# transporting and carrier/cage



## AquaticRex (Oct 2, 2010)

ok, so i'm going on a 2 week trip down south, one week in one place, and a second week in another place... i plan to use a 2Lx1Wx2H (if i can, if not the height will be 1) nic make shift carrier with a blanket on the bottom. for each point i need to know if i should take him out of the make shift carrier even if he cant exactly run around and if so for how long he should be cooped up in there for at the most and how long he should be out of the carrier. he is litter trained and i plan to have a box in there for him..

1) the first ride to the first destination will be roughly 5 - 5.5 hours.

2) going to the second destination will be cut in half, stopping off at the half way point to change vehicles. it will be roughly 1 - 1.5 hours until the break/transfer point, then it will be about 2.5 hours to the second destination. i'm not sure how long we will be waiting at the break point, maybe 20 minutes tops.

3) and finally, the ride back to North bay will be about 8 hours. i will have more room to let him run around this time since it will be in my moms van (one of the vans that the seats go into the floor)


so my question is, do i let him out (keeping him with me at all times or course so he dont end up under the seats or even worst under the gas or break peddles >.<) and if so for how long and would the cage size be ok for transporting? the boyfriend wants to put him in a 1x1x1 cube, not gonna happen lol.

for number 2, at the transfer point, do you think it would be ok to let him out? we will prolly get dropped off at someplace like the bus station (gray hound). he's terrific on a leash and not bad with crowds, just really curious lol of course if its too active there the answer would be no and i'd let him out when we get in the car for a bit.

i know always keep water for him and always have hay in the cage for him and of course a litter box needs to be provided. but is there anything else i should know? what about some way to relieve stress, cause these are pretty long periods to be driving. and from the last car ride i remember, he didnt take it too well, he peed on me >.< of course that was when we first got him as a baby, so smaller bladder and such and not litter trained at all... 

i'll be bringing his whole cage with me (one of the things i love about NIC cages ^_^) and at the houses he will have run of one or two rooms, depending on how the other animals take to him. i know at my house, chances are he's gonna have to stay in my room cause bree (my dog) jumps and goes after anything that moves, a. not sure about davids house... his dog runs away from a leaf blowing by. so i guess this leads me to another question. how do i get him to settle into the new locations without stressing out too bad? or will it in a way just be like seeing a new room for the first time? also, he's never seen or smelt cats or doge before, will it bother him? and advice on it would be great. sorry for the long thing lol.


P.S. feel free to move the subject to a different location, i wasn't too sure on where to put this...


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Oct 2, 2010)

I would keep him in a carrier in the car. It is simply safer for him. If you had to suddenly stop, you might not be able to hold onto him and he could go flying into the windshield. If you were in an accident, he could get lost or worse. A carrier keeps him confined and safe. 

In my experience, rabbits don't usually use a whole carrier in the car. They seem to feel safer in a smaller carrier than a huge one. My buns have 23X15 carriers and there is plenty of room for them. They mostly hide at the back anyway. 

Don't leave water in the carrier unless you have a dish that won't spill. Bottle will leak in the car and some dishes and spill. Stop every hour or two and offer water. You can keep pellets and hay in the carrier. Some wet veggies can be used as water while you drive. 

Depending on where you get dropped off, a leash might not be the safest option. You would need an area that is not near traffic and preferably fenced in just in case. If you are waiting inside, you might not be allowed to let him out of the carrier. I would make sure the NIC pen/cage is avaliable so you can set it up. With the pen, you can put the litter box in it and cover it with a blanket so he has some privacy. 

How fast he settles in depends on him. Some rabbits take longer than others to get comfortable in new areas. Make sure to have the same pellets and hay from home and try to get veggies he is used to eating. Bringing a big jug of water from home can be a good idea as the water is different in different places. Having blankets that smell like him and even some dirty litter can be good so he feels more at home. I would just set him up and leave him alone for a litter while so he can settle in. 
As for introducing him to the other animals, you should wait until he is more comfortable. Have the dog on leash and under control. Don't let them get too close to the pen or harass him. He will be more receptive of a dog that is not paying attention to him. For the cats, don't let them get too close either. You can keep a hand between the cat and the cage so nothing can happen through the bars. 
I would not let him out with the other animals. You don't know how they will all react to each other. Don't let the cats or dogs into his pen and I would only let him have more freedom if you are there to directly supervise.


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## AquaticRex (Oct 3, 2010)

Turns out that my boyfriends mom is giving us a carrier. But not o e meant for a rabbit. This carrier is MASSIVE! It used to be for her dog which I can best discribe as being the size of a great Dane! I don't think I'll need to bring Dante's cage with me cause using measurements, it's bigger then the cage . On second thought I'll still bring the grids to make a run. I might even just convert the carrier into an extention when we get back lol. Any ideas how I can make a xxL dog crate into being part of a bunny run/cage?

