Experience with bringing bunnies on trips?

[Deleted User]

I’ve never brought Ophelia to another house.

My husband and I have had a tradition since we were teenagers of going to St. Augustine Beach for our birthdays (only 2 weeks apart). We were also married there on the beach last year, which substituted for our annual birthday trip. I absolutely love St. Augustine and I am in SERIOUS need for a vacation.

I don’t have anyone that I trust to watch her for 5 days, and honestly I would be too worried about her to even enjoy myself. So leaving her in the care of someone else is out of the question. Boarding is also out of the question, as the rabbit-savvy vets in my area have not shown a genuine interest in my rabbit’s well being…

That being said, I did a lot of digging and asking around and I found a small studio property on Air BNB (for those who don’t know, it’s basically a service where people rent out properties for short spans of time). I messaged the owner, fully expecting him to say no you can’t bring a rabbit, but he actually said that he had no problem with me bringing her.

So my options are, don’t go on a trip at all, or bring her with me. I would not be bringing a cage, I would just bring her some toys and her litter pans of course, and her pop-up puppy play pen just in case she found some comfort in something familiar. The property is only 1.5 miles from downtown and about 2.5 miles from the beach, so I can check on her frequently in between activities.

Thoughts? It is a new place, but no new people or other stressors. It’s small, so I hope she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. Would she be ok? Or am I just being utterly selfish because I want to go on vacation? Does anyone have experience bringing a bunny to an unfamiliar house for a few days?

[Sirius&Luna]

I took my bunnies to my parents house for about 6 days over Christmas. Luna and Atlas clearly weren’t very happy, they were much more destructive than usual, and Atlas even managed to jump out of their usual pen, which he has never ever done at home. They kept me awake all night digging at the floor and throwing things around. To be honest, I was surprised that they were so obviously affected, I thought since they were together, in their usual hutch, there wouldn’t be any issues.

Nimbus on the other hand was totally happy and chilled, and showed no signs of even noticing he was somewhere different.

So I think it depends totally on the bunny. How does she do with car journeys? I don’t think it’s selfish if you think she’d be happy. I would happily take Nimbus to things with me, because I know he’s chilled, but I know now that if I can avoid it, I shouldn’t take L&A.

With my bunnies, I would be worried that they would chew things in the airbnb, but if Ophelia is well-behaved that shouldn’t be a concern for you!

[Deleted User]

So, she is sensitive to stress, but I have noticed that it’s really just new people that bother her. She does not like strangers. I know some bunnies are very particular about things, but she actually doesn’t really mind changes. I am known for constantly rearranging things lol and she doesn’t seem bothered by that. She’s pretty chill to just “do her thing” in my apartment, and the only problems we encounter are with new people.

I was actually very impressed with her last time we were in the car, because she normally just sits hunched in the carrier and looks terrified. But this last time, I opened the top of the carrier and was just petting her the whole ride (it was about 25 minutes on the interstate) and she ended up laying down in her carrier and seemed relaxed to me.

I have not seen her even try to nibble at walls, baseboards, desks, cabinets or anything. The only thing that she will eat up is rubber. The air bnb has tile throughout, so no worries about ripping up carpet or pee-staining. I would just bring extra rugs and blankets to cover areas of the floor and make it more bunny friendly.

[Wick & Fable]

I think if you feel ok with it, it’s fine to bring her. Wick has been to my parent’s house twice now, both for multiple-day stays. Car ride is about 1.5hrs and he just sits in the back and lounges/pees once (because it’s a long ride) the entire time. No fuss.

Enclosing a space off and filling it with items from home would be best. If you saw the instagram photos of Wick at his “holiday home”, you’ll see I left his car carrier in his designated room, as well as brought his litter boxes/rugs from home, his panda blanket, as well as the fabric napkins he lays on at home.

Wick only seemed stressed/uncomfortable during the holidays when people were not quiet during his usual sleeping time. He couldn’t go to a different room for silence like at home, so he was a bit sad.

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]

I’ll have to check out Wick’s setup on insta!

The reason that I think it would be ok to bring her is that, even when she does go through something stressful, she bounces back pretty fast. Like when we got back from the vet, she was a little mad at me and immediately went behind the couch. But she bounced back to normal within 1-2 hours. I was considering getting an xpen, but honestly y’all know she will just get mad at being cooped up and she will not stop until she finds a way out of it.

