Mary Allen
To ensure that your rabbits get safely from A to B, we recommend purchasing a small animal transport box from a specialist retailer. Alternatives, such as open baskets or cardboard boxes, on the other hand, harbor dangers.
Out and About with Rabbits
Rabbits are no longer just cage animals in pet ownership, but they spend most of their lives in a domestic environment. Unlike dogs, for example, who often accompany their mistresses when they are out and about. Nevertheless, it is advisable to purchase a transport box for rabbits too, for example for trips to the vet or if a long-eared animal needs to be accommodated elsewhere. In this article, we’ll tell you how best to transport rabbits.
Wicker Baskets Aren’t Good
As escape animals, rabbits are the first to run away when frightened. Therefore you should never transport the fur noses in an open basket. In addition, most of them can jump very well and just hop out of the basket. However, they underestimate their height and can seriously injure themselves when landing on the hard ground.
Wicker baskets are also unsuitable as a means of transport because rabbits get caught with their claws in the mesh and jerky movements can tear off individual claws. In addition, a basket is often nibbled on, which in the case of lacquered wickerwork can cause health damage – quite apart from the risk of escape due to defects in the weave.
Cardboard Box: Not Recommended!
Transporting it in a cardboard box could be an alternative, but rabbits can get out of it very quickly by simply biting a hole in it. In addition, the fur noses sometimes urinate when they feel uncomfortable. And the cardboard is quickly softened at this point and becomes unstable.
Even if they are so trusting and people-oriented, experts advise against simply lifting rabbits or letting them ride in the car on their laps. With this method, too, the risk of injury to the Hoppel men is far too great. You are exposed to many unfamiliar noises and impressions and the play of light and shadow in the vehicle unsettles you. It is not uncommon for a rabbit transported in this way to panic, deftly loosen its hands and suddenly run around in the passenger compartment.
Use Transport Boxes From Specialist Retailers
It is, therefore, safest to travel with rabbits in a closed transport box for animals in the car. This shouldn’t just be placed in the trunk or on the back seat, but rather fixed on the bench with the seat belt. It is also advisable to fix the box or bag when transporting it in the luggage compartment so that it cannot slide back and forth during braking or evasive maneuvers. In the case of very nervous animals, it can help to cover the grid opening in the lid, if present, so that they are less aware of their surroundings and have the feeling of sitting in a protected cave.
Basically, you should take into account that rabbits are very down-to-earth animals that prefer to be in their familiar surroundings. Therefore, you should carefully consider whether transport is absolutely necessary. Rabbits are better off staying at home when visiting friends. Even when you are on vacation, you shouldn’t necessarily consider taking your long-eared ears with you into your holiday home, but instead, have them taken care of at home as an alternative. A longer drive by car means stress for the rabbit-like, plus a strange environment and certainly only a limited opportunity to run out.
However, there will be times when your rabbits need to be transported. For example, when you pick up a new long-eared dog from the breeder or the animal shelter. Rabbits also need to be taken to the vet regularly so that they can get their vital vaccinations or when they get sick. The claws should also be trimmed every three months at the latest. If you don’t trust yourself to do it, the veterinarian should do this too.
Different Sizes are Available
For such occasions, it is advisable to purchase a stable transport box in a suitable size. For example, if the next vaccination appointment is coming up, your animals should all sit together. Then a slightly larger transport box is recommended, in which everyone has space. This has the advantage that the fur noses give each other support and security. In the company of their fellow species, they immediately feel much more comfortable and are less nervous. It is generally advisable to transport an existing group together if possible. Otherwise, depending on how long the animals were separated, you have to start a completely new familiarization phase.
The transport box mustn’t be too big either: it should give the animals enough freedom of movement, but at the same time offer support.
The Ideal Equipment
Most animal transport boxes today are made of plastic. This has the advantage that they are very light and can also be cleaned easily. As a rule, they have numerous ventilation slots or grid elements, which ensures good climate compensation in the interior. Usually, they are equipped with a door in the front narrow side, through which the rabbits can go in and out of their own accord.
When visiting the vet, transport boxes that only have one front opening are only recommended to a limited extent. Rabbits have the peculiarity of pulling themselves into the farthest corner of the box when you want to get them out. And when you can finally grab them very awkwardly, they usually spread their hind legs when taking them out, so that they get caught behind the door frame and you pull the whole box behind the rabbit. It is therefore advisable to select a box that can also be opened from above. For example, with a grid element that can be removed. Transport boxes that can be opened very comfortably are also available in pet shops.
Your rabbits shouldn’t be perched on the plastic bottom of the crate. Despite the corrugation or waffle structure, the floor is usually too slippery for the fur paws. To make it a little more comfortable for your sniffing noses, you should put litter from the cage as a base in the transport box.
Think of Water and Hay
Depending on how long the journey takes, you should also think about the supply of freshwater. Usually, you can hang a small drinking bottle from the outside or a special hanging cup from the inside in the door. You should always add hay. Nibbling helps reduce stress. Then grab the rabbits under the belly with both hands, carefully place them in the transport box, and off you go.
Conclusion:
Every now and then rabbits also have to be transported, for example to the vet. Special small animal transport boxes from specialist retailers, which are tailored to the needs of rabbits, are suitable for driving in the car. Crates that can also be opened from above are particularly recommended. To get your rabbits used to a new transport box, you can put the opened box in their enclosure for them to explore for a few days.