Reddit mentions: The best dog hand-sided carriers

Your list looks pretty good so far!

EcoBedding has a couple of advantages over other beddings. It's very low dust and it won't really get kicked out of the cage. Its drawbacks are that it doesn't provide a good floor covering because it just kinda sits on top of the floor (I had to use sheets of paper under it) and it's not very absorbent so it doesn't do much to control odors. Its also very expensive for just being crinkle kraft paper. You can purchase gigantic boxes of crinkle-cut kraft paper from Staples for $20 (they don't keep it in stock, you have to pre-order it). I tried this as a primary bedding once but did not like it very much. I've been much happier with aspen shavings. They can be messier and would require a deep pan but they're better for controlling odors/ammonia.

I prefer water bottles to water bowls because bowls can get dirty with loose bedding, food bits, and even poop. Bottles are a sure-fire way to provide a constant supply of clean water. It can be a good idea to have two water bottles so if one malfunctions or stops releasing water, there's still a backup.

You can use a food bowl if you want but it's not necessary. You can also just scatter their food around the cage so they'll have to forage for it. Scatter feeding works best when mixed into a loose substrate like shavings or paper based beddings.

Hammocks are really easy to make yourself from old clothes or really any scraps of fabric. You'll want multiples because they need to be washed very often. When I used a Critter Nation, I used several hammocks and I had a few sets so I could quickly swap them out. I swap hammocks out every few days because they get stinky quickly. They can also get destroyed quickly so spending money on fancy store-bought hammocks might not be the best idea.

Some other items to consider;

Small Animal Carrier: I use a small hard-sided cat carrier for my boys. It's great for vet visits or general travel. The one I use has a door on the top and it makes it a lot easier to get timid rats out. Fabric/mesh carriers should be avoided because they may be chewed through.

Travel Cage: If you ever need to bring your rats with you on a trip or if you need someone to look after them for you, you may want a more portable cage for them. Something lightweight and/or collapsible is handy. You can sometimes find good deals on used cages on apps/sites like craigslist, marketplace, kijiji, etc. A bin cage would also work for this purpose and it can double as storage when not in use.

Various Cage Accessories: The cage is really the main expense to get started. After that, cage accessories can be dirt-cheap or free. For the most part, there's no reason to buy stuff besides bedding/litter from a pet store. The recycle bin, your basement/garage, thrift stores, and dollar stores are great sources for cage accessories. There are a few official pet items that I like, though. Space pods, lava ledges, and bendy rope perches are fantastic cage items.

Litter Box / Litter: Rats can be trained to poop in a litter box to some degree (they'll still pee all over). If you can train your rats somewhat, you can change the litter box every couple days and you wont need to clean the whole cage as much. A litter box should be big enough for your rats to fully step into. I use inexpensive corner ferret/rabbit litter trays with fragrance-free paper pellet cat litter.

You'll also want to consider how you're going to cover the shelf in the cage. The shallow pan doesn't hold bedding but it still should be covered with something. I made "mats" out of fleece with an inner layer of an absorbent material and it worked well on the cage shelves.

Modern guinea pig cages are huge, and many people now use fleece bedding. My cage has four Fleece Flipper floor panels and one kitchen area that I cover with Carefresh bedding. I ordered the cage here: http://www.guineapigcages.com/ There are also DIY instructions there, if you want to buy the parts for less at Home Depot.

This approach is a little expensive to start, but it's super easy to keep clean. I sweep the flippers every morning (five minutes), change the Carefresh bedding every week (5-10 minutes) and I swap in clean flippers and put the dirty ones through washing machine every other week.

No guinea pig rescue will give you one guinea pig unless you already have one. I paid our local rescue $100 for a bonded pair of neutered male and female. I guess a same-sex pair that is not neutered would cost less. You can find a rescue at this link: http://www.guinealynx.info/rescue_organizations.html

...adding: I see you asked about a carrier. This one is perfect for two guinea pigs: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0062JFGM0 and this mat fits well: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y8YK2W

I work in the veterinary field and at my hospital we have strong opinions about cat carriers. The best, in my opinion, are the hard-sided ones that open both on the front and on the top. It's easy to get the cat in and out via the top door, it's roomy and stable (won't fall over or get crushed), and it's easy to clean if the pet urinates or defecates in it. I have this one (in addition to four others, some soft-sided) and am very happy with it. You can put a towel or blanket in it to make it comfier for the cat.

