FAQ: Carriers & Crates for small pets

The same bedding the animal uses in its cage works well, such as paper or unscented wood shavings, plus hay for rabbits and guinea pigs. Familiar bedding is calming and soaks up urine, so the animal stays dry on the way.

A short trip usually does not need one, but for a journey longer than a few hours it is worth attaching a bottle to the outside of the door. Bottles can drip while driving, so some owners prefer to stop and offer water during breaks.

A guinea pig can get some fluid from watery vegetables it normally eats, such as cucumber or lettuce leaves. On a longer journey stop and offer water from the bottle or a shallow bowl.

A small, light hideout or a cardboard tube helps a hamster feel safer. It should not be heavy or hard, so it cannot slide about and hurt the animal on the way; cardboard or a deep layer of bedding works better.

A bowl tips over while driving and the pellets scatter, so hay is the better food for a rabbit on the way. On a longer journey pellets or vegetables can be offered during stops.

A small, light chew item such as a twig or a piece of cardboard is fine and can help the animal settle. It is better to leave out hard or heavy toys, as they can hurt the animal while travelling.

A handful of used bedding or hay from the cage, or a small cloth the animal has slept on, smells like home and reduces stress. It helps rabbits and guinea pigs especially, as they react strongly to new smells.

Yes, an absorbent pad or a folded towel under the bedding holds urine so the animal does not get wet. Cover the pad with bedding or hay so the rodent does not chew it.

Leave out heavy ceramic bowls, hard houses, sharp objects and small parts that could hurt the animal or be swallowed. Scented bedding and fabrics with long loose threads that can catch the feet are also unsuitable.

No. Cotton wool and synthetic fluff can wrap around a hamster’s limbs and cut off circulation, and if swallowed can upset digestion. Use paper bedding or shredded plain paper instead.

There should be enough hay for the rabbit to eat throughout the journey with some left over, because its digestion needs a constant supply of fibre. Hay also softens the floor and fills spare space.

There is no need to put a dust bath in the carrier, as the dust would scatter and fly about while driving. Once you arrive somewhere the chinchilla will stay for a few days, give the bath as usual.

Keep the open carrier in the pen as an extra hideout and put hay and treats in it. Once the rabbit goes in freely, close the door briefly, then lift it and carry it around the home, gradually making it longer.

Guinea pigs like to hide, so the carrier with its door removed can be kept in the pen as a house. Once the guinea pig eats and rests calmly inside, travel is less stressful because the carrier is already familiar.

If there is room, it is one of the simplest ways to reduce travel stress, because the carrier becomes a normal part of the animal’s territory. Check that it is not being chewed and clean it regularly.

The easiest way is for the rabbit to walk in by itself, tempted by hay or a treat. If you need to lift it, support the chest with one hand and the hindquarters with the other, and gently lower it rear first through the top door.

Do not grab the hamster suddenly or while it is asleep. Place the open box or a cardboard tube next to it and let it walk in, or scoop it up with both palms or a cup and gently move it into the carrier.

It is best to tempt the chinchilla into a carrier placed in its cage, or gently lift it with one hand under the chest and the other supporting the hindquarters. Never grab it by the fur, as a frightened chinchilla can shed a patch of fur.

Put the carrier by the rabbit’s hideout or the corner it runs to, and gently guide it in while blocking other routes. Do not chase it around the room, as chasing is very stressful and makes the carrier even scarier next time.

Open the carrier in a quiet, closed room and let the animal come out by itself. If it will not, remove the top or unscrew one half of the carrier rather than pulling it out through the narrow door by its legs.