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Travelling with a pair

Hello! So for anyone who saw my post a couple of months ago looking for rex rabbits, I am pleased to say that I am adopting a lovely rex pair this weekend from a rescue and am delighted :)

But, we have to travel with them in the car for around 4hrs. I have a question about how to travel with them. Previously, if I have only been transporting one rabbit I've had a pet carrier which has been fine because it's only been maximum 15min journey and one bun had plenty of space. But I'm not sure what to use to transport the pair. I don't really want to put them in separate carriers because they are bonded and I reckon they would be a comfort to one another while travelling. But I also don't want them both cramped into the one carrier if their isn't enough space to move around.

I am going to take a small pop up mini play pen thing I have with me and have stops maybe every hr or so and I can let them out into that if there is space to do so while we eat lunch etc for example but I don't know if this will be enough/too stressful for them?

Any advice appreciated thanks.

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Get a large, enclosed carrier for them to have enough room together. Lots of hay in there

I wouldn’t do the play pen thing. Best to just put them in the carrier, do your drive as quickly as you can and then the stressful period is minimised.

Don’t put a bottle on the carrier as it will leak but offer a bowl of water a few times during the journey.

I’ve done a couple of long journeys with buns and they’ve been absolutely fine each time - a little stressed as you would expect but hopped out of the carrier happily at the other end and settled quickly.
 
Hello! So for anyone who saw my post a couple of months ago looking for rex rabbits, I am pleased to say that I am adopting a lovely rex pair this weekend from a rescue and am delighted :)

But, we have to travel with them in the car for around 4hrs. I have a question about how to travel with them. Previously, if I have only been transporting one rabbit I've had a pet carrier which has been fine because it's only been maximum 15min journey and one bun had plenty of space. But I'm not sure what to use to transport the pair. I don't really want to put them in separate carriers because they are bonded and I reckon they would be a comfort to one another while travelling. But I also don't want them both cramped into the one carrier if their isn't enough space to move around.

I am going to take a small pop up mini play pen thing I have with me and have stops maybe every hr or so and I can let them out into that if there is space to do so while we eat lunch etc for example but I don't know if this will be enough/too stressful for them?

Any advice appreciated thanks.

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Great news :)

Personally I'd obtain a pet carrier big enough to accommodate both Rabbits. I think stopping and starting and moving them from carrier to play pen several times en route could be a lot more stressful for them than getting the journey over in one go. Especially if they are not keen on being handled a lot. Obviously they'd need constant access to hay and water whilst travelling and the vehicle/carrier would need good ventilation.

Good luck :)

ETA, we cross posted Catherine !!
 
Hello! So for anyone who saw my post a couple of months ago looking for rex rabbits, I am pleased to say that I am adopting a lovely rex pair this weekend from a rescue and am delighted :)

But, we have to travel with them in the car for around 4hrs. I have a question about how to travel with them. Previously, if I have only been transporting one rabbit I've had a pet carrier which has been fine because it's only been maximum 15min journey and one bun had plenty of space. But I'm not sure what to use to transport the pair. I don't really want to put them in separate carriers because they are bonded and I reckon they would be a comfort to one another while travelling. But I also don't want them both cramped into the one carrier if their isn't enough space to move around.

I am going to take a small pop up mini play pen thing I have with me and have stops maybe every hr or so and I can let them out into that if there is space to do so while we eat lunch etc for example but I don't know if this will be enough/too stressful for them?

Any advice appreciated thanks.

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Hi there :wave:

Congratulations on your rabbits!

I have done many long journeys with multiple rabbits and I always use a carrier that's big enough to house them all. I pad it carefully and make sure it's very securely attached in the car.

Along the way, I have one or perhaps two stops where I open the carrier into the boot and provide water, fresh herbs, fresh grass and forage. The reason for providing fresh food is that it contains moisture, so in addition to any water they may or may not drink, they will get additional moisture from the green food.

The carrier doesn't need to be enormous as they will cling to one another during the stress of a journey. But you will need one for future vet visits, so useful to have :)
 
Same as what everyone else has said :)

I've done a few hours, just put vet bed in the carrier, or a towel and lots of hay. Stopped once and offered a bowl of water, and some herbs. Wouldn't separate them and I wouldn't bother with play pen they'll be too freaked out probably and prefer to just huddle up in their safe space :)

Congrats and good luck xx

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I've done long car journeys and have done the same as others have advised. I would definitely not get them out and put them in a play pen as I think they would be very scared.

One other tip to prevent too much stress is to ask the rescue for some of their litter and put in the the carrier with them. It will reassure them a little.

Enjoy your beautiful Rexes :love: They looked adorable on the pic.
 
Thanks for everyone's quick responses! I'm so excited!! :).

