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Best Rabbit Carriers

Pet Admin
by Pet Admin
Published:  December 27th, 2018

To make sure your bunny has ideal living conditions, you need to provide them with a suitable house or habitat for their size and individual needs. There are various important factors that could influence your choice, from the materials the hutch is built from, to the design and spaciousness of a rabbit cage. But what about when you travel? How do you ensure your pet is safe and comfortable on the go?

There are literally thousands of different pet carriers out there, and while the manufacturers might list rabbits as one of the small animals that can be transported in their carrier, that is not always the case. Due to their strong chewing abilities and nimble jumping habits, rabbits require special carriers for travel and choosing the wrong one can lead to a serious injury of your pet or allow them to get loose in transit, which is a horrifying scenario in most cases.

Thankfully, PetGuide.com offers you the most detailed guides on picking out the perfect rabbit carrier for your pet, ensuring your trips are always secure and relaxing, rather than a stressful event. Whether you are looking for a carrier for rabbits to help you transport your pet to the vet, or need an airline approved bunny carrier for your flight, we’ve got you covered. From in-depth reviews of some of the top-rated rabbit carriers to useful tips and advice on what to look for in carriers for rabbits and what to always avoid, our resources will make sure you make the right decision for your floppy-eared companion.

Best Rabbit Carriers

Features

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AmazonBasics Two-Door Top-Load Pet Kennel

    • Two-door, top-load model allows for easy loading of your pet.
    • Top door can open to the left or right for easy access and convenience.

Petsfit Pet Carrier

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    • High quality EVA material.

High quality EVA material.

    • Folds down completely flat for storage.

Petmate Two Door Top Load Kennel

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    • Wide, top-entry door allows easy access inside the kennel to place or remove pets.

Wide, top-entry door allows easy access inside the kennel to place or remove pets.

    • Openings on all sides of the pet kennel allow pets to enjoy the flow of fresh air; grated front and top-load steel doors allow pets maximum visibility for stress-free travel.

Pet Magasin Hard Cover Collapsible Carrier

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    • A pet carrier that gives you the best features of both hard and soft carriers.

A pet carrier that gives you the best features of both hard and soft carriers.

    • A hard top and hard base give you sturdy protection for your pet, and gives your pet a firm surface to stand on.

Ruff ‘n Ruffus Portable Foldable Pet Playpen + Carrying Case

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    • Reinforced with attached floor mat to ensure your pet’s safety.

Reinforced with attached floor mat to ensure your pet’s safety.

    • Roomy 8-Panel design with protected seams and reinforced corners.

Finding the Right Rabbit Carrier

If you’re a cat or a dog owner, chances are you will be able to find a perfect carry case for your pet without much trouble: after all, there are tons of specially designed models to suit all breeds and types of pets. Bunny pawrents, however, might not enjoy the same ease when it comes to carrier shopping. There are almost no pet carrier models that are intentionally made for bunnies, and in most cases, rabbit owners have to rely on that “small animal” carriers will keep their bunny snug and secure during a vet visit or a holiday trip.

Unfortunately, the unique needs of bunnies require a bit more thought than simply getting the first generic carry case for petite pets. For instance, a lot of carriers marketed to rabbit owners are made out of fabric, with mesh sides that allow breathability and good circulation of air. While this might be a splendid option for a puppy or a kitten, the bunny being transported in such a carrier is not safe. Fabric, especially the mesh parts, are extremely easy to chew through if you have strong teeth and a passion for nibbling (which all rabbits do), so transporting a rabbit in a soft fabric carrier is usually a recipe for a disaster, especially if it’s a longer trip. Plastic and metal carriers are a much better option for bunnies, as they will prevent your pet from chewing their way through to freedom (not to say trouble). However, there are some other factors you’ll need to consider besides the materials before you make the final decision.

