Truck Driving, Traveling for long distances Question

[Keighley Westhaver]

Hey everyone,

I am looking into traveling with my bunny. My fiance is a truck driver, and I want to be with him and our dog on the road, but I want to bring Reginald (my bun) with us.

He travels for long stints of time. with breaks inbetween for him and the dog. I was wondering if that would be okay on a bunny?

He drives an 18 wheeler, it's a loud vehicle. The only real danger I see is if he slams his breaks, but he's a safe driver.

We discussed bunny proofing the truck, which is totally doable, and I would be holding him/ playing with him while driving.

We'd keep his crate on the top bunk of the truck, tied down with ratchet tie downs for safety.

I've read a few threads about traveling with buns, but I just wanted to get some more input on this since this isn't just a "road trip." We'll be living in the truck nearly full time.

ETA: bun has a harness and leash, I feel he'll be on his harness/ leash when we take him out to explore the truck.
Also, he and my dog know each other and get along well. so I'm not worried about that.

Thanks!

 

[Kinley]

It depends on how your rabbit acts around the truck. You may want to drive around a bit with him and see how he acts. Bunny proofing the truck would be ideal, and you will want to make sure he gets plenty of exercise outside the truck. I would check with your rabbit vet and see what they think of the idea.

 

[SableSteel]

I travel with my rabbits a lot to shows. They need to handle long car rides weekly - if they get stressed they lose condition. About 18 hours is the limit on what I'd want my rabbits to travel without a break. My rabbits have come with me to kansas, to texas, to colorado, to nevada, to oregon, california, etc. However some of them don't like travelling as much, and those aren't the rabbits that I bring on this out of state shows.

A few things:
If you plan to be travelling across state borders, you do want to get a health certificate from your vet.
Rabbits don't eat very much when they are physically moving, so I would just keep lots of hay for him and feed him the rest of his diet when you stop to rest.
For the rabbit's safety, a smaller carrier when you are travelling is better. I travel with mine in special travel cages that are 16" x 8" and 12" tall. Water bottles seem to be awful about leaking on road trips, so I only use water dishes for them - I get tall dishes and keep the water level relatively low so it doesn't spill out. If the trip is longer than 12 hours I line the edge of the cage with a bunch of hay so that it not only gives them something to nibble on and keep their gut moving, but it can sort of pad the sides of the cage as well. A larger cage just means more room for them to slide around. I would definitely not let him lose in the truck while it's moving. Rabbits are more fragile than dogs and can easily injure themself if you needed to stop or turn suddenly.
You can probably bring a larger cage to keep him in (and maybe an exercise pen) for when you're stopped.