Taking my baby rabbit out

Question
Hello,
I just bought a baby rabbit (mini lop or Holland lop don't really know) for my 6 year old daughter. I would like to know if Lops or any type of domestic rabbit can be taken out in a carrier? My daughter likes to take the rabbit with us where ever we go, and the rabbit doesn't seem to mind one bit, but I wonder if this is safe for the rabbit? We take Timothy hay squares, pellets and a bottle filled with water. My daughter simply adores Snowflake, and wants to involve him in everything our family does. Please let me know. Thank you very much

Answer
Dear Maura,

Sorry for the delay in answering.  This week was rabbit crisis week, and my email took a beating.

Rabbits usually don't like to travel, and it can be very stressful for them--especially when young--to be carried around a great deal.  A carrier is a must, since this will allow the bunny to feel as if he has a safe haven that's familiar.  But I think you need to explain to your daughter that Snowflake is a creature who likes stability and familiar surroundings.

A six year old child is too young to be a primary caregiver of the bunny, as I'm sure you know.  So since Snowflake is the family's pet/companion, I'd suggest that you get your daughter a cute stuffed bunny that looks like Snowflake so that she can carry *that* with her, and pretend it's Snowflake--or at least keep it as a reminder that Snowflake is waiting for her at home.  This way she can learn the difference between a toy and a real animal, and know that live animals don't always like to be carried around and be away from their calm familiar surroundings.

But I would keep the traveling with bunny to a minimum, especially when the bunny is young.  

For more information about kids and rabbits and how they should interact, please visit:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/children.html

I hope this helps.

Dana