Travelling with Rabbits

We all do a lot of transporting with our animals! To shows, meeting buyers, even moving! So how can we make traveling the safest as possible?

To begin with, I always lay a blanket down in the back. It catches the hay and any spilled water (or urine). It also helps keep the car from gathering scratches from loading carriers!

My preference on long trips is to stuff the carriers with hay and to place puppy pads under the carriers. Note, I prefer to use carriers. It gives the animals a better grip (as opposed to cat carriers) and doesn't take up as much space as cages or even the cat/dog carriers.

Most of the veteran show folks know this already :).

I prefer to only have latch on carrier cups when I do provide food and water (only on longer trips). I do not like to use small ceramic cups, a quick turn or a bump could lead to the animals being popped on the head!

Make sure your rabbits are getting plenty of ventilation! We don't want them getting overheated, which is a particular danger in an over packed car!

A particularly helpful tip is to pack your carriers sideways if you can. If you have to slam on breaks or get into an accident, your rabbits will slam their bodies in to carriers- not their faces! It helps prevent serious injury to your rabbits- such as broken necks, broken teeth, etc. We can't always swing this one due to limited space, but the most valuable stock is always placed this way!

Bungee cords attached the carriers are also really helpful. It helps keep the cages from sliding around! Most of the time, our car is so full we don't have to worry about this step as much, but folks I've ridden with (who have larger vehicles) always make sure to bungee theirs in!

When we stop at rest stops or to run in and grab food (we tend to eat a lot of fast food on rabbit show days!), we make sure to park in the shade and roll down all the windows. I do NOT recommend leaving the rabbits in the car in hot or even warm weather for any extended period of time! As I mentioned- we run in and run right back out! Cold weather is much better for the animals- they won't overheat and they won't freeze :). My preference is still to be in the car if that's where my rabbits are!

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry