Bunny Road Trip?

[naughtybunny]

Hey guys! So I live in SoCal but tomorrow I will be leaving to North Cali for Spring Break to visit my family. I will be driving (for those of you who don’t know it is a 5-6hour road trip minimum!) I’m concerned because I had originally planned to take my bunny along but now that take off time is almost here, I’m sort of worried that my bunny won’t make it. I’ve heard stories of cats & dogs dying during road trips because they are just simply too long. Does this happen with bunnies as well? If I take him on the road trip will he be okay? I can’t leave him at home because I will be gone for a week and there is no one to care for him while I’m gone.
What are some suggestions for keeping him safe/comfortable during the trip?

[peppypoo]

5-6 hours is doable, and definitely sounds like a better option than leaving him at home for a week if there is nobody to care for him. Do you have a carrier? Be sure to line the bottom with a towel or mat, so that he won’t be slipping and sliding around inside when the car moves (and to soak up any pee). Definitely try to secure the carrier as well, so that it doesn’t go flying if you need to make any unexpected sudden stops. Most bunnies won’t really be interested in eating or drinking anything during the trip, so personally I like to give my bunnies a heaping pile of wet veggies before leaving, to make sure that they’re hydrated.  Adding a handful of hay to the carrier is nice too, although it’s possible that he won’t touch it at all.

Just to keep options open, are you familiar with the rabbit rescues in your area? I’m pretty sure there are a few in Southern California, and oftentimes many of them will board bunnies for a daily fee, if you find that to be a better option.

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

When we got our baby bun – it was a 3 – 3.5 hour drive, and he did great. I do think he was a little stressed – but it probably had more to do with the fact that he was leaving his mom for the 1st time. But once we got him home – he relaxed and ate very quickly.

[Monkeybun]

I’ve done transport for the Bunderground Railroad before, 8 hour+ drives. Just take breaks ever 2ish hours, and as peppypoo suggested, keep the carriers secure with towels in them for comfort. Your bun will be fine

[tanlover14]

I’ve done 8 hours of driving in a day with my buns and all were fine. I wouldn’t worry so much. Just keep towels in there for them to romp around on (mine also love to dig so it gave them something to do) and I put a toy in there with them but three of my buns are constantly on the go so I was trying to give them something to keep them occupied also.

As peppypoo suggested, a big heaping bowl of watered down veggies before the trip is great to get some extra food and water in them. We put some hay in their carrier for them to eat and stopped every few hours to see if they wanted a sip of water out of their water bottle. As we had to keep one of our girls in a carrier for hours the other day, I realized it’s not very hard to attach a waterbottle to the front of a hard carrier (if that is what you have) if you’re worried about them not getting enough water. My girl drank quite a bit of it so I know it’s doable as an extra precaution if you’d like!

[mia]

I had planned the reverse before (NorCal to SoCal, but ended up leaving them at home) and planned on taking a xpen along so that I could find a good area to let them out to relax for a bit. One of my buns will NOT eat/drink while in carrier. When let out, it also takes a while before she’s willing to eat/drink. Also, though the drive itself may not be extremely long, add extra time to your schedule just in case and keep your options open to spend a night mid-way if needed.

[Author]

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