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Traveler Pet Carrier
Calling all Bunny Experts!! Nees Help!!?
I want to get a bunny but I need someone to answer the following questions about...
Traveling (can they travel in a carrier to their destination outisde of their cage? are they good travelers?)
Other Pets (i have a terrier dog)
Smells (do they smell alot?)
Food (what foods can they have and not have?)
Thanks! And try to give me as much info as you can!
I've traveled with my rabbits all over the country-literally cross country and even overseas without issue. Some rabbits are sensitive to travel but if you get them used to it at an early age, they usually do fine.
Anytime you travel you need a secure carrier. You actually want the carrier on the small side. It may seem mean, but a rabbit in a small carrier works in the same way a person wearing a seatbelt does. In a large cage if you stop suddenly, the rabbit will slide across the cage and slam against the wall, possibly injuring itself. In a smaller carrier there's only a few inches of movement, and instead of slamming into the sides, it might bump it's nose with no real damage. I prefer all-wire carriers because they afford excellent ventilation and also keep the rabbit from sitting in it's own waste. I use ones like the ones listed on the bottom of this page: http://www.qualitycage.com/rabbit2.html
Wire, by the way, is not harmful to rabbits.
For short trips I usually withhold food and water, except maybe a little bit of grass hay. For longer trips (over three hours) I will provide hay and some water in either a small water bottle or a small bowl that attaches to the inside of the carrier to keep it from tipping. If it's an overnight trip I feed them their pellets when we stop for the night, and also clean out the trays underneath the carriers.
Rabbits can get along with other animals, and other animals can be trained to get along with rabbits. However, terriers were bred to chase vermin-rabbits included-and yours may still have a desire to hunt rabbit. Rabbits can also die of fright by stressing themselves. If you do introduce the two, do it VERY carefully. It might be better for the animals if you keep them seperate, though.
Smells (do they smell alot?)
Only if you don't keep the cage clean.
Rabbit poop, luckily, isn't very fragrant. If anything it's the urine that has a strong odor. Again, daily cleaning of an indoor cage and a good absorbant, rabbit-safe litter (no cat litter!) will keep down any smells.
Rabbits are very clean, much like cats, and don't have much of an odor. Sometimes intact rabbits-both male and female-will spray, but not all of them do.
Food (what foods can they have and not have?)
There are a lot of opinions out there regarding what rabbits actually need. This is the diet I've fed all of my rabbits-pets, breeding, and show-and all of them do very well:
Constant supply of fresh water
Daily grass hay (timothy, bermuda, sudan-no alfalfa hay!)
High quality pellets (not from the pet store, no seeds or colorful bits) at a rate of 1 ounce of pellets for one pound of weight of the rabbit (four pound rabbit gets four ounces of pellets)
Occasional fruit treat-bananas and apples are favorites!
Some people will tell you rabbits MUST have veggies in their diet. They don't HAVE to, however if the diet is done right, it's just as good for them as anything else. It's up to you to make the decision about which way you feel better feeding your rabbit.
Other random tidbits:
I don't reccomend you buy a rabbit from a pet store. It would be better for you to find a breed you like (you can check http://www.arba.net/photo.htm for pictures of all 47 breeds in the US) and find a reputable breeder, or go through a shelter or rescue.
Rabbits can live 6-10 years or longer if properly cared for; they are not a short term commitment.
Most rabbits don't like to cuddle for long periods, and prefer to interact with people at their level-down on the floor.
Best of luck in your search, hopefully you can find the right one for you!
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