Traveling With Rabbit Pets
Planning A Trip With A Rabbit
If you are traveling to see friends and relatives, make sure that you have cleared your rabbit's visit beforehand. Allergies, children, and other pets should all be considered before your pet rabbit becomes a guest.
Although a pet rabbit can be transported in a pet taxi, it is not ideal for a long trip. And full-size rabbit cages will eat up your available space in no time.
The best choice is a rabbit carrier. Carriers come in singles, doubles, triples, quads, and some even carry six rabbits, each in their own compartment.
Looking ahead to see what you need to take on the trip will help you be ready to load up on time. I may not need puppy training pads on a daily basis, but I put them in the bottom of my carriers when I travel. Don't forget to put it on your shopping list if it's not something you normally have around!
If you don't like puppy training pads, by the way, there are different types of litter you can use. I prefer a bird litter or pine cat litter. I find that they absorb odor the best and do not add a strong odor of their own.
The bird litter is heavy and you should take that into consideration. You can also use pine shavings or line cages with newsprint. I prefer not to use shavings around my rabbits, though, due to the possibility that the fumes may not be good for my rabbits.
Feeding and Watering Your Rabbit While Traveling
Appetites may suffer during a road trip. Be sure to bring your pet rabbits' normal feed. Do not count on being able to buy the exact feed somewhere else. Even the same brand may be milled differently at a different location.
Also bring some of your pet rabbits' favorite treats. Shredded wheat, Cheerios, and old-fashioned rolled oats are good choices. Pack hay or straw. Even if you normally feed hay just every other day, it's a good idea to give your rabbits a constant supply of hay while traveling since it helps them deal with stress.
Some rabbit carriers come with built-in hay racks just for this purpose.
You may want to acclimate your rabbit to hay cubes before the trip so that he will eat them while traveling. Hay cubes are much neater than loose hay. Use Timothy hay cubes and not alfalfa hay cubes, which can contribute to obesity and digestive problems.
I always bring water from home when I'm traveling. With all of the other stresses of traveling, rabbits do not need to be faced with the additional challenge of adapting to a different water supply. My rabbits are used to well water, for example, and might not do well with chlorinated water or water with different mineral levels in it.
Speaking of water, using travel-size water bottles will make packing your carriers much more convenient. Travel sizes range from 4 to 8 oz. I prefer metal spring clips to attach my bottles to my cages.
Small crocks that attach to the side of the carrier are also available. They are easier to refill, but also easier to spill.
Packing Your Vehicle
To protect your vehicle from hay, fur, and misdirected urine, you may want to put down a tarp, carpet squares, or another type of barrier between your pet rabbits and your car. Just make sure that your pet rabbits cannot pull that barrier into their carriers and chew it up. Besides losing the protection, you may jeopardize your rabbits' health.
Make sure that your pet rabbits will get adequate ventilation and will be out of direct sunlight in the car. Even on a cool day, direct sunlight in a car can cause your rabbit to overheat.
Also be sure that your pet rabbits are not placed directly in front of a heating vent. Rabbits have died on car trips from being blasted with hot air during the trip, even in cold weather (check to be sure that the heater is not inadvertently turned on, especially if you have a separate rear heater that you may not be feeling in the front seat).
Again, make sure that your pet rabbits cannot pull items into their carriers to chew on them.
For a beloved pet rabbit (plus other pets traveling with you), you may want to consider a crate fan. A single fan is an inexpensive way of keeping air flowing in a carrier.
Pet rabbits should never travel in the trunk of a car. In warm or hot weather, they should not travel in the bed of a truck or in a trailer, unless it is air conditioned.
On the Road
Of course you will want to check on your bunnies periodically during your trip. Make sure that the water bottles provide a continuous supply of water to your pet rabbits. Since they are smaller than normal, you may have to fill them more than once per day.
You might try using a car ionizer to neutralize the odors in the air and make the trip more comfortable for the humans and healthier for your rabbits. Ionizers create particles that bond with contaminants in the air causing them to literally fall from the air, leaving behind cleaning, healthier, and fresh smelling air.
If you've ever traveled with a pet before, you know that would be a welcomed change!
When you stop for breaks and meals, make sure you always park in the shade, even on cool days, if it's sunny. On warm days, leave the car running and the air conditioning on. Having two car keys comes in handy with this little trick.
For short trips during the heat, I have frozen large cans of water and placed them in the empty compartments of a carrier to keep my bunnies cool. When you take your pet rabbit out of his cage for exercise, make sure he is wearing a harness. One small mishap and your pet rabbit could scramble from your arms and take off for the nearest woods.
It is not likely to ever be too cold in the car for the bunnies. If it is safe enough for you to be out driving, it's safe enough for the bunnies to stay in an unheated car.
Stopping For The Night
If your hotel allows it, take your bunnies inside for the night in warm weather. It is worth it to shop around and find those places that will allow your bunnies inside.
Otherwise, make sure you don't stop for the night until it is dark out and the temperature has dropped. Bunnies that stay in the car should remain ventilated. Just open the back windows a bit. Make sure you park in the shade, preferably on the west side of the motel so that the morning sun doesn't stress or even jeopardize your bunnies before breakfast!