Getting Rabbit Ready for Vet

[thumper]

Hi everyone! Thumper is going to need to go to the vet soon and I want to make sure I plan it perfectly so he is as comfortable as possible. I was wondering if there is an optimal time to take him? For example, a specific type of weather to look for? What temperature should the car be? Also, what is a good carrier? Thumper is an American Fuzzy Lop rabbit and thus has long hair so how would I put hay with him? I don’t want him to get hay all in his fur and be uncomfortable. Thank you!! (The vet trip ride is about an hour there and an hour back!) 

[Luna]

For carriers, you can use either a hard or soft covered one. Luna has a fabric one that I like because it has straps that you can seatbelt it with . There are small ones carriers made for dogs/cats that will work. It doesn’t have to be huge, but it should be big enough for him to sit comfortably and lay down in. Room temperature or lower in the car is fine; it shouldn’t be too hot in the car. Since it’s a longer ride, maybe put a shade over the window near his carrier so the sun doesn’t beat down on it? For the hay you can take a tiny cardboard box, cut some holes in it, stick the hay through the holes in the box, then put the box in the carrier.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Ditto, Luna. I always put a light blanket over the carrier so the sun doesn’t hurt buns eyes. And make sure he has something comfy to sit on. A blanket or thick towel. And I def recommend bringing several extra blankets or towels, as well as paper towels and a plastic bag. Bunny will have to pee at some point.

[Sirius&Luna]

Be careful with fabric carriers if he’s a chewer – we bought one for Luna and she chewed her way out of it in one vet visit. Neither of the boys ever chew theirs though, so it does depend on the bun.

I normally put a fleece blanket in, with a puppy pad on top, so that its soft but any pee gets absorbed quickly. Perhaps you could put hay in a toilet roll tube to keep it contained

[Azerane]

Your main weather concerns are heat. Recently when my girl Luna had to go in for a visit and an Op, two of the drives had to be made in extreme heat 42 degrees Celcius. I had no way of avoiding the time of day so I had to plan accordingly. Early in the day before taking her in I made sure to park the car in a spot that would be shaded. Once I had her in the carrier, I went out to the car without her and started the car and ran the air con on full blast for 5-10 minutes to cool the car down. If you’ve got a second person who can stay with the running car it helps. But I turned the car off and went back inside to collect her, added a frozen water bottle to the carrier and brought her to the car. In the car I had her in the front passenger foot well and directed all the air con to the foot well for the drive. I also hung a blanket from the glove compartment across to the back of the passenger seat so that she was shaded the entire time.

It actually was a benefit to me having the frozen water bottle in with her, because the medicine that I got is supposed to be kept cold and getting it home on an hour drive on a hot day I was initially worried, but I tucked it behind the frozen bottle in the carrier with her where she couldn’t get to it and it was still nice and cold when I got home

Otherwise, I put a fleece blanket in the bottom of the carrier, a small handful of hay and that’s about it. If it’s cold weather, you won’t want heat blasting on him in the car. If you’re worried about hydration you can take some leafy greens with, but mine never eat on vet trips.

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