Transporting a Rex: rigid carrier and stress control
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Rex : Choose a medium-sized carrier and line the bottom with a thick non-slip mat rather than plain newspaper: the bare plastic floor of a carrier is harsh on its fragile hocks.
In our shop, for this use: Bubble-window carrier backpack for dwarf rabbit, guinea pig or ferret (€47.90) · the whole shop
We don’t ship products to your country yet; our practical guide downloads anywhere: The Pet Rabbit Handbook (€17)
In short: Between 3 and 4.5 kg as an adult, short and dense velvety fur, calm and affectionate temperament. A medium-sized rabbit, calm and people-oriented, that enjoys contact and ground-level play. The sparse fur under its feet rules out wire or slatted floors: thick mats and padded resting spots are the priority purchase.
A carrier fit for a prey animal
To move a 3 to 4.5 kg Rex: a rigid carrier of about 60 cm, generous vents, a layer of hay on a non-slip base — and nothing else, neither soft bag nor a loose animal in the car. A top opening makes vet-table transfers a non-event.
Keeping journey stress down
The Rex anti-stress checklist: carrier tamed at home beforehand, cabin held under 24°C, calm soundscape and a handful of hay — a chewing rabbit is a coping rabbit. With a bonded pair, travel them together: separation stacks stress on stress.
Heat: danger number one
Above 28°C, rabbits cannot sweat and pant poorly: summer trips happen early morning with passive cooling aboard (an ice pack wrapped against the carrier). A prostrate Rex with burning ears is a veterinary emergency. The full profile is on the full Rex profile.
Frequently asked questions
Which carrier for a Rex?
A rigid carrier of about 60 cm, well ventilated, with hay and a non-slip base — never a soft bag, which a panicked rabbit pierces within minutes.
Does a Rex cope with car travel?
Yes, for prepared trips: familiar carrier, temperature under 24°C, hay aboard. The danger is not the road — it is stress and heat.
The guides that apply to you
- Transporting your rabbit several times a week: do treats actually limit the stress?
In dwarf rabbits transported six times over two weeks, the stress measured in droppings rose with every trip — hay, carrot or apple made no difference.
- How to hold a rabbit: what a survey of 2,644 responses says
A large survey of owners and professionals in the UK and Ireland compares five ways of holding a rabbit, with a clear gap in comfort between the most and least commonly used method.
- Free-roaming rabbit: how do you protect electrical cables for good?
A free-roaming rabbit naturally chews any cable within reach: which protections should you install to prevent any risk of electrocution.
- Dog and rabbit cohabitation: the safety rules to follow
Rabbit and dog under the same roof: the real risks, which breeds call for the most vigilance, and how to set up a safe cohabitation.