How To Travel With A Rabbit By Train: A guide

Over the summer, I had to travel with my rabbit by train to the countryside as I had no other options. Unfortunately, I didn’t find much information or personal experiences of people who would have been travelling with a rabbit by train, as travelling with a rabbit by plane is more common than travelling by train.

That’s why I decided to share my own personal experience on the matter by writing this little guide on how to travel with a rabbit by train.

How To Travel With A Rabbit By Train: A guide

The first thing you need to remember here is that no rabbit is the same, so always keep that in mind before thinking that your rabbit isn’t acting the right way or the way you expect him or her to be. Here is a guide of what information I gathered during my journey by train to the countryside with my rabbit, Boo. `

Rabbits are prey animals, so they quickly get stressed, which can be bad for them or even make them die of fright in the worst-case scenario…

You must take the matter very seriously when travelling with your rabbit.

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Know Your Rabbit’s Behaviour

This is pretty obvious, but it is best to know your rabbit before you travel with him or her. If your rabbit is extremely anxious, it’d be better to avoid travelling with it unless you have no other options (such as moving).

This is what I think is a rule of thumb and applies to any travel and transportation (car, plane, train and what not…) you’d like to take your rabbit on if you need to travel with it, not only to travel with your rabbit by train.

CHECK WITH THE VETS BEFORE THE TRIP IF NECESSARY

If you know that your rabbit is prone to stress and has no other options, it is better to take it to your vet before the trip to see if they may give you some soothing drugs to help it during the train journey.

My rabbit has her temper; she will thump her paws or growl at you if she disagrees with something.
But she’s still a pretty scaredy cat, as you’d expect from a prey animal. She usually copes pretty well by being moved in her rabbit carrier, and I took her out a few times on a leash as she doesn’t mind it.

However, I still decided to check with the vet to see if I could get some tranquillizer just in case to be more sure about the whole journey by train with my rabbit as I also had to take the Metro to get to the train station. Well…I mixed it with her pellets, and she smelt it, and straight out refused to eat it.

So, if your rabbit is like mine, you’ll have to use some tricks to make it eat!

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HAVE A GOOD RABBIT CARRIER

I say rabbit carrier, but many of the carriers that people use for their rabbits can be cat carriers or tiny dogs.

Don’t limit yourself to research carriers with the specific word rabbit carrier if you’re looking online. I often see those little tiny plastic cages with handles on the top that wouldn’t even allow a rabbit to turn around when you look up at the rabbit carrier.

I know it is what you are expected to carry your bun in when you travel by plane, but it is not the case for the train, so to restrain your bun in a tiny carrier.

A good carrier for your rabbit would be something you can easily travel with and carry without struggling while ensuring it has enough space inside to move somewhat freely.

You should also be very careful about the material your carrier is made of.
Rabbits are notorious for chewing, so if you take some cheap see-through fabric, one bite and your rabbit could easily get off its carrier, and it’s not what you want.
The carrier material must be safe and thick enough so your rabbit cannot escape if you decide on some fabric.

I mean, you don’t want to have to run around your rabbit in a train or anywhere.

This is my career; I have to say it isn’t the best. I would much rather have a carrier with a strap, like a bag with pockets and an opening on the top.

Although this one does the job too and is still pretty handy with both its openings nonetheless, and, more importantly, it has enough space, my rabbit can move around and raise herself a little without being stuck, and I can still fit her blanket inside.

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MAKE SURE TO PACK EVERYTHING YOU NEED

Of course, when you decide to travel with your pet rabbit, you have to plan for its food, plenty of hay, water and maybe some treat, and a pee pad to put in the carrier, pretty much just like you’d plan for yourself stuff you may need during your train journey.

And of course, for what you’ll need after you reach your destinations, for example, some litter if your rabbit uses a litter box like mine.

To recreate a comfortable and safe environment for your rabbit, it’s best to bring with you as many things as possible that your rabbit is used to; for example, a blanket or a toy to put it in its carrier with so it smells a familiar odour and feels safer.

Checklist to travel with your rabbit by train:

Water –
It’s tricky to place a bowl of water in the carrier, so it’s best to bring a bottle of water with you to make your rabbit drink.

Pee pad –
To put in the carrier – just like yourself, your rabbit may need to pee during the train journey.

Food –
By food, I mean pellet, but of course, main hay, as your rabbit’s digestive system, needs to be working all the time; even if you think it’s a short train ride, your rabbit needs access to hay at all times. Even if they’re stressed and not eating, they will eventually eat because they must.

