Okay, so it looks like we're moving... quickly. Tips?

Over on the Happy Birthday Miss M thread, I explained the background of what was then a probable move (now a definite move). I want to thank y'all again for your wishes to me that day, because that was the day some things really went south, and that thread and being taken out to dinner by my beloved Shaygetz were the only bright spots in my day.

So now what was going to be a methodical going through of things and preparing will now become a mad rush to get ready to move as quickly as possible. *sigh* I don't really like moving, but moving quickly is sooooooo not fun.

It's hard to know even where to start when you have to do things quickly.

Anyway, do y'all have any tips on taking rabbits, including a litter of 8 who will be between 1-2 months old, on a 5-hour car ride? I have two small animal carriers.

Depending on the size of the babies at that age, you'll need at least one more carrier to put all the babies in. Rabbits do fine with travel. Put bedding and hay in the carriers, and they'll be fine until you arrive at your new home. Once you arrive, set their cages up first, and then put them inside. Leave them be while you finish all your other packing. Good luck!

to move quickly
1. if you can afford it hire professionals to help you pack (seriously)
2. rabbits - as open of containers as you can (to prevent overheating) that are small enough to prevent a lot of movement (to prevent jumping and twisting). the babies should be fine, it's mom and dad you'll need to concern yourself with... you don't want them freaking out and hurting themselves.

{{{{{Miss M}}}}} I'm so sorry it's come to this. As for travelling with rabbits, they'll do fine. You might get an old bed sheet to put over the cages. It helps keep them calm and out of the sun while you travel.

oh dear So hard to be at the mercy of people who just don't know what's going on.....

You'll do fine. I've been worried about taking the buns to various places to rehome them, but MAN do they travel well. Nice box or cage with deep hay bedding (or straw with some hay on top). They kind of settle into a corner or the middle up against a side and just lay there in a nice ball After a few miles it's ears up and looking around...but quiet. After an hour or so, they might start munching hay. Kind of a "okay..this is new..." and then "ah, I'm not going to die...I can eat now".

Good luck with the move! as to moving quickly...sometimes if you have a bunch of stuff, you can rent a storage unit for a couple of months and just chuck everything into it until you get settled. If you have a lot of stuff to move often renting a truck is the easiest and most cost effective.

Moving is never fun... but you'll be glad to be away from there, so it is worth it!

As far as the bunnies go... protecting them from heat and sun is the most important thing. Lots of good ventilation, stops now and again so you can offer them water, maybe give them something juicy like a chunk of apple so they can munch on route. They should be fine.

When you get them there, get them in the shade while you set up their cages and do that first thing. Once they are settled, fed and watered, I agree with letting them be so they can get used to their new surroundings. Bunnies handle travelling fairly well as a rule.

Wow, thank y'all so much!

I will definitely see about locating another carrier, or a tall-sided box or two! Also, Shaygetz is considering just going ahead and turning in his notice soon, and then paying for a one-month lease so he can help go through and pack, and get the apartment ready to move out of. I was hoping to save the money for things that need to be done after the move, but this arrangement, should he decide to go through with it, will help preserve his sanity and bring the packing down to a slightly saner pace.

We're not going to send the babies to freezer camp while we're here, so it's possible they may be a bit oversized for fryers by the time they do make it into the freezer.

I would love to get someone else to pack and move everything for me. We've moved many times, and it isn't easy. We really don't have the money to hire professionals to do it, and we had a very, very bad experience the one time we did.

It is good to hear that rabbits take travel a bit better than I thought they did. I'll make sure that it's Pearl and Thumper in the carriers, if I end up using boxes. That'll keep Mom and Dad from being able to do too much.

I confess I had to look up the difference between hay and straw. :lol: I have loads of hay, but no straw. What I'll probably do is put some litter in, some pine shavings, and then a bunch of hay. That way I shouldn't end up with puddles in the carriers and damp rabbits :x .

We are moving in with my uncle, and he has a nice porch, which is probably where the bunnies will go. It should be easy to set things up quickly and let them settle in out there while we finish up.

You are right, it will be so good to be away from here! Every once in a while, I would realize that I had barely hung any pictures or anything because I could never tell what was going to happen. So, I may not have had any boxes laying around, but that doesn't mean I was really moved in. It'll be so nice not to have our home tied to my husband's job like this. On the one hand, it's been a blessing, but on the other, it has given him much stress worrying about losing not only his job, but his family's home at the same time.

To be honest, the last week it has seemed almost like they're trying to push Shaygetz out... trying to make it so hard on him that he'll quit, or trying to find some reason to dump him. It's just sad after the eight years of hard work and good rapport with the residents he has given them.

If he were highly paid, I might know why they would do such a thing -- get rid of the expensive guy, and replace him with a cheaper guy. But he doesn't get paid a lot (even when you consider the value of the apartment), hasn't had a raise in seven years, has no insurance, and has never complained about it. And they will have to replace him, too, because they need someone with pool certification as well as A/C certification. I don't know that they could hire anyone like that for less than what Shaygetz is making.

I'm so sorry for venting! There aren't very many people I can talk to about this right now!