I was thinking I could bring rugs from home that she is familiar with, bring her blankets, toys, familiar food/water bowls, and her play pen which she likes to lounge in when I have left it around. The place is quite small, so really she wouldn’t have much to explore. I was hoping that the small space might be better because she would “get used” to it quickly.

[caillou]

It will ultimately just depend on Ophelia! Alfie is super easy to travel with, I bring him around to all my friend’s places and he always has a blast, it just takes him a minute to adjust. Bringing the puppy pen should definitely help, I would set her up in it at first and let her settle for a little bit before letting her explore the apartment. If we’re going on a long car ride, I always make sure to give Alfie reeeeally wet veggies to make up for the water he won’t drink in the car. 

[Deleted User]

For a 1.5 hour car ride, is the carrier ok ? Or is that too cramped for too long?

[Deleted User]

Bombur was in the carrier for like 2.5 hours this weekend. The secretary at the vet told us his appointment was at 1… it was at 10:40. They got us in at 2:30. So he was in the carrier from 12-2:30. He didn’t really stress until about the 2 hour mark.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

How romantic ^_^ And I completely understand about bringing Ophelia, we always take Breintje with us whenever we can.
We frequently travel with Breintje, either by bus, train and car. It’s perfectly okay for a rabbit to be in a carrier for several hours, as long as they can stand up in it and take a few steps in it. Many rabbits prefer to stretch out during travel, because they’ll feel more stable. For our dwarf rabbit we have a small cat carrier (30 x 50 cm) and he has plenty of space in it to take 1-2 hops.

Neither Breintje nor Waffie ever did “their business” while travelling, Bas thinks that rabbits only go in comfortable spots. It may be best to set up a litter box immediately after you arrive at your destination. They both also refused food and drink during travels, but I don’t know if Ophelia would do that too. I’d attach a drip-proof water bottle to the carrier so she can decide.

When we travel by train I usually open Breintjes carrier, he knows the drill and wants out as soon as we sit down. He hops onto my arm and will perch there for the entire journey, looking at everyone in the compartment. He’s much calmer like that, and enjoys the attention of the small crowd of girls we always get (yes, he’s a little Don Juan). When we travel by car I usually take the top off the carrier and put it on my lap. He always lays stretched out in the hay while I pet him. Car rides are a lot bumpier than trains, and he hates sharp corners and roundabouts. I support his body during these turns so he doesn’t slide around too much.

[Deleted User]

I have a large carrier, but when Ophelia stretches out in it that doesn’t leave much room left over. Gosh, she is long! I am going to look into something larger, maybe dog sized. I have seen lots of expandable travel carriers, so I may get one of those. She also refuses food in the carrier, but last time she was in it I took the top off and pet her and she just laid down and accepted her pets

[Deleted User]

Luckily, the drive is mostly back roads through small towns, so there’s not a lot of stop-and-go and its not the interstate! Even I hate driving on the interstate..

[joea64]

I’ve taken Panda and Fernando on two longish road trips so far (approx. 800 miles round trip distance, some 7 hours or so including several short stops) to visit my parents for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I have a large Petmate carrier (the size for 10-15 lb. pets) with a plastic litterbox inside (make sure it’s large enough to fit snugly inside so it doesn’t shift around), lined with the usual strata of litter and hay with some extra hay for the buns to munch on during the journey if they’re so inclined. I have found that giving them a good helping of greens thoroughly doused with water an hour to two or so beforehand keeps them satisfied for water for a seven-or-so-hour ride, but keep an extra helping of wet greens in a cooler just in case.

I leave in the early morning when it’s still fairly dark, so that most of the trip is done when the buns are feeling drowsy anyway. During the trip, the rabbits mostly relax and nap as best they can, and usually aren’t in much of a mood to eat (even treats). I stopped several times along the road for gas, food and toileting, and checked P&F at each stop to make sure they weren’t too stressed out. Traveling in cool/cold weather helps a good deal, though it got warmer as I got into North Carolina around midday so that I cut on the air conditioning intermittently for the last couple of hours or so of the drive. Once I got to my parents’ house and set up their X-pen, Panda and Fernando perked up quickly and recovered their normal appetite within a couple of hours.

