Surely by now you've realized that our pet rabbit, Pancake, aka Vancake (aka Munch, Munchy, Munchy Bun, Nut Bun, Boo Bun, Bunny Boo Boo, Sweet Creature, Creature, Creatch, Muffin, Panna Cotta, Sweet Face, Baby, Bunser, and Ms. Bun), lives with us in the van. Although unusual, it is not unique. Prior to seeking out a new pet, we watched other mobile rabbits and got tips from their owners. Cameron's favorite is Daytona, the trucker rabbit, and I've been a longtime follower of @mort.on.the.move, who lives out of a Canada-based RV. There are also a handful of online articles and videos which detail the highs and lows of having a roving rabbit; this is my attempt to contribute to the information available.
Pre-Adoption Considerations
Rabbits are not naturally suited to car travel. Most feel uncomfortable
while moving, and may not eat or poop until they are settled again. Naturally,
this is a health concern, and it would be cruel to keep a creature in that
state of discomfort long-term. Although I wanted a rabbit so badly, I was
not going to adopt a rabbit that couldn't thrive in the van. My main
qualifications were a rabbit that was large and durable, although if I could
add a third wish, it would be to find a rabbit with a docile demeanor.
Rabbits are social animals, and they tend to do better when they are in a
bonded pair. Some European countries have animal cruelty laws that prevent you
from owning just one. We would have considered a pair, but ideally we wanted to
start off as a one-bun household with the intention of finding a mate once we
were settled post-Goldilocks Project. As social animals, rabbits need lots of
attention, and luckily with Cameron and I working from home, we'd be able to
give the rabbit fairly constant interactions.
Initially, I wanted one of the corgi-sized German Giants, but it is
difficult to find a large rabbit in the US. Pancake is on the bigger side of
average (she's probably about 10lbs), but she was only listed as
"medium" on the adoption website. Initially, we didn't consider her
because she wasn't "large," but after fostering her for a month we
couldn't give her up. By that point, we had taken her on short car rides (20-60
minutes) and could tell that she'd be fine. Normally, she was on alert for the
first 15 minutes, but then would start to settle down, and sometimes even lay
down in her carrier. Although she typically refused treats while in the car, it
seemed like she would continue to become more relaxed.
Even though it seemed like we had fortuitously fostered the perfect rabbit
(albeit, she's not particularly docile, but I think in the end I prefer an
active and curious bunny), I was still worried that we were being selfish. I
DM'd @mort.on.the.move to ask his advice (he did not answer; he is a rabbit
after all), and I texted my friend who co-runs the rabbit shelter I volunteered
at in Krakow. Her response is what made me feel ok about this decision:
"as long as she can hop around and stand on hind legs from time to time
she should be fine."
Downsides of Having a Rabbit
Before we officially committed to adopting Pancake, we had to make some van
build decisions that would be affected by having a pet. Number one priority was
to have a space that would fit her litter box, plus some additional floor
space, that she would be safe in while moving. During the two trial trips, she
was confined to her carrying cage, which surely was uncomfortable for the long
trip. We had to make sure to stop every 2-3 hours to give her a chance to
stretch her legs and use the litter box, but it was obvious she was not very
happy with us. Even now that she had litter box access 100% of the time, we
still try to take extended stops at least every 3 hours for her sake.
She's much more comfortable in her "cubby." She knows that it is
her space, and she happily jumps in and out on her own accord. Even though it
is her preferred snoozing spot, she doesn't like it when we lock her in there
(either at night or during drives), and she's starting to find creative ways to
attempt escape.
Bunny-proofing woes is another ongoing concern. We've lost a few flyaway
cables to her chewing and we no longer let her free roam at night. Although
she can jump off of the bed on her own, she's not the most athletic
rabbit and she's had a few flops. I think she's sometimes afraid to jump down,
and if she stays on the bed too long she uses it as a potty. Cameron read that
she may have peed on the bed because it smells like us, so she assumes it's our
litter box. It's a very cute explanation, but nonetheless I don't want rabbit
urine on my sheets, especially when we have inconsistent access to a washing machine. We've had to get creative about how to keep her off of the
bed, but every time we come up with a clever solution, she figures out a way to
outsmart us after a few days.
