Travelling with Bunny!

Im going on a weekend break soon to a log cabin, and kermit is booked in to to come with me.

Any ideas on how best to transport him and make him comfortable and at ease?

The place im going to is only an hours drive away, and considering that the vets he goes to is a half hour i think he should manage, but he just doesnt like in his carrier when we are going to the vets, so im thinking that he would be the same for the holiday.

Do you have your carrier out normally? He may not like it because he associates the carrier with the vets! I've been leaving my carrier out since I first got it so that Biscuit can get familier with it, he's got a 6 hour journey coming up tomorrow! He enjoys sleeping and playing in there sometimes =) If you start leaving treats or feeding him in the carrier when it's feeding time (leaving the door open)he'll get more used to it and should be more relaxed when it comes to travelling!

Thanks, ill try that, ill leave it out in the room from tonight onwards and let him go in and out at his will.....good idea

Get him used to his carrier

When you are going to travel, if he's on veg already give him some spring greens or other leaves about 2 hours before you go, this will help hydrate him. If not give him some pellets insted & make sure he has lots of fresh water.

Line the carrier with newspaper & loads of hay

provide water - although he probably wont drink it

Make sure he is the last thing in and the first thing out. If you have to travel for more than 3 hours you need to stop for half an hour to let him eat & drink.

Drive carefully, especially round corners

make sure there is lots of ventilation, have cool air blasting in & maybe open the windows as long as it isn't too noisy

don't play loud music - If you can't do without, if you can stomach it radio 4 or classical is best as it is quite calming. If not, just keep the volume low.

Try if you can to travel between 10:00 and 4:00 when they are least active. If not, travel at night. Try not to travel during dusk and dawn.

A probiotic in the water for a week before and a week after is useful at preventing upset tums.

make sure the bun has eaten in the first hour or so of arriving at your destination.

motorway travelling is different to going to the vets... alvin hates the 5 min journey of city travelling but once on the motorway its a different type of travel... we put a wet dark towel over the carrier to keep him cool and calm.

hope it goes well, you both deserve a nice stress free break

Thanks for that guys loads of tips there...but then im not surprised, the people on this forum know their stuff!!!

hi
fudge frequently travels both by train and car! he has always had access to his carrier-the grid comes off and he uses like a hiding space....

my local pound shop had a pack of four puppy pads (like nappies but in sheet form) and i found to place one of these in the bottom works wonders should there be any accidents-however fudge is now that well litter trained we are still using the same one from last months journeys! as long as he has stuff to munch and feels comfortable in the box you should be fine.

in the car his carry box straps in properly with the seatbelt and we do it so he can always look out should it be daylight...on a night time we tend to cover the grid and he snoozes. on the train as long as he can see what is happening around him he is totally fine...its me that gets the strange looks! normally because he has left a trail of hay behind him!

good luck for the holiday-fudge has been to his grandparents via train 3times now since he came to live with me,although has been to stop with them 4times as for christmas daddy collected us. i always take his own blankie,teddy bear and quiltie so he has things he associates with home for his bedroom at grandpa and grandmas!

i put a towel in the bottom of the carrier and a ton of hay on top, he's too busy eating to notice he's travelling! once his tummy is full, he just flops out and goes to sleep! now i put his favourite teddy in there to for cuddles.

i remember getting the carrier from my mums and as soon as her cat spotted it, his eyes went :shock: and he shot out the back door and across the garden! :lol:

I always put a couple of drops of rescue remedy in the water bowl the night before travelling (and on arrival) & put hay and a bit of veg with a reasonably high water content in the carry cage with them in the hope that they may have a nibble and get a bit of liquid that way. As others have said, try to keep the cage shaded and cool.
Hope you have a great time!