nervous bunny in the car

Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS. SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED. We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best.

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 9sd replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 4 months ago by Hedi.

Viewing 9 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 07/09/2008 at 9:08 AM
  JessicaG
  Participant
  2 posts
  Hi Everyone!
  
  I have used this site often and find it super helpful but this is my first time posting! I have two bunnies: a dwarf male named ‘Ihop’ and an english spot female named ‘Cinnabun ’. At first, when I only had Ihop, he was fine traveling in the car. However, Cinnabun seems very scared when we take her in the car and I’ve never taken her on rides longer than 45 minutes. She trembles a lot and cuddles really close to Ihop in their carrier. I think she actually even makes Ihop nervous because when I have both of them in the car, he seems nervous too! I was planning on going on a long weekend visit to some relatives and I would like to bring them with me, but it would be about an 1hr and 15 min ride each way and I’m afaid to put Cinnabun through that. I read some of the previous posts about car travel and I saw that it said taking them on short trips could help get them used to car rides? Would that be useful for my nervous little Cinnabun or is it a really bad sign if she’s trembling on short trips already? Please let me know! Thanks!
- 07/09/2008 at 11:30 AM
  babybunsmum
  Participant
  3896 posts
  hey there… welcome here
  
  you pose a really good question. i always lean towards never doing things that make my buns upset because they seem to be such delicate little creatures. but i think i’m a little too protective some times. car rides are pretty stressful for my bun pinky but since baby bun has had all the health issues i realize that i can’t protect them from car rides all the time. they need to get out to the vet! so i tend to think that it is good to do some test runs. both for you & for the bun buns since if you feel anxious seeing how upset cinnabun is it may be affecting the buns slightly too.
  
  how do you travel with them in the car? i have pieces of faux sheepskin that i fold & line the bottom of the carrier with. baby starts digging at it right away so it’s a nice distraction for her while pinky just cozies down into it withher eyes wide. no matter which bun bun i’m travelling with i chit chat with them & sing them songs ina soothing and or happy voice. my carrier also opens on the top so i can open it up & give reassuring head pets when stopped at a light.
  
  pinky has sure adjusted to the noise of the vacuum so ‘m certain that she will eventually adjust to car rides too. every bun is different & ultimately you know yours the best. so maybe try a couple of 5-10 min carrides & see how fast she relaxes when you get home. i’d say if she settles in & is her usual self soon afterwards that the stress wasn’t too much. but i’m curious what others experiences have been on this subject. good luck!
- 07/09/2008 at 1:32 PM
  JessicaG
  Participant
  2 posts
  Hi Babybunsmum! Thanks for replying to my message. I am the same way– my boyfriend teases me that I’m an over-protective mother . When I do take the buns in the car, I put them in the same carrier- it is a pet travel bag with mesh on the sides and I put a little flat cat-bed thing on the bottom so it’s soft. I also reach in and pet them and talk to them in a soothing voice to try to keep them calm.
  
  I adopted Cinnabun from a shelter about 5 months ago and she was over 2 years old when I got her and has had a few previous owners so I have no idea how well she was treated before I got her. She is definately a little more timid by nature than Ihop is and is less adventurous so I think she just gets scared more easily. I think I will try to ease her into car rides by taking her for short trips around the block and maybe leave the carrier out when she has play time so she’ll get comfortable with it. Luckily, when I stop the car, she calms down and stops shaking so she seems to recover quickly.
  
  If anyone has any insight as to whether the shaking thing is a very serious issue or is common, please let me know! I have only been a bunny mom for about a year now so I’m still learning the ropes!
- 07/10/2008 at 12:31 AM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  OK I *KNOW* not everyone will agree…and I respect their opinions…it totally depends on your rabbits…
  
  But I travel with my bunnies loose. I had never thought to ever do that…But then I found mine were much more comfortable not in a carrier (although I have three carriers…) and I don’t really see it as all that different then having a dog loose in terms of safety. I’m a SUPERB driver and I drive 500% more cautious with buns in the car (I’ve been long distance driving since I was sixteen so ten years… ugh) Short trips, they are on the passenger seat beside me. The long trip I just took, I lined the whole backseat with towels etc, and set their carrier up (with no door or top, just the bottom) as a litter box; And let them roam the backseat and trunk (my suitcase had pee on it-one of the hazards) They were even PLAYING in the car …BUT i found them very comfortable and relaxed, pooping, peeing and eating the whole trip.
  
  I think it really depends on your gut feeling and on the bunnies!!
- 07/10/2008 at 5:15 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  the longest ride i’ve ever taken my Meadow bunny on is about 20 minutes roundtrip to the vet. she’s pretty nervous in the car. our new guy, Max, was from a rescue 90 minutes away, so he experienced a much longer trip. the funny thing is, he’s a pretty timid guy so far, but the car does not phase him at all. when i took them together to the vet for his check-up, he seemed much more relaxed than Meadow. i would try doing some mini-trips. 1 hour and 15 minutes is really not that long of a ride.
- 07/10/2008 at 9:46 PM
  Cassi&Charlie
  Participant
  1260 posts
  Well I took my bunny to the vet this morning for his injections and I think he was in shock for the entire car trip. He was in his carrier and kept flopping over onto his side in what appeared to be sheer terror. When I revived him ie stopped the car in a mad panic, dragged him out of his carrier and shook him, he sat there ears flat, eyes wide and well terrified so I was really concerned about taking him in the car. Interestingly, once he was home and out of his carrier he gave me a million bunny flicks and settled down to quiet hatred. He seemed fine after all that drama. I’m watching him closely anyway but I think he was being a bit dramatic…
- 07/10/2008 at 10:14 PM
  Lightchick
  Participant
  1017 posts
  Wow, what a nightmare…so sorry…
- 07/11/2008 at 10:57 AM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  Oh man…that would be scary…I’m stuck between suggesting daily five minute car rides to get him used to it, or never leaving the house with the bunny ever again…
  
  Glad he felt well enough to foot flick you!!
- 07/11/2008 at 11:11 AM
  kralspace
  Participant
  2663 posts
  omg, that’s scary, I think I would have freaked out big time.
  
  Do you reckon some bunnies get dizzy or carsick like some people?
  
  I agree with LC, at least he felt well enough to flick you off!
- 07/11/2008 at 5:32 PM
  Hedi
  Participant
  969 posts
  Personally, I think my buns think they are going to the vet every time they are taken in the car. A few of them we do take to “grandmas” house sometimes and they seem upset on the way there but not so upset on the way back. Those are the only two places they are taken so I think they realize their two options. lol
Author

Messages