Rabbit Carrier Considerations

One of the vital features of your pet carrier should be its size. While when it comes to your rabbit’s cage or a habitat, the mantra the bigger the better is to be followed, but in the case of choosing carriers, the opposite is true. This doesn’t mean that the carrier should make your bunny feel trapped and cramped, but it should be as young as possible to prevent any potential injury. You see, if you get a pet carrier that is too spacious, during transit your rabbit will be vulnerable to sudden movements, as they will have enough space to hurdle to the sides of the crate and potentially injure themselves – not that they’ll need to, considering the danger that comes from them being frightened by the whole affair.

Rabbit Carrier Safety

While you’ll find detailed tips on how to pick out a proper carrier size for your rabbit, a good rule of thumb is getting the one that allows them to lie down comfortably but doesn’t offer much space for jumping around. Another important security aspect you will have to look for in your rabbit’s carrier is the ease of access. Bunnies are nimble and easily frightened, which is not a good combination in most cases, but especially when you’re trying to get your pet out of the carrier at the vet’s office. Traditional hard carriers with a small door might prove hard to use unless you have a very docile bunny that likes to be handled, as it can be complicated to pull them out through it. A better solution is getting a clamshell carrier or a model that has a removable top, as it will give you much better access to your pet and minimize the chance of them going into a panic state.

While safety should be your primary concern when choosing a carrier for your pet rabbit, it shouldn’t be the only one. In addition to ensuring that your pet is secure and comfortable during the trip you’re making, you’ll want to make sure that the carrier is easy to clean and that your pet won’t make a huge mess in it. Ideally, the carrier you choose will be just the right size to fit your pet’s litter box in it, eliminating the possibility of droppings and pee finding their way to the car seat or your lap. Additionally, if you’re using a carry case to transport a sick pet to a vet’s office, having a model that’s easy to clean and disinfect will help ensure that there’s no risk of disease spreading further.

With PetGuide.com’s buying guides and reviews, you can rest assured that traveling with your bunny won’t be a taxing process. Our experts will save hours of your time that would be spent on researching and vetting different carriers- instead, simply browse through carriers that are ideally matched to your pet and pick out one that suits your preferences and budget. Simple as that!

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These Are the States With the Most Spoiled Doggos in 2023

With the holiday season fast approaching, it is the time for presents, cuddling, yummy meals and, to be honest, spoiling the one you love, including your four-legged bestie. But are there some pet parents that take it a bit too far, and if so, do we know in which states they live? If you are one of those owners who like to pamper their furry friend and spoil them to no end, stick around to find out who’s guilty of overindulging their doggo just like you!An interesting  Forbes Advisor survey estimates that around 22.2% of dog owners in the USA, or one in five, admit to having spent more money on  Christmas gifts for their dogs, rather than gifts for friends and family. This means that there are certainly some pampered and spoiled doggos to be found across the nation, but what is more interesting is that dog owners in certain states tend to spoil dogs more than in others. Now, after a nationwide survey, the results are in!With a score of 100 out of 100, Florida definitely wins as the state with the most spoiled dogs! The Sunshine State is reported to have around 66.5% of owners who spend more money on their dog’s health, grooming, and gifts, than on their own. They are also more likely to pamper dogs by perfuming them, pushing them in strollers, buying them clothes and gifts, or taking them to restaurants. Interestingly, the second place, and right behind Florida, is Alaska, with a score of 98.69 out of 100. Nearly half of all dog owners in this northerly state admit to regularly throwing birthday parties for their pooches, purchasing them special outfits, and even putting cologne on them. They too will spend more money on their pets than on themselves.Behind Florida and Alaska in places 1 and 2 respectively, are the following states:3. Washington - 91.82 out of 1004. Colorado - 82.04 out of 1005. California - 77.96 out of 1006. New Jersey - 77.52 out of 1007. Illinois - 77.23 out of 1008. Texas - 70.80 out of 1009. Delaware - 69.93 out of 10010. Virginia - 69.34 out of 100The survey also offered some indicators and activities that might suggest that you are spoiling your dog. If you regularly do some of these activities, you might be pampering your pooch as well!Taking family photos with the dog Ordering the dog a special treat at a restaurant Bringing the dog on vacationPushing the dog in a strollerSpending more money on the dog’s health and grooming than on their own Buying the dog outfits and accessoriesSo, what’s the result? Are you too on the list of owners who spoil their pets? Let us know!