As well thank you for the advice I didn't think of most of that. 

And sorry if this comes up formated funny. Dave took over the computer so I'm on my iPod touch


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## elrohwen (Oct 3, 2010)

I would keep him in a carrier in the car the whole time. My rabbits have traveled in cars for up to 7.5hrs at a time and were just fine - he won't need to be let out to run around or anything and will be fine just laying in his carrier. 

Also, I would try to give him a smaller carrier for the car, if you can. If you have to stop suddenly, or get in an accident, it will be very dangerous for him if he's in such a large carrier. A small or medium cat carrier is a better size for a bunny.


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## Nancy McClelland (Oct 3, 2010)

when we moved from CA to here it was a nine hour drive with 17, so they stayed in their hutches and were just fine.


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## AquaticRex (Oct 3, 2010)

hmmm, i cant exactly afford a new carrier atm, i'll see if i can use some towels to kinda enclose it a bit more, it will also make it softer i guess. i'm still debating to just make the nic thing... i'm just trying to look at all different options atm... also, i guess the crate is smaller then i was told. they said one number then gave me the pic of it, and its not over extreme lol, thought its still really big. i'll roll up some towels and make a nest sort of thing if i have to, but i might just still make the nic thing and keep him on my lap for the ride.


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## elrohwen (Oct 4, 2010)

I think a 2x1 enclosed NIC thingy would work as a carrier in a pinch (assuming a medium sized bunny)


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## Pet_Bunny (Oct 4, 2010)

I think the smaller the cage the better it is for travel. Then you can set up a larger NIC cage when you are staying at a location.

There are breeders who drive from Saskatchewan to our Alberta shows with these type of cages. The rabbits are often stacked up in the cages in the cars, and sit in their cages during a show for the weekend. Water and pellets do not go into the cages when they are in the car.








Funny thing, some rabbits won't pee in their transport cage and when they are brought our for judging, they start peeing so much. :biggrin:


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## AquaticRex (Oct 4, 2010)

he's about 6-7 pounds now lol, I'd say medium. he takes up about one and a quarter cube when he lays down without his feet stretched out... I've never seen him lay with his feet out though, and that's when he's comfy in his pen. when in the car though might be a different story lol prolly gonna be all bunched up, poor guy


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## Pet_Bunny (Oct 4, 2010)

*AquaticRex wrote: *


> when in the car though might be a different story lol prolly gonna be all bunched up, poor guy



Here are some Flemish Giants (12 pounds+) in their cages.


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## AquaticRex (Oct 4, 2010)

Pet_Bunny, lol that's funny. I'll have to keep that in mind. note to self "hold bunny away from me when i take him out" lol. i wonder how he will take it? i know he hated the make-shift carrier i had him in to bring him for his 'snip', and it was a 2x1x1 nic thingy. it wasn't a far walk, only maybe 2 doors down, but he hated it lol, i had to put a lock on it cause he kept trying to jump out as soon as i started walking lol, but yea, the pee thing, I'll have to keep that in mind, i don't think the parents are going to like having the rabbit peeing on their floors right away lol


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## AquaticRex (Oct 4, 2010)

goodness, look at that dewlap!! lol its gotta be a she lol. i dunno about you guys, but i kinda disagree with the size of the cages... then again, they're for show, so i guess it makes sense to transport in smaller cages for space reasons...


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## Pet_Bunny (Oct 4, 2010)

*AquaticRex wrote: *


> goodness, look at that dewlap!! lol its gotta be a she lol.



I don't know if it was a he or a she. 
But she didn't want to come out of her cage. 






Edit: Hurry up Mom, I got to pee. :biggrin2:


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## Pet_Bunny (Oct 4, 2010)

AquaticRex* wrote: *


> i dunno about you guys, but i kinda disagree with the size of the cages... then again, they're for show, so i guess it makes sense to transport in smaller cages for space reasons...



Smaller the better for the breeders as space is a premium for the car and the show.


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## JadeIcing (Oct 4, 2010)

Size for travel you want small. The more room in a carrier the more room for them to smack around in an accident.


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## AquaticRex (Oct 4, 2010)

what was it, a Flemish? she's huge!! O.O !! i almost got a Flemish from a farmer down the road when i first went to get a rabbit. then the bf looked up how big they get >.< lol i should have just said i was gonna get a mini of some sort lol. i ended up finding Dante though and i love him lots ^_^. i don't feel too guilty about not getting the Flemish, since he wasn't breeding them for food, only as pets, and he was screening the buyers lol. said he started off a few years back with 2 Flemish's to breed for meat, then felt bad when it was time and has been selling them since lol. apparently he breeds them by demand, like, he wont breed them unless he knows someone is already going to buy...


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## AquaticRex (Oct 4, 2010)

and yea, i think def. i'll be going with the NIC make-shift one lol since yall have good points about smaller being better lol


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