I tend to load down pretty heavily with their gear on these trips – I take their X-pen, sisal rug, a hidey box, enough hay, litter and pellets for the duration, and a good selection of treats, toys and chews, along with first-aid supplies. I also try to keep to their normal feeding schedule as much as possible; they stay in a bedroom with me so it’s a lot like their home environment where they share the same big efficiency room with me.

Locally, I’ve driven them several times for various purposes, to have their wellness check at the vet and for nail-trimming. Both destinations are very close to each other, in fact, in Fairfax, Virginia, about half an hour’s drive away from Manassas, so all I really need for short-distance drives is their carrier fitted out with hay and litter as described above and a bag of Oxbow treats.

P.S. Before long trips, I’ve gotten into the habit of putting the carrier in their X-pen enclosure during their overnight “outside” times so they can get relaxed with it.

[Bladesmith]

I moved Clover in the UHaul when I relocated from NC back to Florida. The then dog road in the center on her pillow, and Clover was happy to sit in the passenger seat and occasionally stand on the arm rest and watch the other cars go by. Regular stops for food and water, and her litter pan was also her travel bed. Spoiled beast.

[Deleted User]

Ophelia wouldn’t have it! She would be ALLLL over the car. If she wasn’t such a jumper, I would get her one of those hammocks for the whole back seat. But, I don’t need a bunny jumping on the drivers shoulder O.o

[DanaNM]

We brought the buns to Tom’s parent’s house for a few weeks when we evacuated. They car ride was long, about 5 hours, which I think was the most stressful part of it. Other than that they seemed fine and adjusted to the new house pretty quickly.

I would be hesitant to bring her without an x-pen though or some sort of crate, as the new house is not going to be bunny proofed, so who knows what she could get into or damage. Electrical wires come to mind. It can also be reassuring in a new space for buns to feel secure.

. . . 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]

I thought about bringing an xpen, but I think she will jump out of it. Honestly, you can’t cage this queen XD

Also, this place is insanely small, so I don’t know that an xpen would even fit!
 

[Deleted User]

Here are pictures of the place.

It is TINY. Like this is legit the whole space minus the bathroom in these two pictures. (Can you believe I’m paying $445 to stay 4 nights here? lmao. location, location, location!) The only cords I can think of would be lamps, which we will unplug and place on the kitchen countertop.

[Deleted User]

So the whole reason that I chose this place is it is super close to everything, so I can come back and check on Ophelia frequently between activities. Also he was totally ok with me bringing her, which is great because I didn’t want to have to lie to my AirBNB host, and I also didn’t want to bring Ophelia to a nasty hotel. And, it’s just really small so I thought that it would be easy for her to get used to, and she wouldn’t be too overwhelmed.

Thoughts?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

The ultimate marriage test

That side of the night stand would be Breintje’s first challenge. He like to chew out holes so he can make a hiding spot. I’d find a way to block that of if we were renting it.

[Deleted User]

Ophelia is a non-chewer, so I’m not worried about her chewing anything.

Obviously, I am renting so I will take precautions! This little spot is actually attached to the owners house, so I was going to ask him if he wouldn’t mind just taking the two night stands out for the 4 days that we are there to give us some room, and prevent any temptation from Ophelia

[Dface]

All three of my buns had to learn to be frequent travellers in rapid time. We would make the 2-4 hour journey more than I would have liked.
They didn’t like eating when traveling so I would soak their greens in water and give them them before we left.
Samp and Yumi never went in their carrier-peep does. I find puppy pads are the easiest to clean and the most useful (I needed a towel and wipes)
Set up a litter box as soon as you get there, preferably bring a blanket of hers and put it on the floor so she has her own smell.
Be careful of her randomly leaving you guys puddles- sometimes they decide to make a house feel honey 😆

Stress can kill rabbits, but I find they adjust better than we give them credit for. Do have an emergency bag packed for her with simethecone and critical care all the same though

[Wick & Fable]

Honestly, I’d probably do the approach I did with Wick. I had him limited to one room for a day, then just unleashed him free-roam once I saw how he was taking the new location. I think that’s a pretty OK place to just let her free-roam.

I recommend bringing NIC grids to make rabbit proofing easy. Two zip-tied together could probably hug the night stand so the hole is covered, and bring others just in case something is discovered you want to block off.

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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