I haven't been able to find a carrier that I felt was sufficiently big enough for two rabbits? I had previously had a cat carrier that opened at the front and the top but I felt 2 would be too cramped in that for a long journey.

Would something like a small dog cage work? I just worried that there would be too much space for them to be moved about with the movement of the car in that and because generally it's quite open I thought they might not feel that safe?

Here are some of my options:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/Sear...2&showResultsPage=true&pageView=&viewMode=m20

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/Prod...p_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10151

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-metal-door-pet-carrier-small

Any/none of these any good. I've had rabbits all my life but never had to go any distance with them so really unsure and a bit nervous

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Once they’re travelling mine have always hunkered down and tried to ignore the world anyway (apart from Mischa, he would flop and then have a nap) so I don’t worry too much about them having space. I have a Catit Cabrio which is just brilliant, I love it.
 
Thanks for everyone's quick responses! I'm so excited!! :).

I haven't been able to find a carrier that I felt was sufficiently big enough for two rabbits? I had previously had a cat carrier that opened at the front and the top but I felt 2 would be too cramped in that for a long journey.

Would something like a small dog cage work? I just worried that there would be too much space for them to be moved about with the movement of the car in that and because generally it's quite open I thought they might not feel that safe?

Here are some of my options:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/Sear...2&showResultsPage=true&pageView=&viewMode=m20

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/Prod...p_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10151

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-metal-door-pet-carrier-small

Any/none of these any good. I've had rabbits all my life but never had to go any distance with them so really unsure and a bit nervous

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Do you mean the catit one? :)

I have that, and two full size rexes, works perfectly :)

I'd prefer them to have less space that's dark tbh x

Oh also! Had a look at your links, the one that hinges on the side and lid opens is tiny, seen it in store and there's not a lot of height, not sure mine would be able to have their ears up.

I don't know about the wire one, if its large enough with a towel over the top it may work but the normal carry cage isn't very large either, have one of them can only fit one bun in :) hope that's helpful xx
 
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Yes, I used 2 Catit ones to transport my 4 Rexes on a long journey, 2 in each and they had plenty of room for travelling. It's better that they don't move around too much.
 
I lumped all my bunnies in one carrier to do a 2 hour trip (there & back, the vet is their rest stop) this week. There is room for them not to be too squashy but they still insisted on using only 60% of the space as they kept lying on top of each other. I found that strange - my bunnies snuggle a lot but aren't the types to lie on top of each other

I use old (clean) bath mats in the base as they are absorbent and not as slippy as everything else I've tried

Most importantly - congrats. You must be very excited
 
Thanks everyone! The journey has started, I managed to find a box I'm happy with both in and they seem fine. I've popped a puppy pad in the bottom covered in hay. It's pretty warm which is a bit of a worry. 24.5 degrees and pretty cosy in the car. They won't take a drink so far which is a little worrying. So I've soaked some kale in water and popped in in with them. They haven't eaten any yet. Should I be too worried or will they be ok until we are back?

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Thanks everyone! The journey has started, I managed to find a box I'm happy with both in and they seem fine. I've popped a puppy pad in the bottom covered in hay. It's pretty warm which is a bit of a worry. 24.5 degrees and pretty cosy in the car. They won't take a drink so far which is a little worrying. So I've soaked some kale in water and popped in in with them. They haven't eaten any yet. Should I be too worried or will they be ok until we are back?

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They'll probably be fine, might be a little too scared to eat, I wouldn't worry :)

I'm sure once they're in their new home and are left to settle they'll start nibbling hay etc xx

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We made it! It was a long cosy drive but They seemed to be ok, eventually settled stretched out and coped really quite well. They are currently exploring their new home so leaving them to it at the moment. Will pop up some photos in a few hours once they have calmed down a little! :)

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Oh how wonderfully exciting. I have always found rabbits to be great travellers. In all cases (long journeys by train car and bus and a mix of all 3 on one occasion) they have just flopped and chomped on grass!

Look forward to pics. I love rexes. Mabe one day ...
 
Meet Buster & Lola! This is as close as I can get at the moment without sending them into a bit of a frenzy! [emoji23]

I will pop some more pics up once they are feeling a little more confident!

Just glad to have them home safe and sound at the moment! Thanks again for all the advice!
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Meet Buster & Lola! This is as close as I can get at the moment without sending them into a bit of a frenzy! [emoji23]

I will pop some more pics up once they are feeling a little more confident!

Just glad to have them home safe and sound at the moment! Thanks again for all the advice!
15fdaa3d6d1dd45e14c665448ecc543c.jpg
35452bcbdfac5c1a7e5e61641ca41604.jpg


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Fantastic achievement, and lovely bunnies :love:
 
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