Edited to add that I'm also a fan of the last one you posted, mostly because the top is very easy to remove and put back on and it meets all the other criteria above for hard-sided carriers.

>The shelter and all the pet stores in town only have the small triangular litter boxes which no one likes. How come stores are not stocking the larger square litter boxes anymore??

FTFY: Which no one likes I don't like.
 

"Small" is pretty vague, so I'm not sure which litter box you are referring to as they come in various sizes. In fact I think there is an even larger triangle style box above the size I normally buy in the stores.

 

I have these Triangle Litter Boxes, which I wouldn't say are small. It is 10" x 10" x 14" which in my opinion is just fine and doesn't take up too much real estate in their cage. They are also great for your corners as my girls seem to use the ones I have around the room more than the one in their cage. I even used one in this Hard-Sided Travel Carrier after I put Velcro tape on the bottom of it to attach it to the carrier. I was able to put their favorite bed and the litter box in there. I also hung a hammock from the top and hung their food and water bowls off the door. It was only a 5 hour drive, but just another reason I love these litter boxes.

I just moved seven hours with my two kitties and I was so stressed about it ahead of time. One kitty is extremely skittish and shy and BOTH are terrible with the car. I have to say I was absolutely shocked with how well it went, so here are the basics of what I did. I highly recommend talking to your vet for advice as well, as they will have good suggests based on your individual cat. Anyway, here goes...

A few months before our trip I took both kitties to the vet for check ups (they were overdue) and asked my vet for advice (one cat pooped on herself on the way there btw). He said seven hours without a litter box is totally fine and that the cats should travel in their regular carriers. I have this carrier and another similar one. He said after the first hour or so in the car to offer water and/or wet food to keep them hydrated, but to expect they might refuse. He also suggested prepping the cats by taking them for short car rides in advance. He did mention sedatives, but I too was skeptical and didn't plan to use them.

After the vet visit I kept both carriers out in our living room. I also gathered up a bunch of old towels and placed them around the house where the cats like to sleep so that they would smell like home. I put treats in the carriers every day or so and also started feeding them in there a few weeks before our move.

I wasn't sure if I should take the vet's advice to go for practice rides, as it seemed to me like it would add more stress. About a week before our move I had to pick my husband up from work, so I decided to pack up the cats to come with me for the 20 minute drive. I couldn't catch one at all, so I just brought the other. What a nightmare! He pooped, peed and vomited on the short drive. When we got home he was a total mess and was drooling and foaming at the mouth. Just the kind of confidence I needed before our seven hour trip. That's when I decided to go for sedatives.

I got the sedatives from the vet and did two test runs with my kitties , one at the lowest dose and one slightly higher, but not the max. It didn't really seem to do a whole lot, but I was nervous to give them the highest dose.

A couple days before the trip I lined their carriers with puppy pads and put in some of the old towels. This gave them a day or so to get used to the set up. Our movers came the day before our drive, so we kept the cats in our house and stayed in a hotel that night. They were pretty freaked out by the empty house, but I left some boxes and towels to make them more comfortable.

On the morning of our move, we went to the house about 90 minutes before we planned to leave, fed the cats their morning wet food, took away their dry food, and gave them the sedatives. Chasing them down for this was a bit tricky, but I just did it really quick.

After that, I cleaned the litter box in hopes that they would go before the trip (ever notice how cats get in the box RIGHT after you clean it?). This worked for one cat, but not the other.

The sedatives seemed to hit a little harder the day of the move and one cat was a total rag doll. I don't think they ate as much that morning since they were already stressed out.

Once they seemed a little loopy we packed them up and were on our way. One cat meowed constantly, but they were both a lot calmer than usual. He quieted down a bit after the first two hours or so, but would still meow off and on.

After we were on the road for about one-two hours we stopped to check on them. I planned not to open their carriers once we were on the road, so I put empty bowls in there and squirted water through the cage into the bowls. Neither were too interested in it. One was so drugged that when I accidentally squirted water in her face she didn't flinch. I also offered them wet food on tiny spoons through the cage. One ate, but the other didn't.

I'm proud to say that we arrived at our final destination in one piece and without any kitty bodily fluids being emitted. One had a slightly raw nose from pushing it against his carrier, but that was minor. He also had the holder from his bowl around his neck, which gave me quite a panic, but he was totally fine. PSA: Do not buy these bowls.

