because I am VERY afraid they will be drinking and I will hit a bump in the road and they will get it in their lungs. This is a constant fear for me. I give them pellets, although, most of the time they dump them and "play" with the dish. For water, I give them Kale, and apples. This way they don't dehydrate.

Also, when I stop to eat, I take all the carriers out of the car and give them water dishes and refill the food dishes. Then after we are done eating, I empty the water and give them more Kale.

For the hotel, If they take cats and dogs, they will take rabbits. Don't tell them because if they see you with the carrier, they will think that it is just a cat anyway.

Good luck on your trip!

Sharon

 

[slavetoabunny]

I traveled from California to Florida with my two girls. We stayed in La Quinta Inns all the way. They are very pet friendly and do not charge a deposit or extra fee like some places that allow pets. I never let them know ahead of time that I had the rabbits and never had a problem.

 

[Cait]

Eee I didn't even think about that, Sharon. I wouldn't want her to choke on her water... It won't be hard to offer their waterbottles when we stop. Almost 2 years ago we made the same trip, and had taken along my hamster. Thats how I found out that waterbottles and car trips don't mix. :?So from then on I just packed carrots, lettuce, and cucumbers for their "water" until we stopped or got gas.



Slavetoabunny, thanks for the hotel suggestion! I think thats what we stayed in last time. I always see them around, I'm sure they'll have one along the way!

Thanks for all your help!

 

[manda]

i never travel with the rabbits before, but i have with my rats. and there water bottle would leak all over the place if attached to a carrier. so i just put veggies and fruits in there with a high water content to keep them hydrated. and when we stoped i would put up the water bottle and before we left again i would take it back out, and re plenish the fruits/veggies

 

[Cait]

That sounds just like what I plan to do. Thanks for the input!

 

[JimD]

Cait wrote:

CiCi will be travelling in her carrier, not her cage, although her cage will be along because obviously she needs it when we get there. I plan to keep her blanket and her stuffed mouse in there with her, so she will have something familiar with her. She has been on car trips before, such as when we got her and to the vet and to Petsmart (naughty me!). She seems to like it, although she'd rather lounge on the seats than be confined... I'm not sure this is a good idea for such a long trip. Any thoughts?

Also... I know bunns are supposed to have unlimited access to hay. So do I keep some in her carrier along with her carrot? Or can she go without until we stop for the night?

Thats another thing... We have to stop at a hotel that allows pets anyway, as we will have a dog and 2 cats with us. If we just take CiCi in without saying anything, we should be fine, right? Usually by "pets" they mean cats or dogs. I dont want to ask, then them say "No we dont allow rabbits (or mice or hamsters, which I will also have along)". Or do some allow rabbits?

Is there anything else I should keep in mind? The truck is airconditioned, and she'd have prime seating up there with me and my sister.

thanks for the help in advance!

For longer trips I use the carrier too, but I take the top half off.

Our cage folds down so it goes in the trunk to be set up at the motel.

Yes.... take hay, and the veggies with high water content are a good idea if you don't want to use a water bottle.

Take stuff that smell familiar....blankie & mouse, that you already mentioned, are good ideas.

Motel 6 is great if you've got pets. They don't care if it's a rabbit especially when you explain that they will remain in their cage during your stay (even if they don't). Most of them consider them the same as cats....little do they know, huh!

Just be aware of any temperature changes CiCi may have to go through (ei; going out into the heat from the room or the truck after being cooled down for a while). Buns can adjust going from warm to cool, but have a harder time adjusting from cool to warm. Don't let the little one get overheated. "High temperatures/humidity more likely to cause a rabbit's death than low."

And if it were me (major worrywart) I would search out 24 hour emergency vet services/clininc along the way.

My buns most common traveling malady is GI issues, so I'd bring along the standard stuff to home treat for that. Some canned pumpkin, fresh pineapple, simethicone, syringe, etc.

TRIVIA TIME!!!!: Are you going anywhere near Dyersville, Iowa? That's where they filmed "Field of Dreams".

~Jim

 

[Cait]

Thanks, Jim!

I'm pretty sure we will be in the car most of the time, as when we take road trips we rarely stop to sit and eat, just drive throughs. (We believe in eating healthy, even while traveling. LOL) I'll be sure to try and keep the temp constant so she doesn't overheat. That's my number one worry, is getting her too hot. What we did with my hamster last time, was when we stopped to eat (I think we actually did once, before we went to find a hotel) was buy ice from sonic, and filling an empty water bottle with ice and setting it in the cage to keep him cool. Would the same concept be ok for CiCi?



And actually, Mt. Ayr is I *think* 8 hours from Dyersville. Mt. Ayr is in the south eastern part. About.. 20 minutesor so from the MO border. Heh.

 

[JimD]

Buns are okay within temps of 55f and 85f with an ideal of around 72f.

Ice(water) in a plastic sodapop bottle is a very common method to keep the bun cool.

Keeping the air circulating is important so the bun can efficiently cool themselves through respiration. Maybe a battery operated fan for the car would be a good idea. A spray bottle with cool water to mist the ears in case of overheating might also be a "bring-along".

~Jim

Note: I keep a thermometer and a humidity meter in the bunnie room just to monitor.