Hi all–I will be moving with my bonded buns (ages 1 and 2) from Virginia to Colorado this June, about 24 hours on the road. I’ve been reading up on advice for the past few months trying to figure out exactly what I need to do to be prepared to move the bunnies this far…and to try to calm my worries of the stress of the trip affecting their health.
In general, I wonder how to interpret the way they act on the dozens of shorter car rides (1.5-2 hours) that I’ve taken them on. They have a hard-bottom/side carrier and I cover most of it with a breathable cloth to keep their area dark. Whenever I peek in at them during trips, they’re hunched in the corner, with a worried look in their eyes. I understand that this is relatively normal, but I do have concerns about their breathing–for the entirety of any trip, they breathe extremely fast (not hard/heavy though). I keep the AC on in the car (though not blowing directly on them) to the point that I am usually somewhat cold, so I’m fairly certain they’re not breathing like that because they are overheating. Do you guys think this breathing behavior is within the range of normal? Am I over-reacting or are they potentially more stressed by car rides than the average buns? (I always keep the windows up and radio off as well).
That being said, I am planning on breaking up the drive to CO into as many days as possible to minimize their stress. Is there a rule of thumb for hours in the car with buns? I’m not sure how long to spend on the road each day with them.
I will have pellets, hay, water, and veggies (in a cooler) on hand to try to offer on short breaks or stops during each leg, and will make sure that their daily veggies are wetted down. I’ll carry critical care and oral syringes with me. We will be staying at animal friendly hotels, and I have a puppy pen for them to move around in. Will be charting exotic vet locations along the route. Does anyone have any other tidbits or words of advice? I’m just so worried that they will become overly stressed and that that will lead to a stasis episode.
Thanks,
Kara
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