Oh! I almost totally forgot. I bought two Feliway diffusers and put one in our new home a few weeks before the move and one in our old home around the same time. I also purchased rescue remedy and put a few drops behind each kitty's ears before we left. I have no idea if these steps helped, but since the move was overall very smooth, I wouldn't discount them.

One kitty was pretty much at home in our new place right away, but the other took a few days. We didn't have our furniture for about five days, so they had to get creative with hiding places. Our girl cat shoved herself into a tiny cabinet in the bathroom.

Sorry this is so long. I hope I didn't forget anything. I was so stressed about moving my fur babies and it was totally fine. Hopefully you will be too! Let me know if you have any questions!

Awesome :D glad you guys have that taken care of. I use a top load cat carrier for mine. Easier to pick them up that way instead of trying to coax them out through the front load ones. If he's still little, I'd get one a little smaller so he doesn't have too much space to slide around during the care ride. Lay a towel down for traction, and some rabbits pee when they're scared. If you want to get a bigger once since he'll probably grow into it, add some cushioning in there.

Expect your bunny to be a little scared at the vet :X I'd bring some treats to distract them and a blanket to drape over the carrier in case there are other animals around.

We used this carrier for our trip. To get them used to it, we left it open on their play area with toys inside until they felt safe and happy to be inside. They were able to explore it for almost two weeks before leaving.


We originally bought two for each pair of sisters, but both parties violently rattled the bars like caged animals until we let them be together in one. It was nice to be able to return the second. The carrier fits a space pod, their stuffed elephant, and has space to hang a tunnel.

A carrier would be the safest way to go. One with a top loading feature is easiest with kittens. https://www.amazon.com/Petmate-24-Inch-Kennel-Metallic-Coffee/dp/B0062JFGM0 is the one I use. There are also temporary cardboard carriers that vets and shelters use sometimes for adopting out new kitties. You could call your vet and ask if they have any like that.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DBXLYVT/

It's a pretty impressive design, made of soft materials, and it completely collapses into a flat package that can be easily stored

I think your best bet would be a plastic crate like this. They're not collapsible to the same degree a metal or fabric crate would be, but you can usually take the top off and turn it over so it nests in the bottom half.

Something like this with a top and front door helps with cats in my experience.

https://smile.amazon.com/Petmate-Two-Door-Load-Kennel/dp/B0062JFGM0/

Have you tried one of those plasticy ones? I'm not sure that would be any better, but maybe the fewer the gaps, the less chances to chew and escape.

1.21 Gigawatts

I could really use this carrier for transporting foster babies to/from vet appointments and adoption events. Thanks so much for the contest!

Was the carrier you used something like this one?

Why wouldn't you just get a carrier that is made for your dogs size? Something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MT5AS6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_JmPyDbND453KR

Here's a deal on Amazon for one at about $25

Here you go OP

I have the same one! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0062JFGM0/ref=twister_B01NALSLDD?th=1

36" x 25" x 27" airline crate

Ends at 6 PM EST, 5 hours from this posting.

Normally $103, just $73.

We always just use a small, hard-sided cat/dog carrier (something like this) with a perch screwed into one side. They're nice and sturdy, dark (I really don't understand why so many parrot travel boxes are clear), and don't cost an arm and a leg.

It's best to get a top-open carrier like this one, appropriately sized for your rabbit. You'll still have to pick them up a few times, and they kind of sulk for a while after you get home, but the whole process is much less stressful.

Wife and I got this one and we love it. Hank hated the wire crates. Also, if we ever needed to (though I doubt we will), you can't take your dog on a plane in a wire crate. One downside is it doesn't fold down as small as the wire ones, but they're also harder to tear up. Ours went through several wire crates we got from Petsmart.

Cats hate change. HATE it. The first thing you need to do is catch him and put him into a small room (bathroom closet, laundry room) with food, water, litter box and a bed. Cats can be easily overwhelmed and should never be let out into a new house at large. They have to be introduced slowly.

He's likely peeing on everything room stress and fear. Put him into a small room and it should stop.

As soon as you're settled, get him to a vet. (And please buy a regular carrier to transport him.) He needs to be neutered and checked for a urinary infection or crystals. Either of these can also cause a cat to pee everywhere. Intact males want to mark everything as their own. If he's got a urinary issue, that can also make him pee all over because he hurts.