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Pet Rabbit Car
Travel
Traveling With Pet Rabbits In
Comfort
Planning
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.
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.
Feeding
and Watering
Rabbit appetites may suffer during a road trip. Be sure to bring
your 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 rabbits' favorite
treats. Shredded wheat, Cheerios, and
old-fashioned rolled oats are good choices.
Also pack
hay.
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.
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.
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.
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 (check to be sure that the heater is not inadvertently turned on).
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.
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!
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