Driving with my hamster in the car

[melody5697]

This evening I'm taking my hamster to my friend's house so she can take care of him while I'm visiting family halfway across the country. What should I do about him and his cage while we're in the car? I think I read that I should take everything out of the cage or he might bump into stuff and get hurt. Is that correct? His cage is just like this one but colored differently: Super Pet® CritterTrail One | Cages | PetSmart

[Hekomi]

I took out everything and provided Java with cucumber when we travelled. Then I put her bin in the back seat space behind the seat and made it as secure as possible. I would have buckled her in but the bin was too big to fit in th buckle.

[Skeever]

It doesn't sound like you have far to drive. So long as you're not four wheeling through a muddy ravine, I'm guessing it would be a smooth trip? I can't imagine a food dish bouncing around inside a cage during a normal short drive? Any standing toys not secured, like a wheel or extra houses, can be taken out. Add a piece of cucumber if its going to take some time to get there, since its both food and water.

The cage you linked to is the size of a carrying cage. 160 square inches? All kinds of health and behavior problems can arise from such a tiny cage for a hamster. Something to think about. I'd only use it for a short transport trip or for an injured ham or temporary holding cell as needed.

[summerdaze]

I put the bin cage on the back seat then pushed the front seats back til they were firmly touching it and it was secure, so it wouldn't move around.

I took out the water bottle, wheel and cube and anything that could fall over/move. You never know when you may need to do an emergency stop or something dramatic on a roundabout (especially given the horrible driving I see around here - people not indicating, swerving, rolling backwards, pulling out on you with feet to spare).

I took out anything I thought would rattle.

I tried to drive at the quietest part of the day.

It's stressful driving with a hamster in the car.

[summerdaze]

Once I took my hamster to the drive through as I was so late getting back and it's about 1/4 mile from my flat.

[Dax]

I drive with my hamster every 2 weeks because i have to.
He is perfectly happy with it because hes done it on such a regular basis since the day i got him.

I tend to leave him in the part of his cage he gets fed in with his nest attached. He sleeps the whole way usually.
On the odd occasion he wakes up and has a little run in his wheel.

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