Bunny on a train

[DMaltz]

Hi all,

I need to make a 5 Hour train journey (including going through the London Underground), and am struggling to find someone to look after my happy hopper, Whisky – an indoor Havana rabbit. In the event I can’t get anybody to look after him, I was wondering what people think is best to do? He’s got a nice carrier that he quite like and feels at home in, but my partner and I are concerned whether he’d be okay for the journey, as it may be quite loud and bumpy on the underground in particular, and are concerned whether it’d be too stressful for him, so I thought I’d ask my fellow rabbit enthusiasts on here.

An alternative would be to set him up to tend to himself, I’ll only be away for 2 nights and just the one full day, would he be okay if I set him up with enough hay, food and toys? If so, how would people recommmend I do so?

I’ll stress that I’ll only be away a short while and whilst I understand it is hugely recommended to find someone to check in on him, sadly this does not appear an option.

Im interested and look forward to hearing people’s thoughts!

[Wick & Fable]

Any experience with car rides with this rabbit, and is it a one-course train, or will you be transferring at all? If it’s 5-hours straight and it’s the only choice, I’d opt to purchase an all-day pass and figure out alternative train times where you can break the trip up in order to get off, let your rabbit have some time with water, hay/veggies and a litter box, and just generally unwind before getting back on. This is similar to taking breaks during a long car-ride.

Also, at the actual destination, is there a place established for you to house your rabbit? This is an additional consideration.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Deleted User]

Five hours isn’t that long – has he been on car or train rides before? Some of mine act like nothing is happening, they’re more curious than anything, one in particular gets really scared and shakes. Leaving alone for that amount of time is probably fine – the only thing would be the very small risk that he gets sick while you’re gone. If you leave him alone, you wouldn’t really need to do anything special. I would leave double the amount of hay, water, veggies, etc. that you expect just to make sure he doesn’t run out. An idea that I’ve had is to set up a computer at home with a webcam pointed at the cage, so that you can login remotely using a program like TeamViewer, so you can keep an eye on him. And then maybe leave a copy of your keys with someone in case he looks unwell.

[DanaNM]

That seems like a long train ride and a lot of stress on the bunny for such a short time to be away. And how will you be housing him when you get to your destination?

You really can’t find a pet sitter to check in on him one day? There are many people who offer pet sitting services….I’m guessing you could find someone online in your area?

Does he have a history of medical problems?

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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