International Travel

[bpash89]

 

So I’ve just been trying to gather some information for if/when I decided to move back to the US.  Has anyone traveled internationally with their bunny?  Any airlines you recommend/would caution against?

 

Has anyone used a pet transportation service?  Would this be a better or worse option that traveling with the fluff monster in cargo (I have yet to find an airline from here that will let bunnies as a carry on)?

 

Sorry, I have never traveled with pets before and most information online is about dogs and cats.  

 

This is the government requirements for importing pets and it says that there are no special health requirements for bringing rabbits into the country (however I believe the airlines and each state has their own set of rules for this on top of the overarching government criteria).  One question I did have was that is says the animals cage much be free of any straw, hay or natural bedding.  Does this only mean bedding or would this include her food?  It’s a 12+ hour flight so obviously she will need access to hay…

 

Sorry, I know a lot of this is location/airline specific and I will have to contact them directly for answers but if anyone with experience traveling with their bunnies has any helpful tips or insight it would be much appreciated.  

 

[Jessie1990]

I will be watching this. I may be traveling to Japan eventually and I would prefer to take Ashe with us

[peppypoo]

What airline are you flying? It is important to check with your airline ahead of time to make sure that you will be able to bring your bunny into the cabin – I’m pretty sure airlines also have restrictions on how many animals are allowed per cabin, so it’s important to sort things out beforehand. Also, as far as airport security goes, some members have given great advice to take the bunny out of the carrier for luggage scans and scan the carrier alone, carrying the bunny through the checkpoint with you.

[bpash89]

Well like I said in my original post, I’m just trying to do some preemptive planning right now. I only plan to travel with her when I move for good (so we only have to go through that stress once) but it won’t be any time soon. I have looked online at various airlines that fly between the US and Korea but from what I have seen online the only in-cabin pets allowed are cats, dogs and birds. I know that certain airlines will allow rabbits as a carry on but I don’t think any of those airlines are really an option for me where I live.

That is a good tip about security. Thank you.

[ninjabun]

I know this is from a couple months ago, but thought maybe others may have more advice on international travel? Has anyone here traveled internationally with their rabbit(s) before?
I’m also planning on possibly moving overseas (to Taiwan) in another year or two, and thought it would be best to start gathering information now. The quarantine laws for Taiwan are rather strict since they are a rabies-free country, but so far what I am finding about rabbits is that they don’t have as much rules about them as they do for cats and dogs. So the airlines, prices, and the traveling are my biggest concern right now. From what I can tell so far is that rabbits are not allowed in-cabin on international flights, they may or may not be allowed to travel in the same crate (I’m hoping they can), and hoping they can at least travel as checked baggage. Food is a big concern as well, as the flight to Taiwan is very long (overnight flight) and the layovers can be quite long too. I would be concerned about taking them out at security, esp with two of them. I don’t know how I would handle two rabbits that don’t like being held and could possibly struggle and get loose in the airport. o.O Heh, maybe I could borrow one of the plastic containers to put them in and carry them through, they prob wouldn’t mind that as much.
Well, I was hoping there would be people on here who have experience flying internationally with rabbits, but if they haven’t already answered here then I guess not. :/

[ninjabun]

Sigh. Taiwan just had a rabies outbreak among some wild animals so was removed from the list of rabies-free countries.

[BelarusianBunny]

I traveled with two rabbits from Ukraine. Altogether, the day of travelling took 15 hours. To prepare, it took a lot of research. The biggest problem for us was to find a good airline allowed rabbits in the cabin on the connecting flights. (There were 2 connections just to get on the flight to get trans-Atlantic.) The best airline for us was Czech Airlines. I do not think that will work for you since you are flying to Asia.

If airline policy says there can be something like 8 kg in the cabin, be wary. They will include cats and dogs. Rabbits will not be included. It is best to contact the airline and make them say, or have a letter sent ahead of time, their decisions concerning the rabbit. Sometimes if there are no rules mentioned for rabbits, it means they will be treated differently and put into cargo.

From our experience, we had to carry the rabbits through security. Our rabbits (two at the time) were handled very much and didn’t mind it at all. Our big Dutch girl was a very blasé and mellow rabbit. The sky could fall and she would lay there. The dwarf was another story.

We had our vet complete the health forms ahead of time. As for paperwork, we had no issues traveling.

We worked awhile getting the rabbits used to the carrier. It was not an issue. And in all honestly, with our flight during most of the daylight hours, the bunnies slept. (as my understanding) For food and water, we purchased items from an online store (it slips my mind right now) that specializes in travel for pets. There was a collapsible food and water dish. It worked well.

The rabbits made the trip safe and sound. They readjusted to their new home quickly. It was mainly the stress of that one day that they had to get over. We had an easy trip luckily. I know that in all cases it might not be so easy. Also, I had company and help with the trip. Unlike you, I was not alone. That is also very important. For the connecting flights in the cabin, each of us claimed a rabbit so each rabbit had its own personal care.

