Hard-sided or Soft-sided pet carrier?

[Knabbel Did It]

We’re preparing to bring home a Holland Lop this week (hopefully) and I’m not sure which type of carrier would be best.  It seems like most people here have the hard-sided ones, but some have the soft-sided ones. 

I’m wondering if the soft-side may be more comfortable for such a small bunny, but then I wonder how hard are they to clean.  Are they machine washable?

Do the sides stay up well?

Not knowing if the bunny is a chewer of fabric, maybe I should get the hard-sided one? 

Do you just put some fleece blankets or terry-cloth towels on the bottom to make it less slippery and more cozy?

Any pros and cons you can give me would sure be a huge help in making a decision.

TIA! 

[mocha200]

I would say not to get a soft one because they could chew there way out of it. I use a hard side one so any messes I can just wipe up. I know some people on here have soft side carriers but i prefer hard side. this is the one i have: [code]http://www.petco.com/product/109125/Dog-Whisperer-by-Cesar-Millan-Top-Load-Travel-Den.aspx[/code]

[Helenor]

I agree with mocha about the soft sided carrier. I have a hard one that has double doors so it’s easier to take bunnies in and out. The carrier I have is also big enough for a small litter pan that I fill up with hay so they have somewhere to sit and if they do pee, it’s not too much of a mess.

Here’s the one I have (I have the smaller one):
http://www.petco.com/product/7397/Petmate-Double-Door-Deluxe-Pet-Carriers.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductList_Cat_2-_-Petmate%20Double%20Door%20Deluxe%20Pet%20Carriers-7397

[Elrohwen]

I would definitely get a hard sided one. One of my buns peed in the carrier every.single.time. for about a year. That would’ve been awful in a soft carrier!

Hannah came with a soft carrier and it already had some holes started. I wouldn’t trust her in there over a long car ride or something.

[Sarita]

Also with a soft carrier you cannot belt them in with the seat belt like you can with the hard – just put the seat belt through the handle.

I was in a car accident where a car t-boned me one time and I had my rabbit Mango in the front seat buckled in, in a hard carrier and he did not get injured.

[mocha200]

sarita: How do you buckle them in? I am confused?

[Sarita]

I hope I can explain this – you thread the seat belt through the carrier handle – they need to be placed in the seat so they face the front of the car…I may try to take some photo’s and show you because I’m having a hard time explaining this….

[mocha200]

ok…. Photos might be good, haha. I kinda get what your saying though.

[Knabbel Did It]

Mocha, Helenor, Elrohwen, and Sarita, thank you so much for the suggestions.

Do you use a blanket or towel inside, or do you leave it empty except for the bunny?

How big is the litter box? Can I just use a small cardboard box with litter in it?

If we’re only traveling for 20 minutes or so, do I need anything else?

When we get home, should I try to take him out, or just open the door and let him come out when he’s ready?

Thanks again : )

[Zombie-Sue]

I have a soft carrier, always have. The bottom is plastic with a wool covering that you can slip off and throw in the wash, but just to be careful I throw a towel down in there as well. I prefer the soft ones because they also often have extra openings–this one has a zipper on the top, so I can reach my hand in there and pet him. It’s also easier for me to carry close to my body, because it bounces less off of my legs, and has a strap that I can put around my neck.

I think that with a smaller rabbit, you’ll be okay, but when I first took Tank home, I simply did not have the arm strength to carry him with my hands–I needed him to secure on my shoulder. The sides stay up very well.

My sot carrier has straps on it meant for buckling it into the front seat of my car, and whether you decide to go with a hard or soft carrier, I think it’s a good idea to get one that is similar.

I don’t think a cardboard box is a good idea for a littlerbox, because he will eat the box and it won’t hold any urine that goes to the bottom, and the size of the litterbox depends on the size of the rabbit. If he is very small, I’ve heard that some people use pyrex dishes.

Because you’re bringing your rabbit home for the first time, I think you should simply open the carrier up in the doorway to his cage, so that is the only place he can go, and wait for him to go in on his own. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes or so.

[LoveChaCha]

A 20 minute drive isn’t too long. It was an hour and a half drive to get my bunny. There was only a blanket and water when I got her. She didn’t touch the water because she was frightened.

I would suggest putting the carrier where he is going to like, open the door and let him come out. Rabbits are curious creatures and very nosy

[Beka27]

I would definitely recommend a hard carrier for all the reasons previously mentioned: ability to thoroughly clean, pee resistant, chewing resistant, safer in the event of an accident. Also, it is an added protection for your rabbit in the vet’s waiting room, you don’t want a rambunctious dog to be able to jump onto the soft carrier.

[Helenor]

I’m not sure how big my litterbox for the carrier is. It barely fits inside the carrier and doesn’t move around when in the carrier.

[peppypoo]

I personally do not put anything in my (hard) carrier…whenever I try to put down any kind of cloth or padding for Peppy, she always scoots it aside and lays down on the plastic, lol. If your bun is used to laying down on pet beds, it won’t hurt to put one in there to make things more comfortable, as long as it is pee-resistant or washable.

[Sarita]

I put a sheepskin (fake of course) cat bed that I can wash or a towel to give some traction.

No need for a litter box – that would be so messy. Let them just pee and poop in the carrier and you can wash it.

[Knabbel Did It]

Thanks so much to everyone helping me with this. I hadn’t thought of using a pyrex dish for a litter tray! Never thought about being able to seat-belt a carrier in, although it makes perfect sense. I also hadn’t thought much about other animals’ reactions at the vet’s office either. All good things to think about. I think I’ll probably start out with a hard-sided carrier with a double door and put a towel down to catch any wayward pee on the trip home. If he pushes it aside, that’s okay, as long as he doesn’t try to eat it.

