How to transport bunnies to new home?

[cainan]

Hi all,

I am moving from NJ to VT in less than a month (gulp) and I need to start figuring out how I’m going to get the bunnies up there – it’s about a 6 hour ride! (Oh, I need to pack too, but that’s another story entirely).

Any advice on how to do this?  Should I get sedation?  But then what do I do when I have to use the rest stop?  Should I break down and spend the extra money to fly?  Take the train?

Help!

 

alex,

Merry, and Banner

[cainan]

p.s. reminder since I haven’t posted in a while – they’re STILL un-bonded – so do they go in one huge carrier (stress bonding?) or would that be worse?

[Elrohwen]

It shouldn’t be too hard or stressful at all. I take my rabbits on a 7.5 hour drive from NY to PA (to visit family on a long weekend, which means a return trip just a few days after we arrive) and they’re fine in their carrier. I try to offer lettuce, mostly for the water content, but they’ve never eaten it. Sometimes they’ll eat hay if I put some of that in the carrier. I don’t offer water because they don’t drink it (even at home they probably drink once or twice per day – a 7 hour car ride isn’t too long to go without water). You can try offering it during rest stops though.

Unless your rabbits are extremely nervous and very easily stressed, there should be no reason to need sedation or do anything special at a rest stop. One of my two is fairly nervous and anxious and she does fine on trips. When we stop, one of us tries to stay with the car while the other uses the restroom. We have stopped to get food and left the bunnies in the car alone as long as the weather is nice and windows are partially down. I think flying would be far more stressful for them and for you and it is difficult to find airlines that allow rabbits in the cabin.

Whether to put them in the same carrier or not is up to you. It would be a fantastic bonding experience and I would probably do it if you were just taking a trip, but since you’ll be moving and stressed out in general, it might be easier for you to just keep them separate – one less thing to worry about.

ETA: You don’t need a special carrier for them either – whatever normal sized cat carrier you’d use for a vet visit is fine. Some people worry about keeping them in a small space for too long, but bunnies feel comfortable in small enclosed spaces and it’s safer for them in case you have to slam on your brakes or something.

[peppypoo]

Elrohwen has great suggestions, but just one more tip to add: whenever it’s time for a long car ride, I always fill Peppy up on wet fresh veggies right before we leave. This makes sure she’s hydrated and has something in her tummy during the ride, since she refuses anything to eat or drink while we’re on the road.

[floppybunny123]

I’d like to add something too, I think that you should put a puppy pad and a blanket on top to avoid slipping and sliding. I also think that putting them in the same carrier is a great idea just keep an extra carrier on hand in case things get a little out of control. Is there going to be someone in the back seat with you to break up fights? If not then don’t put them in the same carrier. Good luck!

[Beka27]

I would try and put them together for the ride. I know you’ll be busy and stressed and what not, but I wonder how much success you’d have with a stressed bonding on the way up, leading into an immediate cementing period. You’ll be in a new, completely neutral space. I would definitely try to do an aggressive bonding since your new place will only be neutral for a short time.

[skunklionshow]

I’ve made 2 major moves in the past 20 years:  Chgo to Philly (12 hr drive, but w/ a moving truck more like 15-18) and Philly to Greensboro, NC (10 hr drive).  The first was cats only and the second was cats (several w/ very poor relationships) & bunny.  Sedation is not recommended for rabbits, since it is more likely that they can have respiratory distress.  My first move w/ Geo Hatchback and 2nd w/ a Ford Station Wagon.  In the wagon, I set up a dog cage for the rabbit.  I also built a barrier right behind driver’s seat.  The cats had whatever space they could find in the back.  I also did a litter box, food, and water bowl (frozen to avoid splashing-let it slowly melt).  Jessica stayed in the dog cage which had pellets, bottle, and litterbox.  She mainly slept in the litterbox.  Due to the confined space she had the bottle was next to the litterbox and it dripped during the whole drive. She was wet when we got south and I had to blow dry and heat her up (it was Dec).  I’ve found my rabbits tend to like confined spaces during travel, whereas the cats like more space to move.  You could probably do a nice set up in your backseat, depending on your space, w/ litterbox, food, & water.  You could do barrier system and let them have the whole back seat or put them in a dog cage/kennel.  I built my barrier out of NIC cubes (YEAH) and cardboard.  Good Luck!  Take them on some small test drives b/f the big road trip.

[cainan]

Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone for your suggestions. I’m hoping that this huge trip would be the ultimate bonding experience…. They’ll be sharing the back of my car with at least one fish tank so I can’t really give them room to roam. It’s killing me to have these guys broken up – no one gets enough time with me! Ha, “so how did you manage to handle such a difficult re-bonding?”. “oh, major life upheaval. Moved many states away where I know no one and they don’t like to rent to pet owners. But hey, they’re back together!”. Lol

[Elrohwen]

It’s really a good thing that they won’t have room to roam around during the drive – it’s far safer for them to be in a carrier. My two just hunker down and snuggle in their carrier for the whole trip.

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