Pet travel: Tips for travelling with your bunny from a cotton-tailed TikTok star

Miffy the bunny’s first journey was one among necessity. When his proprietor Sami Chen relocated to New York from Taiwan in 2018, she couldn’t bear to go away her fluffy companion behind.

As soon as she was settled, Miffy adopted with a pet journey firm.

“He got here right here by himself and he was actually courageous,” says Sami, who works as a classical pianist and style designer.

Miffy’s 25-year-old proprietor hadn’t deliberate on gaining a brand new journey buddy. “Bunnies are often very tense in new environments. They get wired simply…it’s actually laborious for them to belief people,” she says.

However after spending an prolonged time in a cage throughout the flight and between houses, Miffy wanted to stretch his legs.

“I began taking him out to the park to train,” says Sami.

She observed Miffy was actually pleasant to people – “I really feel like he thinks he’s human or one thing!” – so she determined to take him additional afield, beginning with quick trips near house.

“After I journey with Miffy he will get actually cuddly – I feel it is a bonding expertise,” Sami provides. “And he trusts me [because] each time after we journey, he goes again to the identical home.”

Now, the pair are inseparable.

“He’s sort of hooked up to me and I am hooked up to him. So it is good that we travel in all places collectively,” says Sami.

Does Miffy the bunny get pleasure from travelling?

As Sami says, bunnies aren’t all the time suited to the travelling life. However Miffy doesn’t appear fazed.

“A number of weeks in the past we went travelling and he was ‘binkying’ within the hotel room,” recollects Sami. “He was simply so pleased dancing throughout and it was tremendous cute.”

Once they return from their adventures, Miffy shows his affection by licking Sami and reveals he’s relaxed by flopping onto his aspect – each indicators he’s a contented bunny.

“It simply implies that he is tremendous relaxed, tremendous trusting,” says Sami.

What are Miffy the bunny’s journey preferences?

As for Miffy’s journey likes and dislikes, he prefers being a part of the jet set.

“Miffy likes the aeroplane as a result of it is actually easy…He eats, he sleeps. However he does not just like the car [because] it is bumpy.”

Whereas some airways require bunnies to be stowed underneath the seat in a rabbit journey service, others enable emotional help animals to sit down with their house owners uncaged.

Miffy can also be a Florida fan.

“Miffy likes the beach essentially the most as a result of it is like an enormous litter field – he can dig continuous,” says Sami. “I make him just a little tent the place he can eat and drink,” she provides.

To date, aside from his preliminary journey from Taiwan, Miffy has solely travelled across the US, however Sami hopes they’ll go to Europe collectively sometime.

Apart from Florida, the pair have visited Boston, Vegas, San Francisco, Oklahoma, Philadelphia, North and South Carolina, West Virginia and extra.

How do folks react to a travelling bunny?

“Individuals assume it is actually humorous to see me strolling a bunny,” says Sami. “And they also began to ask for his Instagram.”

He didn’t have one, so Sami determined to create one. That’s the place his ascent to fame started.

Miffy and his buddy Mica – who was adopted by Sami in New York in 2021 – now have nearly 120,000 Instagram followers, and greater than 570,000 followers and 7 million likes on TikTok.

“Individuals love his movies, [they] make folks happy…He’s actually made a distinction to lots of people,” says Sami.

What recommendation does Sami have for travelling with a bunny?

Rabbits are notably susceptible as a result of their well being can decline quickly in an emergency.

Because of this, Sami says, a very powerful factor is to take a look at the place the closest vet or 24-hour animal hospital that sees rabbits is earlier than travelling.

She additionally advises on taking issues step by step.

“At first, do not go too far,” suggests Sami. She started by taking Miffy to the park to see how he fared. As soon as he was extra snug, she took him on an hour-long journey, and solely ventured additional as soon as she gained his belief.

Not all rabbits will probably be suited to travelling, and so much depends upon their persona and day-to-day residing state of affairs.

“I do know that travel is so much – particularly for bunnies [that are] house all day and have by no means been out, they are going to be afraid of the atmosphere,” says Sami.

“So it actually depends upon totally different rabbit conditions. But it surely’s good to allow them to exit, get just a little little bit of sunshine and discover.”

Lastly, she emphasises the significance of relaxation.

“After we journey by aeroplane or car, it is so much even for people…So I might often let the bunny relaxation for a day [before] taking them out.”

You may observe Miffy’s adventures on Instagram and TikTok (@bunny.nyc).