Blanket or toy that smells like your rabbit –
Anything that will make your rabbit feel like it is in a familiar environment to reassure it.

You know your rabbit best. You live with it, so you might like to add something else.

BUY ANY NECESSARY TICKET FOR YOUR RABBIT TRIP

Travelling with a pet on the train is pretty different from the type of train you’ll take and the country you live in.
Of course, it is your job to check this before the trip to see if you need an additional ticket or what your pet will need to travel in; for example, if there’s some limited size for the carrier, etc…

For the train I took on my way to my destination, I didn’t have to buy a ticket as long as the pet weight didn’t exceed 7kg (If you’re curious, I live in France, and the train type was an OuiGo).

However, on my way back to Paris, I took a regular TGV, and I had to buy an additional ticket to mine, which I had to print at the station and punch at the station (if it isn’t, you’re getting a fine) as it’s not a ticket you can keep on your phone.

CHECK ON YOUR RABBIT DURING THE TRIP – MY RABBIT JOURNEY ON THE TRAIN

You shouldn’t just put your rabbit in its carrier, shove it under your seat, and ignore it until you reach your destination.

Now about my own travel by train with my rabbit!

I took a lot more extra time than I would have taken if I had travelled alone by train to make sure I wasn’t late or needed to rush to make sure I didn’t inflict some more unnecessary stress on my rabbit.

As my whole travel with a rabbit by train adventure started pretty early, there weren’t many people in the Metro I had to take to the train station. This was a good thing because the noise of the Metro alone isn’t very reassuring for a pet.

At the station, well, it was another story. It was pretty crowded and noisy as we were in the middle of summer.

I didn’t wait long until I could board and go to my seat. I had chosen a coach with a quiet option, which means it’s not like the family space and more “relaxing”.

And it was relaxing as it was pretty empty during most of the journey! Which allowed me to move from a duo seat to a four-place space to have more space for me and my career.

At first, I put the carrier on the table to be on eye level with Miss Boo after I opened it while holding it. Still, I quickly realised it wasn’t the best idea – I mean, sure, it was on my sweater and not sliding, but if the train had to brake, my rabbit urgently would have waltzed away in her carrier – or as they now say you don’t want your bun to be “yeet” away.
I also don’t think people want to receive a carrier in their face…

I didn’t want that; you didn’t want that, so make sure to secure the carrier as much as possible.

So, I settled her on the seat next to me and kept the door open; although she didn’t try to go further than her paws on my lap because she didn’t deem her environment safe enough, she much rather scratched away her blanket and pee pad and eventually munched some hay.

It’s for the best anyway that she didn’t come out, I mean;

1. I didn’t want her to escape and have to run after her on the train. And knowing her, she would have gone straight up for the most annoying spots, under seats or racks and whatnot.

2. My friend told me that when she travelled with her rabbit and put her on the seat, her bun peed on it, and all her sister and she had to clean it was a period pad. And as hilarious as it is to read, it’s not really the kind of thing you want to be happening to you.

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The journey was pretty uneventful for the best. Besides the announcement time and the noise of the brakes when we entered a new station, she wasn’t too stressed; she was just very aware of her environment, which is normal!

All in all, for me (and her?), this train journey was a good experience; I had a lot of apprehensions, but with all the precautions I took, all went well. And I hope that if you travel by train with your rabbit, things will go as smoothly as they did for me!

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This concludes my experience and tips on travelling with a rabbit by train, so hopefully, if you ever have to travel by train with your rabbit in the future, you’ll have some useful information to plan your trip with your rabbit in the best way possible.

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How To Travel With A Rabbit By Train: A guide

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✈ Best Travel Ressources To Plan Your Next Trip

✈ How To Find Flights?

– Skyscanner; it is a good comparator for finding the cheapest flights.
– Google Flights is also a good help when comparing flights.

✈ Where To Book Accommodations?

– Booking.com: plenty of options and ways to get discounts the more you book.

✈ Best Sites To Book Activities

– GetYourGuide when I can’t get a ticket directly on the website or if it’s easier to go through them.
– Klook if you need to book more than just activities and would like to get everything from the same website or different day trips—(i.e. transport cards, car rental, hotel…).

✈ Other helpful travel resources

– Radical Storage: If you need a place to keep your luggage for an extended period when you travel, I recommend using them.
– TheTrainline: If you love to travel by train like me, then TheTrainline needs to be your go-to website for train travel in Europe.

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