Travelling advice

So next week I am moving into a new place with lots of indoor room and a big back garden for George and me to live in.

The thing is I'm from Dorset and my new job (where we are moving) is in Norfolk. It's not ideal and if it wasn't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't travel....but unfortunately that's how it is. It's a 4 hour drive and I'm intending to stop for 20 minutes every hour to give him a break and check all is ok. As I said it's not ideal but my job is there.

I've heard that there is a pet rescue remedy you can buy and that Rosemary is very calming for them.

I can imagine he will drink much so I have thought about veg that has high water content to feed him on rest stops.

I am also taking him on short trips in the car to he him used to being in the car. He loves his carrier, it's just the noise of the car to get used to.

I'm putting a blanket over the carrier so it's nice and dark to keep him calm.

Any other ideas or corrections would be much appreciated

I moved all my buns from chichester (South Coast near Portsmouth) to Sheffield last year, a journey of 4-5 hours I think it took nearer to 5 on the day :shock:

I made sure to feed my buns just before we went so that I knew they had full tummies, I also mixed a tiny bit of fruit purée baby food in with some water to encourage them to drink before we left as well. I then tried to get there ASAP, we stopped twice, once to meet with my dad who was driving the lorry and we stopped for maybe ten minutes and I offered water and popped a grape through to each rabbit, they all got eaten at some point although I don't know who ate what, the water was ignored. We then stopped an hour or so later as we needed the loo and I checked the rabbits again and offered water although none took it.

When we got there the buns were taken straight into their rooms, given a litter tray full of hay and a water bowl and left for an hour or so to calm down. I then went back in with some pellets and made sure they were all eating, then I left them alone again for about half an hour and then went and checked the litter trays. I can tell the difference between each rabbit's poop so I knew they were all pooping and then I relaxed a bit!

I didn't stop especially for them, I thought that the longer they were in carriers the worse it would be for them, they are all bowl drinkers so didn't provide a water bottle, just made sure they had a drink before we left and offered water a couple of times. All four coped brilliantly and none of them had any issues because of the trip. I did think that a grape was a compromise between water and a treat, cucumber was another option.

Good luck :wave:

Eta - obviously they had constant access to hay in their carriers!

To be honest I'd probably just try and get it over with in one go since he'll probably still be stressed on a break. Just take a couple of stops to offer water.
I don't think watery veg is advised because it can give them runny poops but you could offer small amounts of cucumber if he doesn't drink when you offer water.
Rosemary and Lavender are both supposed to be relaxing.

I'd probably offer pellets on and off for the whole journey. Mine are so keen for food I think it would distract them from anything.

When we drove Noah and Skye from the rescue in Macclesfield to home (can't remember how long that took but I think it was at least 4 hours) I got the biggest carrier I could, and did the journey as fast as possible (stopped once)

I took some cucumber and some pellets with me, and gave them the occasional piece of cucumber to keep them hydrated and pellets to check they were ok and still eating. I also picked some grass from my OH parents garden before we picked them up and gave them that, as it has a bit more moisture than hay.

They were absolutely fine, and settled in really well when they got home.

Try not to stress too much, they will pick up on it :wave:

We drove four buns from the highlands of Scotland to Hampshire! It took somewhere in the region of 11hrs over one day.

We put blankets over the top of the carriers, gave them a drink before we left, and then every 4hrs or so through the journey. We kept the temp down in the car, and the radio on to drown out some of the car noise (they were used to radios at home). When we stopped they got a scatter of pellets, a little veg and a stoke, but we just tried to disturb them as little as possible.

When we got to the new house, they went in to smaller enclosures than normal and were kept in the dark and quiet for 2hrs, then checked. As they got 'over' the journey, we made the enclosures bigger and gave them hay etc. Within 24hrs of the journey it was like they'd completely forgotten.

With only four hours, I'd be tempted just to do it in one go, if you can do it at a cooler part of the day (sun in the windows might bother them).

GabyEmilyB said:

So next week I am moving into a new place with lots of indoor room and a big back garden for George and me to live in.

The thing is I'm from Dorset and my new job (where we are moving) is in Norfolk. It's not ideal and if it wasn't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't travel....but unfortunately that's how it is. It's a 4 hour drive and I'm intending to stop for 20 minutes every hour to give him a break and check all is ok. As I said it's not ideal but my job is there.

I've heard that there is a pet rescue remedy you can buy and that Rosemary is very calming for them.

I can imagine he will drink much so I have thought about veg that has high water content to feed him on rest stops.

I am also taking him on short trips in the car to he him used to being in the car. He loves his carrier, it's just the noise of the car to get used to.

I'm putting a blanket over the carrier so it's nice and dark to keep him calm.

Any other ideas or corrections would be much appreciated

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For the last 6 months I've been taking N&T to the vets usually once a week, but at times it's been 3 times a week. The journey is always 2 and a half hours, and has been as long as 4 hours several times. My two hate being in the carrier really and I get a lot of scrabbling and thumps both on the way, on the way back and once back in their shed - but it's all forgotten in a few hours. I make sure to watch them eat a really decent amount of stuff before we head off to the vets, and then I know that as long as they eat when they return their guts will be fine. It's always more worrying when moving homes with bunnies than coming back to their current setup, but the journey itself shouldn't harm him.

I too wouldn't recommend stopping - that time will really add up, and he'll be confused I would think. N&T sure have a little burst of energy any time I'm stuck in traffic - I think they think we're home and they get excited but realise they can't come out! I just drive calmly and smoothly and they tend to just settle down after a bit.

I tend to chat to N&T and that chills them out as they know nothing is bad if I'm chatting away in a bunny voice!

I'd try to not clean his litter tray out if at all possible, so that you can put it back in his new accommodation and he'll feel right at home straight away:thumb:

catherine09 said:

Try not to stress too much, they will pick up on it :wave:

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This is my problem!lol I worry about him and want to do everything I possibly can to make him comfortable.


It puts me a little more at ease that you all have had good experience of travelling, thanks

If you did what you planned, your 4hr drive would turn into 5hrs.

I agree with everyone else, get it done as quickly as possible. Keep them cool, cover up to help calm them, give them plenty of hay to nom on and a couple of water breaks.

And remember to take a break yourself.

Brilliant! Thanks everyone! I've been and bought rosemary to slowly introduce to him and I'm going to do minimal breaks to get him there quicker.

Like the litter tray idea and I'm going to give him is favourite foods before we set off

If anyone else has any ideas please keep them coming! I appreciate all opinions and experience

Thanks for all the advice.

Did the dreaded drive today and George was good as gold!chilled out, happily ate and was eating and pooping as soon as he was put down in the new place!

He also has a new found love for rosemary now haha

Glad he was good en route. Hope he settles in well.

tonibun said:

Glad he was good en route. Hope he settles in well.

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You'd think he's lived here all his life!ive restricted him to his pen overnight so I don't overwhelm him but he is flopping and eating me out of house and home and pooping well so will probs let him explore tomorrow when I've secured the wires