156 reviews forTrixie Gulliver Transport Crate

The box is sturdy, stable, and very easy to dismantle into two halves without any tools. A real drawback is the absence of a second carrying handle to be able to carry the box with the animal inside. We picked up our dog, whom we adopted from an animal shelter, at the airport in a box just like this one. To place the box with the animal onto the luggage trolley, it took two people. I’m deducting two stars just for that. After all, it’s called a 'transport' box.

The box is good, but due to the missing carry handle, it's unsuitable for tackling stairs. Makes me wonder, does everyone only live in ground-floor flats, or how are you supposed to lift the box with the animal inside on your own? If it had a carry handle, the box would be perfect.

The price-performance ratio is OK. The size is sufficient for a Malinois male measuring 62cm/28.5kg. The lock was easily broken by him. On a flight, it’s probably amusing. The two indentations in the floor are uncomfortable for lying down. With a few modifications, it’s somewhat usable: the lock reinforced with perforated metal, the indentations in the floor filled in, and a latch added for the open door. This way, it doesn’t keep swinging shut behind the dog when he enters the box.

The box is quite good, and the price is reasonable. However, there are two major weaknesses: 1) When the box is placed on a flat surface, it only takes a 5-kilogram puppy stepping on the entrance for the whole box to tip over! The entrance collar hangs in the air and acts as a lever. I've now placed a granite slab on the bottom of the box to make it more stable. 2) In theory, you can remove the top half and use the bottom half as a sleeping basket. In practice, there are sharp plastic points on the bottom half that prevent the dog from resting its head on the side. That's why it only gets three stars.

The box itself is very sturdy, and the lockable closures work well. However, the bottom of the box is slightly curved, which causes the box to wobble a bit when placed directly on the floor. This unsettles my dog when trying to get in. The second storage compartment is poorly designed, as it can only be opened from the opposite direction. Unfortunately, the cage door cannot be completely removed without undoing the housing closures. You have to do a bit of tinkering here and drill out the upper door mount. With other boxes, this feature is standard.

I bought the box in size 4 for our large tomcat as a cosy den (put a thick cushion inside and a blanket over it) and for transport to the vet. I always get anxious when I see an animal in a box/cage that's too small. The box was quick to assemble, but attaching the clamps took much longer. Honestly, the instructions were absolutely dreadful! And now for the surprise: I couldn’t find a single handle, let alone two. I live on the second floor. Even if a second person helps – there’s no handle!! I hope we can come up with something – a "DIY solution". At the moment, this expensive item is only usable as a den.

(Regarding size 5) The box is sturdy and, in my opinion, well-made, but it’s really big. We have a Toyota Avensis estate, so not exactly a small car, but if the box is placed lengthwise inside, the mechanism for covering the boot space when needed has to be removed. There’s hardly any space left next to the box, and I doubt I could fit a crate of cola in the car with the box inside. Holiday luggage – only if you don’t need much. On top of that, the grid door is completely covered by the lower part of the tailgate, so the dog could only peek out with difficulty through the narrow slits on the sides. And the box wobbles so much that it really needs to be secured, but if you use tension straps, there’d be no room left in the boot to put anything else. Since size 4 isn’t much smaller, I opted for a slanted, foldable transport cage instead. It’s also big but can be chosen in a smaller size because almost the entire space is available to the dog (no thick walls, no indentations in the lid) and it can be folded up very quickly if you need the space. It’s certainly not as cosy/cave-like as the box, but for me, it’s a good compromise.

Many people have already written about how good the box is!! And that’s true!!! But I’m also going to mention the negative aspects. It only stands stable on a flat surface; in my Volvo, it’s more like a rocking chair. The latch sticks and is really hard to open. Now for the best part (the latch is made of plastic): my American Staffordshire Terrier got a bit annoyed with the box and managed to bite off and chew up the latch cover from the inside. Now I don’t have a latch at all. Where can I get a replacement part for this?? Something like that really shouldn’t be on the inside!!! I’ve got another box from the USA, and everything on that one is nicely placed on the outside, so the dog can’t get to anything. So, for smart and active dogs, I wouldn’t recommend this box.

The size is great, but unfortunately, there are often issues with opening it; the clasp sticks and only unlocks after several attempts. Additionally, the box is very difficult to carry. The ground isn’t always even, even if you have wheels. It would be helpful if there was something on top to carry it with one hand, while the other hand could hold it in the middle section.