What Are the Benefits of Dog Massage?

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We all know that doggos have incredible noses and a superb sense of smell. It is tens of thousands of times stronger than our own. This makes us wonder – what secrets can such a sense of smell unveil? Many scientists consider the canine sense of smell a great potential to enhance human lives thanks to its accuracy. And that is exactly what was unveiled in a recent study published in “bioRxiv”, by researchers Samuel V. Johnston and Lisa Holt from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Thanks to their efforts, and the incredible abilities of doggos, it was revealed that our four-legged friends have the potential to detect neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s disease is a terrible condition, affecting primarily seniors. What is even worse is that this disease has many difficulties in diagnosis, which prevents doctors from accurately identifying the disease in the early stages. But the breakthrough study could change all that! Thanks to doggos and their powerful noses, we could be on the brink of completely changing the way Parkinson’s is diagnosed. “Dogs have an extraordinary olfactory capability, which far exceeds that of humans. Dogs’ sense of smell seems to be the main sense, allowing them to not only gather both current and historical information about their surrounding environment, but also to find the source of the smell, which is crucial for locating food, danger, or partners for reproduction.”  writes Agata Kusiak, from the Institute of Animal Sciences, Warsaw University. “Dogs can be trained by humans to use their olfactory abilities in a variety of fields, with a detection limit often much lower than that of sophisticated laboratory instruments.”Utilizing this remarkable sense of smell, scientists trained 23 dogs of different breeds and backgrounds, to successfully differentiate between samples of both Parkinson’s-positive individuals and Parkinson’s-negative individuals. The results were more than successful, with the dogs showcasing 86% sensitivity and 89% specificity in distinguishing the samples. In many ways, this is a revolutionary study and opens new doors and new possibilities in medical diagnostics. What is even better, it offers new hope for the timely detection of Parkinson’s disease. However, it is important to note that the study is still in relative infancy, and is still awaiting peer review. But the potential here is incredible. If validated, the study could help improve patient outcomes, and help with early diagnosis of this troubling disease.

Golden Retriever Survives 65 Days Alone in the Alaskan Wilderness

It’s always tragic when a beloved pet dog goes missing, but this was particularly hard for the Mahoskey family, whose senior golden retriever vanished in the Alaskan wilderness. The family was unsure that they would ever see Stella again. Luckily for them, Stella is one tough cookie. Stella’s adventure began in early July when she was enjoying a quiet evening with her family on the back deck of their Sitka home. According to local news outlet KCAW, an unexpected burst of fireworks startled a 13-year-old Stella and sent her dashing into the wilderness. Sarah and Jerrom Mahoskey and their two kids, Kai and Quinn, searched until nightfall but had yet to locate Stella. The next morning, the family grew even more concerned when they realized that their pooch hadn’t returned. Their worries increased even further when the neighbor told them about the bear attack that happened the previous night. “They said, ‘Did you hear there was a bear that attacked a dog last night? We had the windows open in the back of the house, and my wife heard this altercation that sent chills up her spine. And basically, I don’t think your dog could be alive,’” Sarah recalled to KCAW. However, Stella’s family still had hope that she was alive, somewhere, in the woods. The Mahoskeys spent the summer checking out trails near where Stella went missing and followed up on any lead or potential Stella sightings reported by their friends and neighbors. After two months and many investigated reports, Sarah told a friend, “I feel like there’s a 1% chance that she’s out there, and so I cannot let go.”Then, in early September, more than two months after Stella disappeared, the family received a phone call from Tim Eddy, a friend of Jerrom, who was working at the quarry that day.“He said ‘Do you have a golden retriever?’ And Jerrome said, ‘Well, we did have a golden retriever.’ And he says, ‘Well, I think this is your golden retriever,’” Sara shared. Jerome hopped in his four-wheeler and drove to the quarry, where he spotted Stella.“She was on the cliffside, and it was basically this ash and rock that was the same exact color as her,” said Sarah. “She totally blended in. The fact that Tim saw her -  I just kept saying to him, ‘How did you see her?’”Considering the lack of food and water at the quarry, the Mahoskeys don’t believe Stella was there long. The family suspects the quarry looked like a familiar ground to Stella, who grew up around Jerrome’s excavation business. After more than two months in the wilderness, Stella weighed only 30 pounds - that’s nearly half of her regular body weight. Sarah believes that Stella likely foraged to survive. “She has always picked her own berries when we are out hiking,” Sarah explained. “And she loves dandelion roots.”In addition to being underfed, the golden retriever also had a large gash on her left side, possibly from the encounter with the bear. “We think she probably hunkered down for quite a while, and just probably wasn’t able to move a lot and knew that it needed to heal,” said Sarah. “She obviously found a safe space, because the fact that she was bleeding and wasn’t found by that bear or another bear again is quite a miracle.”Upon her safe return home, Stella was examined by her vet, who placed her on a strict diet for the first 10 days. Now, she’s eating well and has already gained 11 pounds.Although Stella can’t share everything that happened during the time she was lost in the wilderness, she hasn’t changed much. According to Sarah, the only difference is that Stella is now definitely hungrier than before. Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

