Moving states - with rabbits

[DianeS]

I am moving! I am leaving Colorado and moving to Oregon this August.

How in the world can I move my rabbit herd? At the time of moving I expect to have one NZ buck, two Cali does, a mutt doe, and my herd of 8 month old English Angoras. Nobody pregnant, nobody younger than the Angoras.

I can't think of any plan that will work well. I can't think of anything better than stacking the hutches like boxes in the moving van, adding frozen bottles of water so keep each rabbit cool, and driving off. Stopping every two hours to air out the moving van and change ice bottles.

But that can't be good, or at least it doesn't sound good. On the other hand, I have to move the chickens, too, and supposedly they'll be OK in those conditions if I shut them in their coop and move the coop that way.

So please, tell me what might work better. It is not financially feasible to sell the Angoras and buy different ones when I get there, and as long as I have to move them I might as well move the meaties too. I just have to figure out HOW.

(FYI, they can't ride in the cab of the moving truck, what little room there is will be filled with the pet animals already - a dog and two cats.)

Surely somebody has done this before, and can let me know what works. Thanks in advance!

 

[Legacy]

Wow, I guess if you have to move them anyway, your plan seems like a good one. It will be a long trip by having to stop every couple of hours.

I can't think of an easier way in august.

Will you be going to the new place prior to the move? Is there anyway to find someone that could rabbit sit? Then you could take the rabbits before the move and the pets when you move.

 

[rockdoveranch]

My fear is that the rabbits will become overheated in the back of the moving van, even with frozen bottles. It is the being closed up thing that concerns me. Seems proper ventilation is important.

My guess is that people who show stack the carrier cages, but closed up in a moving van . . . I just don't know.

There are companies that transport animals for a living. I have never used one, but I thought I would pass the information along to you.

Good luck!

 

[ksalvagno]

What about renting a cargo van to transport them? Then you can temperature control the van.

 

[MiniRexGirl]

If I were you I would look into a professional pet transporting service. Rabbits (as you know) are somewhat fragile when it comes to temperature. Here is a link to a company that I have seen driving around my area.
The Pet Bus

 

[dewey]

Isn't live cargo (pets or human) in the enclosed box area forbidden by moving van companies because of the dangers?

In just a few minutes the temps in the box can climb 30+ degrees over the outdoor temp. It takes only a couple of minutes at those temps for a dog to have a heat stroke, and rabbits are much less equipped to handle heat.

I'll never forget when a guy made a 20 minute trip across town to bring several dogs into the shop. They rode in a camper truck and all but 1 of them perished from heat exposure (the surviving one had brain damage).

The cargo van idea is a good one.

 

[Bossroo]

When placed in the back of a moving van , especially in August... they will be more likely than not be dead within the hour from the heat buildup. Then you will be faced of a way of disposing of the dead bodies on the road. You will also have to receive a health certificate from your Vet. in order to transport livestock across State lines. Most States are not amused by out of State livestock not having a health certificate and will confiscate them. MUCH less expensive and time consuming and save a huge headache is to sell, cull, and/or give away all of the rabbits and then buy new ones once you have moved to your new place and have a place to house them. The price of commercial shipping ( not to mention the Vet costs) is MUCH MORE expensive than what they are worth. Good luck with your move.

 

[RabbitMage]

I've never needed a health cert. to drive across state lines, but the last time I drove out of state with my rabbits was 2006.

When I travel with my rabbits, I just drive. When we stop for human things (meals, bathroom, etc) we'll check on everyone, make sure they look cozy and have water, then continue on our way. When we stop for the night we feed everyone.

But I would never even entertain the idea of putting a live animal in the back of a moving van.

 

[dbunni]

Okay ... first with the issue of shipping/moving across state lines and health certificates. Not needed. If this was an issue, show animals would never leave their state as HC are only good for a short period of time. Most breeders would not make the monthly trip to the vet to update, let alone invest in a new one for that bun that is attending his/her first, and maybe only, show. Many of us, many species, travel all over the US for shows and do not have a problem. We are not shipping/moving a regulated wild animal here. This is a very domesticated rabbit that has been used for hundreds of years for its wool qualities ... many a bunny has been spun for that lovely angora sweater!

Travel is possible if you take the time to prepare. Do not .. do not .. .use frozen water bottles in the cages, it will just cause a lot of felting and skin issues. We use frozen tiles. They are flat, come in various sizes, and are easy to work with... cheap too! next. Do not move them in their hutches. Too much chance of injury. Purchase/make carriers that allow some freedom, have wire bottom, and if you are really creative, hay racks. Do not put any plastic/metal walls in them. Lastly, invest in fans. There are tons of fans out there that are battery operated and many have an internal chargeable battery, so you can get twice the time on one unit. Not the little ones ... look for the larger units. Most importantly, this would be a great time to trim all the wool off. Even an inch of angora on the bun is 8x warmer than sheep wool. Just too much of a risk of overheating. As you mentioned ... tons of water ... that is the most important nutrient to an animal.

We do travel all over the US with full coated English and Giant angoras. Working with coats over 10" in length. You can do this.

Best of luck ...

 

[DianeS]

dbunni - what is the difference between "hutches" and "carriers" to you? You described "carriers" as allowing some freedom, having wire bottoms, and hay racks - well, that describes my hutches. Would you elaborate, please?

Thanks, everyone! I've read a few things that might certainly help.