If you do a lot of research (as you are doing), consult your vet, ask experts and make arrangements/agreements with the airline, you will be on the right track. Good luck.

I wish I had better information for you but I’m tired and I don’t remember the nuances from that day!

[ninjabun]

Thanks for letting us know your experiences! It does sound like the airline will be the top concern. My buns are used to carriers, but they don’t like being picked up/carried. They love being petted, and even sleep with me on my bed, but I’m going to try to get them used to being handled more often…time to find some yummy treats just for that, lol.

[Ben]

I travelled from Montreal to Washington, DC with my rabbit a while ago. I called ahead to find out if I could bring food for her through customs. I think they let me, but I’m not entirely sure. Going through security, we asked them if her carrier could be scanned in a separate room, that way if she happened to escape, it would be in a closed room. That worked really well and there were no issues. I know that United allows rabbits in the cabin and I’ve heard that Delta does as well. I’m actually planning to take her to the Netherlands soon and I’m a bit nervous about the length of the trip for her, as well as bringing hay and some veggies internationally. I guess since customs would be at the end of the trip (unlike flying from Montreal), it might not be a problem. The carrier I have is called the SleepyPod Air and I also bought a food/water dish for travel from them. The carrier folds a little bit at the ends so it can fit under the seat and then be opened up for more room after takeoff. I brought some Critical Care and a syringe with me in case she didn’t eat after arriving. For the longer flight, I might bring an extra syringe so I can force feed her water on the plane if she’s not drinking on her own. It does help to have an extra person, but I will be doing this trip alone. I think what is the most helpful for anxiety over dealing with the airports is to call ahead of time, maybe more than once. That way you can really be prepared for what to expect. I’d also like to hear other people’s experiences with long flights, considering the only flight my bun has taken was pretty short.
Cheers!
Ben

[sunshinesocks]

Would an alternative/safe back up to the carrying be a bunny harness? You can get the ones metal free – I always put them on the boys when they have to go to the vets because if they wiggle out of someones arms and they are confused about where they are they sometimes go straight to zoom mode..

[bpash89]

Update~

I took my bunny from Korea to the US this past summer. I flew on United so she could go in cabin with me. I used a vet that was used to preparing animals for international flying so he was very knowledgeable about what i needed and he handled all the paperwork for me. Visiting the quarantine office was quick and I didn’t have any hiccups. I used the Sleepypod air and she loved it. She normally hates carriers but she was really comfortable in it (and it has a blackout screen you can insert so the back side of her carrier was very dark and private for her which she loved). She still sits in it sometimes, just because she likes it.
I lined her carrier with puppy pads but I had to tape them onto the bottom because she kept digging at them. If I had more time, I would have looked into the disposable liners they make for carriers. Since it was such a long flight, I put like 4 layers of puppy pads and during the trip removed the soiled top layer so there was a clean one already underneath it.
I brought food, water, hay, greens and critical care during the flight. She only wanted to eat greens during the trip but she nibbled for most of the trip and drank enough water. She did amazingly well with such a long flight. She was very comfortable and relaxed about traveling (I guess traveling by subway and train for 3 years really mellowed her out to the unfamiliar sounds).
Everyone on my flights were easy going about her too, every chance i got i brought her carrier up onto my tray table and crack the zipper a bit so i could pet her and give her some food.
I had a long layover and just went to my gate and gave her some time to relax and run around on the chairs. I had to buy her a food court salad because she’d already eaten all the greens I brought her but she ate almost the whole thing! She was getting a bit stir crazy from being in her carrier but she handled it well and wasn’t too agitated.
On my second flight, the plane wasn’t full so i had a whole row to myself and the stewardess let me have her out and running across the tray tables! She was a hit with all the children on the flight too, getting lots of pets and she handled the attention really well.
She settled in without any problems once we landed. I’ve very happy to say I have an unopened package of critical care sitting in the cupboard. We’ve been back about 2 months now and she’s been fine, a little unhappy about the downsized room but otherwise content.

if anyone has questions about international travel with a bunny (korea specific or general questions) feel free to message me. I was a basket case preparing for the trip but everything went smoothly and my little girl did better than I ever dreamed.

[Penelopesmom]

Is anyone familiar with what airlines are willing to fly rabbits FROM the USA to Germany? I’m leaving at the end of the month and I’m having trouble finding an airline to fly my rabbit to Germany. I have to fly KLM because my husband has already booked the tickets for our dogs and us but KLM won’t fly the rabbit and I’m reeeeeeeeally not OK with finding her a new home. She is a family member just as much as our dogs but I’m running out of options. I know that she is Welcome in Germany but I can’t find an airline willing to fly her. 

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hi, Penelope’sMom. This thread is from 2013 and we ask members to please not post to old threads as it causes confusion. Please start a new thread with your question. This will get your question more attention. Thanks.

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