I really hope the transition from outdoor barn bunny to indoor spoiled bunny goes well. Off to read more about litter training… Thanks again.

[Beka27]

He’ll be great! It’s amazing how smoothly they can transition.

The old joke around here goes:
New member: “How do I get my bunny to be an INDOOR bunny?!”
Us: “Put him inside.”

Of course there’s more intricate details: housing, littertraining, spay/neuter… but things can usually fall into place easily once you make the decision to bring a bun inside.

My buns won’t potty in their carrier (longest trip they’ve had has been 90 mins one way). They hold it til we get home, then fill up their box.

[GrumpyBun]

I actually use hay to line my hard carrier with, because I found towels/mats slipped about on the smooth surface. Bizarrely, my buns wont potty in the carrier either. This is very odd because I use the base as a litter tray in the living room at home, but for some reason once the top half is on they think it’s a completely different object.

By the way – once bun is home we may withhold advice until pictures are shared

[mocha200]

My buns never go to the bathroom in there carrier ether and they have road 2 1/2 hours in it! I am not sure why.

[Elrohwen]

For short trips under an hour, I don’t bother putting any food or water in the carrier – my buns don’t drink much as it is, so they’re not going to dehydrate on a short trip. Since Otto used to pee every single time I’m in the habit of layering down paper towels or newspaper, then covering with fleece to absorb any pee. They don’t pee in there anymore, but having some newspaper down does help keep the blanket from sliding around.

For long trips I provide them with some hay and some leaves of lettuce. I’ve seen them eat some of the hay, but they’ve never actually touched the lettuce and are never interested in water when I offer, so I don’t worry. At home they sleep from 8am through 5pm without eating anything, so even during the 7.5hr trip to my parents’ house not eating or drinking shouldn’t matter. I find offering all of that stuff if you know they don’t need it just gets messy (especially the hay or water).

eta: Don’t bother with a litter box in the carrier. Carriers should be small anyway so the rabbit can’t slide around too much and a litter box would take up most of that space (and be so messy!). If your bun has to go he’ll just go in the carrier and you can clean it up later.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I have like, six hard sided carriers…all outside in the snow. I don’t like them. I don’t like that they clip on the sides, so the bottom could conceivably fall out. I find the clips break too.

My dog has a soft sided crate-obviously we couldn’t put him in and move it, but we use it when we travel for him to have a ‘home’ to go to.

I have two soft sided carriers and I haven’t used my hard sided since getting them. One is a combo carrier/stroller/car seat. I LOVE it.

Plus all the sides unzip so I can put that on the vet table and unzip rather then pull a stressed out rabbit out of a carrier.

I throw them in the shower and hose them with them some soap and hang them to dry.

My other soft sided is airline approved, and carries like a purse. I always get comments by the front desk and vet techs that they love my carriers (The look of them) but most importantly I find them very hassel free.

Having many kinds-the hard sided load from top, hard sided load from front, and soft sided purse, and soft sided combo-I love my soft sided and the hard sided are all outside…collecting snow

[RabbitPam]

My 2 cents: I have a hard sided carrier that I like alot, because it opens both from the front and the top. So I can get her into it by putting the front opening up against the door of her xpen and lure her in (yea, like that works the first 5 tries) or open from the top and lower her into it (from a wiggling burrito) that my vet much prefers for taking her out. I use a cat fleece bed like Sarita mentioned, just to keep her from sliding around, but no need for litter. A hard sided one gives them the feeling of floor underneath them, rather than the softness of a bag sensation, which I though might feel more stable to a bunny. Easy to clean, too.
The one I got has a front door with a built in pair of square dishes, that swing out without opening the door, so if I have my bunny in there for any length of time (like if we went to sit out a hurricane at my parent’s house for a night) I could leave her in the carrier but put food and water into those dishes. It’s mostly cute, but nice to know it’s there. In that case, I’d give her some litter and hay inside. Otherwise, a bunny may hold poo and pee while traveling as often as they may go if scared. It can happen either way.

It’s a Cabrio carrier, and I lucked out and found one on sale at Petsmart 2 years ago. You guys and the vet make fun of me, calling it my spaceship. I love it:

[CarlieL]

^^ That’s actually pretty awesome, I love the idea of the dishes. I have the double door hard sided one that many others have…it’s a good size and I do like the doors, but the one thing I think soft sided carriers have over hard ones is the ease of carrying. Hard ones are just awkward I think!

[RabbitPam]

Yes they are awkward to carry, but it’s never all that far unless you’re in a train station or airport, and then there are carts.
My seat belt would start on the top back corner and pull across the top and front. The lap part fits across where that front purple square is, and the shoulder part just pulls over the top if you don’t want to thread it through anywhere. Very snug.

[Knabbel Did It]

ooooo…cool spaceship carrier! Thanks for posting the photo. I hadn’t seen that one online before : )

[Beka27]

Hard carriers can be awkward to carry, but I drive so the farthest I ever carry it is to the car, into the vet’s office, and back again. If you don’t drive, or if you are fortunate enough to live within reasonable walking distance to your vet, that would be more of a hassle. But, you could always look into one of those foldaway carts too…

I had to upgrade to a larger carrier now that we have two buns; it’s still a tight squeeze for them, but back and forth to the vet is fine.

[Author]

Messages