Warning:This is a form of anthropomorphism to the extreme. I am going to ignore my own advice.
The weather is getting better and I’m feeling like spending more time outside. But, because I have two black rabbits, I have to be aware of their temperature on hot days. They will be inside on hot days, and rainy days, days with too much wind; so, days that are not bunny friendly.
Buttons likes it when I take him for a walk around the garden on days that he is locked inside. I carry him around and he boops flowers and plants on the way. Nova, on the other hand, hasn’t had many walks around the garden, because she turns into wobbly-spaghetti and wants to walk herself.
What is turning into wobbly-spaghetti?
It’s when a bunny goes all long and skinny and is hard to hold onto. It’s the “I want to get out of your arms and do it myself” behaviour.
She doesn’t go wobbly-spaghetti often, but the threat is there. I’m teaching her to wait. Which means she doesn’t get her way all the time and she has to learn to be patient. She’s doing really well learning to wait.
The hole was about 30cm deep, and about 20cm wide. She was busy digging when I found her and she dug a stack of dirt out, then moved backwards and patted it down on the grass, then moved forward again and dug some more.
On those days when it’s got about 20 minutes of pleasant weather, I take Buttons out for a walk. But I was thinking, what if I got a stroller? I could pop them both in there and take them for a walk.
Of course I did some research on the topic and it you get views on both sides of it. “It’s bad”, “it’s good”, “bunnies hate it”, “bunnies love it”. I thought about it and ended up purchasing the Pawise stroller.
They also had a red one. I chose blue because red is too bright and I’m not a red person. If they had a chartreuse coloured one, well, I couldn’t say no.
After reading endless reviews about dogs loving it, I started to look into bunnies loving it, too. There are lots of people who put their bunnies in strollers and go for a walk. There are also people who say their bunnies hate it and that it was a waste of money.
This is how I predict it to go with Buttons…
I put him in there. He looks around and then chills out. Once it starts moving he will start to get scared. He will then crunch in the back corner and stay there. After a minute or so he will get bored at being scared and he will start wanting to eat it. Or eat the mat he is sitting on. Or eat the mesh. Or eat the clips. He will then rip it to shreds if given the chance.
Nova on the other hand…
She will shrink into a teensy black ball and suffer through it.
Stroller Considerations
i.Pet Stroller
A two-layer stroller would be good if you wanted to take un-bonded bunnies out for a walk. Or, you had bunnies and a dog that all wanted to go for a walk. In that case, I’d put the bunnies in the top layer and the dog in the bottom.
All Day Expandable Pet Trolley
I think this one is not particularly bunny-safe due to the mesh sides (Buttons would eat through that in 2 seconds flat). But it could be OK if you had to take your bunny out for the day, you’d have space for a litter box in one side, but it may be too wobbly for that, because there aren’t any supports under the mesh parts.
SKISOPGO 3-in-1 Pet Strollers
This one is expensive, and it is detachable. That means you can use the carrier part as a travel box, and connect it onto a car seat. I was considering a detachable one, but I wouldn’t be using that feature often enough to get my money’s worth.
Ibiyaya Travois Tri-Fold Travel System
Apparently, Ibiyaya is a good stroller brand and their prices reflect that. This stroller in particular looks too small for those dogs. It may just be bad Photoshopping. I wouldn’t consider this stroller because the size looks off.
Ibiyaya Double Decker
This is an interesting concept. I don’t think it would work for bunnies, because the top part looks too small.
i.Pet Pet Dog Pram
This is interesting as it is made for larger dogs (border collie size). I guess if you had a lot of bunnies you could put them all in there. I like the larger wheels on the back, that gives good support.
i.Pet Pet Dog Stroller
I like the large wheel on the front, that would soften some of the bumpy parts on the trip.
Pet Stroller with ISO-FIX Car Carrier
This stroller is detachable and you can use the top part as a carry box. I like how the wheels are connected to the stroller, and the fact the back wheels are larger than the front ones. By the look of it, it would be a quality stroller. The price reflects this.
Ibiyaya Hercules Heavy Duty Pro 2.0 Pet Stroller
Good for flemish giants. This carrier also can connect to your bike.
Ibiyaya 5-In-1 Combo Eva Pet Carrier/Stroller
It’s chartreuse! Haha. This carrier has 5 different uses. I was considering this one, but like I mentioned above, I don’t think I’ll be using the detachable features often enough to justify the price.
Dog Pram Large Dog Stroller
This one made me laugh if used for bunnies. I imagine a stack of bunnies climbing over each other in this. I guess it would be good for a large dog or a flemish giant.
Wheeled Pet Carrier For Dogs And Cats
Typical Temu. This carrier is apparently airline approved, which I seriously doubt, unless of course you’re taking your pet in the passenger area with you. Imagine pushing that into the small overhead compartment, or putting it under the seat in front of you… It reminds me of a mesh suitcase with useless wheels that will break. Don’t get me started about the handle, connection pole and how flimsy that would be.
Let’s Go For a Ride!
I put the folded stroller into the bunny’s pen so they could get used to it. Both bunnies hopped into it and had a look.
Buttons booped the stroller all over.
Nova loved sitting on the cushion.
I then stood the stroller up so they could see it in its full glory.
They sniffed everything.
Still inside, I put Buttons in the stroller.
Then it was Nova’s turn. They had a good look around.
We all went outside. They liked looking through the mesh.
Nova was scared, because she couldn’t see what was going on. Buttons was used to new things and although he was a little scared he had a good look around.
Buttons loved looking around.
The mesh from the other side.
Rockin’, rollin’ and strollin’.
I tred to take the bunnies for a “ride” every day around the house. After five time, Nova is starting to look around a bit – even though she can’t see very well, she is not as scared.
I have chosen to use the word “ride” because it’s different to every other word they know or are learning.
I am also teaching them “in” when I put them in the stroller, and “out” when I lift them out. They are also learning “stop” when the stroller is stationary after moving.
Buttons knows “in” and “out” already, because I used those words with his carry box. Nova on the other hand, hasn’t done much in her history and finds it hard to link words with actions. She is getting better at it, because she copies Buttons.
Nova is definitely not as much of a scaredy cat as she was when I first got her.