Her cubby is about 4'x2'x2', which isn't a significant amount of room on
it's own, but we also need to make space for her food (pellets in the pantry
and fresh greens in the fridge), her carrying cage (kept in the
"garage" space under the bed), and other general maintenance items
(hay, litter, potty pads, etc. are kept in a big Rubbermaid box under the bed).
The last time we were at a pet store, Cameron insisted on buying a tunnel toy,
so now that floats around our already limited floorspace. Clearly, we make do
without the storage space, but if we didn't have her I probably would repurpose
those areas for better-organized pots and pans and for a more accessible
laundry. Oh well; Munchy Bunny takes precedent.
We are a little less flexible with her. If we were on our own, we would
probably work from public libraries and coffee shops more often, but instead we
choose to stay in the van with her. We do periodically leave her alone (if we
go on a hike or out to dinner, for example), but we still have to keep the fan
and AC going.
I think people assume rabbits are smelly. On the contrary, rabbits are
naturally very clean, and once things are arranged in a suitable way, they tend
to be fairly tidy. The thing that smells is their urine, but so long as you
keep good cleaning habits (replace the litter every 2-3 days), there shouldn't
be a smell. Just in case, we've added some ventilation holes on the door-side
of her cubby, so when the door is open there is some airflow from the outside.
I also have a light hay allergy, which is partially why we keep the hay in an
air-tight container. I've found that so long as I replace her hay outside of
the van, it doesn't trigger my allergies.
The biggest downside to having a van bun is my ongoing concern that she is
not living her best life. Any chance we get, we let her run in the grass or
bring her inside a house to roam, and it's obvious that she's enthused. As
previously mentioned, Pancake is an exceptionally curious bunny, so having an
ongoing change of scenery is probably good for her, but I wish we could give
her more day-to-day rumpus room. In compensation, we feed her really well and
she gets as much love and attention as she could possibly ask for.
Upsides of Having a Rabbit
She's so darn cute! Do I need to say more?
The main benefits of having Pancake are the same as any other pet. If you
don't like rabbits, don't get one! That said, I think that bunnies are by far
the most adorable and curious pet you can have. As far as van-specific benefits, it's easy to be stealthy with
her, since she doesn't make any noise and we don't have pet-specific items
strewn about. Her litter is far less smelly than a cat's. As a vegetarian,
I'm also glad I don't have to keep meat-based pet food in the van (some people
call rabbits "vegan cats").
Pancake is a diffuser for tension between me and Cameron. She's an extra
"person" to talk to and she's a nice distraction when I need one.
When we are in an uncomfortable situation but don't want to admit it, we can
place blame on the rabbit. For example, if it's really hot outside, then she's
our excuse for paying $45 to sleep in a campground with electricity hookups for
the night – we need to run the AC for the rabbit's sake,
not ours!
I think both Cameron and I have seen improvements in our mental health since
adopting her. Just being able to watch her do silly things brings joy and
spontaneity to our lives (although I could argue that van life inherently increases
spontaneity). I'm not willing to research it, but I am willing to bet that
there are a slew of studies that show that people generally are happier when
they have pets. I'm sure part of that is having to put your focuses on the pet
rather than yourself. We're about to leave for a 3-week backpacking trip, and
rather than being worried about the physical strain and looming fire warnings,
I'm more concerned about if she's going to get enough attention from my
parent's and their elderly dog while we're gone (even though mom calls Pancake
her "grandbunny," I don't think she's particularly looking forward to
bunnysitting for a month).
A final plus – she's a point of interest when visiting people. Sure people,
are curious about van life, but they are especially intrigued by our sweet baby
bunny. We've discovered that Pancake is great with kids, and she love's the
attention she get's from them, so it's a win-win situation; with the right age
group, the kids and the rabbit basically co-babysit each other.
Just looking at the number of paragraphs, it seems like the bads outweigh the goods, but that's absolutely not the case. Each of those downsides are so minor, and having her around brings virtually no hardship to our lives. We love our Sweet Creature, and I truly think that she's a big reason why van life has been so enjoyable so far.
