Rabbit Transport 101
Channel: Pets Life
Date: 2021-02-02

In today's video, we are going to talk about How To Safely Carry and Transport a Rabbit.


Before we talk about how to safely transport rabbits, let’s consider why we are transporting them. Sometimes you definitely need to get a rabbit from one location to another, such as a sale or a trip to the vet. Breeders may take their animals to a show, or to the local library for a “bunny day” demo. All of these are fine reasons to transport bunnies. But should you take your rabbit on vacation with you?

Rabbits are “homebodies,” as a rule. They don’t prefer to travel far out of range from their cozy hole. While most rabbits do fine with one- or two-day excursions, they can become stressed by extended periods away from their home sweet homes. Therefore, for the bunny’s sake, it’s better to leave your rabbit behind when you go on vacation. Though there may be exceptions, rabbits, in general, will not enjoy traveling around town with you either, as a dog might. Extended travel can be dangerous for a small and flighty bunny.


Rabbits are feeble little animals that will always prefer sitting at home playing and hopping around, rather than taking a road trip, but sometimes you really must do that. The problem here lies in the fact that they’re very vulnerable to stress, from noises to lights, traffic, and too many people around, making carrying or transporting them from point A to point B a tricky challenge. But if you really must do that, you should learn how to safely carry and transport a rabbit.

Rabbits were not made to fly or get somewhere by car and their natural way of living and their natural surroundings never included cars, airplanes, and the many artificial stressors that we humans have created in this world. Having them as pets is already out of their natural way of living, and carrying or transporting them around makes for a very stressful experience. Sometimes that’s stressful even for us, let alone our cute hopping furry friends.

In some cases though, there’s no other option. You need to take them to the vet or even worse, you’re moving to a different country and don’t want to part ways with your bunny. And that’s where knowing how to safely carry and transport a rabbit becomes important.


Rabbit Handling.

One might think that carrying around a rabbit isn’t a necessary thing to do, but that only until you need to take him to the vet, and that will probably happen at least once a year. In general, the bone structure of a rabbit is fragile, and that fragility accentuates to pet rabbits who don’t have the natural living environment and are confined to cages and small spaces, thus giving them a little option for exercise and muscle and strength development as opposed to their wild counterparts.

One of the worst mistakes when it comes to carrying a rabbit is holding them by the scruff or by the ears.  That almost surely ensures damage to and even fracturing of their spine and neck and should be avoided at all costs. Instead, to safely carry and transport a rabbit, there are several proper methods available, and all of them include the firm holding of the bunny to prevent escape and support for the lower spinal region to avoid fractures.

Rabbits can be carried on the arm, with the elbow supporting the back of the rabbit and the hand supporting the front members of the rabbit, thus avoiding the compression of the chest. On the other hand, you can grasp the shoulders or the skin of the neck to give better control and prevent the bunny from escaping and running away.

Another method is by hiding their head in the crook of the elbow. This is suitable for shy or very scared rabbits and offers the advantage of the rabbit not seeing the surroundings, thus avoiding scaring or stressing out the bun. The arm and hand both support the lower part of the bunny and carry its weight while the bunny’s head is tucked away in the crook of the elbow. The second-hand rests on the shoulders to give better control and prevent any attempt to escape.

For aggressive or very stressed rabbits, one can use one hand to firmly hold the scruff while, and this is essential for reasons stated above, the other hand supports the lower back and the hips of the bunny. This method should only be used for short distances only and if the other methods aren’t suitable. 

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