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Transporting Dilemma

JemimaH

Warren Veteran
Alfie needs to go to the vets soon, but his bonded partner (Roo) is perfectly healthy and has no real reason to go. They can't travel together in the car as Roo will practically terrorise Alf - she can't deal with confined spaces, and will mount him constantly, chase him round the carrier etc, so they have to go in separate carriers anyways. As well as not dealing with confined spaces in general, Roo gets very stressy at car journeys. Roo is generally an extremely stressy, bossy, can-be-bullying, dominant rabbit that is without a doubt the boss of Alfie. They have a very rocky bond at the best of times, I don't know how they're still together and honestly they're not suited to one another - Roo is probably better as a single indoor bun (certainly without poor Alfie, my heart breaks for him at times!), but that's another story.

So I don't know what to do. Roo has NO reason to go along, she can't even go in the same carrier as him! My problem is leaving Roo alone because 1) she will panic without him and 2) I worry that she'll not be accepting of him again if he's been in a strange environment and she's stayed in their aviary by herself.

Alf has to go, he can't not go, but what do I do about Roo? :?

Argh!
 
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Could you not put them in separate carriers so they are still together, but Roo can't attack Alfie through two carriers? Then at the vets, just leave Roo in hers whilst Alfie is seen too? It doesn't sound to me like any of the listed options is a perfect one and I am new to bonded bunnies, but I've learnt enough to know they need to stay together so they both smell the same etc
 
This might help.

Make sure you have some blankets/towels or similar in their housing for a while beforehand to get the smell of both bunnies on them. Then on the day, rub one towel over Alfie to make sure it smells mostly of him, and leave it with Roo. Rub the other over Roo, and put it in with Alfie.

When Alfie comes back, swap the towels - rub the one that's been left with Roo over Alfie, and vice verse - hopefully there will be enough scent from each bunny to help them remember each other :)

I do this with my boys if they have to be separated for a vets trip - it takes any vets smells off the bunny that has been treated, and puts familiar smells back on both :)
 
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