What Shapes Your Dog’s Personality? Harvard Neuroscientists Reveal

No two dogs are the same – each pooch has a personality of their own, complete with unique quirks and traits. But why is your dog the way they are? What shapes their personality and character? Why do they behave in a unique way, even when they belong to a certain breed with a distinct set of traits?This is the question that Erin Hecht, assistant professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, is trying to answer. She is doing this through  The Canine Brains Project and recently held a  talk - centered on canine neuroscience - that was organized by Harvard’s Brain Science Initiative.According to Hecht, dogs have the potential to teach us so much about brain development, especially considering the fact that they were domesticated about 20,000 to 40,000 years before the present – which, on the evolutionary timeline, is quite recent. “Darwin saw dogs as a window on mechanisms of evolution,” Hecht said. “When we’re looking at dogs, as a natural experiment and brain behavior evolution all we have to do is look at their brains and see what evolution did in order to satisfy those selection requirements.”Hecht’s efforts were benefited by her lab, which performs MRI scans of dog brains – roughly 100 per year. They also conduct owner surveys that examine dogs’ work skills, especially those “ancient” ones, like hunting, guarding, herding, fetching, and so on. All this is then compared to breed parameters, like body size, skill size, and overall shape. “About 80 percent of the dogs living on the planet today are what’s known as village dogs. These are free-ranging animals that live as human commensals. So they’re living within human society, but they’re not pets,” Hecht said.Through such research, Hecht is hoping to determine what exactly shapes a dog’s personality. Through her lab work, she connects personality and skill differences in dogs to six special regions of their brains:-the regions controlling drive and reward -olfaction and taste-spatial navigation-social communication and coordination-fight or flight -and olfaction and vision“There has been very strong recent specific selection in individual breeds rather than founding effects in ancestral founding populations,” Hecht said. “So then we can look at behavior and ask whether the types of behaviors that different lineages have been selected for historically … [explain] each dog’s anatomy and these six brain networks. And it seems like there are some interesting relationships here.”But most importantly, it is concluded that these neural pathways are greatly impacted by the shape and size of a dog’s skull. “It stands to reason that if you’re manipulating the shape of a skull, you’re going to be manipulating the shape of the brain,” Hecht said. “But this confirms that dogs with these extreme skull morphotypes have impacts on their brain anatomy that likely affects behavior.”She also adds that even though some dogs have a brain “makeup” that suggests a unique disposition, it doesn’t “lock” them into a set behavior pattern. This is especially true for working skills. “Training is almost always necessary. I have yet to hear of any particular breed of working dog, where it’s just born knowing how to do its job,” Hecht said.So, a look “inside” your doggo’s brain might reveal why they are just the way they are. Would you be curious enough to let scientists take a peek?

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