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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny on a 10hr flight?

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    • toki
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        In the next year or so, I will be moving from England to the US west coast. I want to take Toki with me, but I am getting increasingly worried about taking him.

        My plan is that I would ship him as cargo to my fiance who lives in the US, where he would look after him until I flew myself over there a bit later. However I am very worried about Toki being so stressed that he stops eating or becomes sick somehow. Because I’m so worried, I have been thinking about just rehoming him instead of putting him through this horrible ordeal. I would find somewhere I know he would be taken care of (otherwise, I would just take him with me). But I know that he will also become stressed if I rehome him. So which would be best for him?

        I took him to the vet yesterday for nail trimming, and he was rapid breathing and shaking even after we got home, and that was only about a 1.5 hour trip in the car.  Does anyone have any experiences, ideas or advice?


      • Mikey
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          A 10+ hour nonstop trip is not safe. If rabbits dont eat within 8 hours, they risk stasis. Not eating, not drinking, and the extreme stress he will be under will be putting him under high risk of stasis and/or death. Is there a shorter route for him to take? A route with stops/layovers?


        • WRXFamily
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            I’m sorry to hear you have to make that tough choice ? I just brought my buns home on a 14 hour car ride. They definitely were not happy. I had both my boy and girl flemish in the same carrier. They both were very anxious (rapid breathing and heart rate) but they are both settling in nicely even though it took a few days. They were both terrified and wouldn’t really eat or drink the whole way but in a way it almost made them super happy to get home to start re adjusting because they were excited to just not be traveling. I hope you find a solution that works for you, that was just my experience with bunnies and long traveling.


          • toki
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              Oh, I was thinking a direct flight would be better since it would be the shortest travelling time. But yes, I could get him on a route with layovers. Would that really be that much better for him? What would happen during the layovers that didn’t happen during the actual flight?

              I’d feel better about him travelling if he was with a companion, but unfortunately he must live alone. I’m sure he would settle in eventually, it’s just the initial upset that I’m afraid of. Especially since it might take me a few weeks to land in the US after he did.


            • Azerane
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                With the two options (non-stop vs layover). With nonstop, there’s obviously a longer period of time straight on the plane, if your bunny is stressed by that movement and noise, he may not eat or drink at all while on the plane. This can obviously be a problem due to the risk of stasis. However 10 hours (plus commute to the airport) is not too bad. Just make sure that your boyfriend has the ability to get him to a rabbit savvy vet on arrival if needed. (Arrival time during the morning or middle of the day so that the vet is still open in the afternoon). I suspect Toki may not start eating until an hour or two after he’s settled at home.

                With a layover, while I can see potential benefits, I can also see some potential problems. With a layover you are extending the travel time for an hour or two, making stasis potentially more of a risk. My other concern, because he will be checked into cargo, what sort of environment will he be kept in during the layover. Is that change of planes, bumping around to be shifted, people talking loudly etc going to be more stressful than simply staying on the same plane?
                The benefit is that if he’s not inclined to eat while on the plane, he may eat during the layover once the carrier is on the ground and has stopped moving. However the layover might not be long enough or quiet enough for him to feel comfortable to eat still. Also, what if the second plane is delayed?

                Since you won’t be travelling with him and won’t have the option to only check him in to the layover destination to check on him before checking him back in again, I would probably be inclined to go for the non-stop flight, to reduce travel time and that stress of the changeover.


              • toki
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                  Thanks Azerane that’s also what I was thinking. From what I know of Toki, I don’t think the stress of the plane movement will be much different to having a layover. When I took him to the vet, he had me stroking him, giving him treats (which he didn’t eat), talking to him, and he was still very afraid. So, just the fact that he is in unfamiliar places will make him not eat. Because of that, I personally would just like him to get from A to B as fast as possible. I can make sure he gets vet treatment after, it’s just the journey itself that poses a problem.

                  Perhaps I could fly Toki to somewhere on the east coast, and my fiance could drive out there to meet him. That way it would be much less flight time and he could get vet treatment there if needed. Then I suppose he could drive back to the west coast and monitor Toki on the way. I don’t know. I’m really struggling for ideas to make this trip possible


                • BanditCamp
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                    You also can take your bunny on the cabin if they allow it. Do research and have a plan a, b and c. Call the airlines and check, this is a recent article that describes the same trip for a permanent move to California with plan c used.

                    http://www.bunspace.com/groups/topic?tid=3946&posts_tgp_no=last

                    Airline policies have changed you can also register your bunny as an emotional support animal (although some on here will disagree with it) and most airlines will have to accept it onboard. The esa process is legebthy though so unknown how much time you have. Also check the rabbit wiki here to see if you can do more research.

                    http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/International_import_regulations_for_pet_rabbits#United_States


                  • toki
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                      Thanks BanditCamp, I’ve looked at that bunspace page before and it is helpful but from what I can tell it’s from seven years ago? Maybe I’m reading it wrong. I assume that the owner’s buns were eating during the flight since they arrived safely. I can’t assume that my Toki would eat during the flight since there is a good chance he won’t. I would love to register Toki as an ESA but I don’t think I could do that with a good conscience since I don’t actually need him for emotional support. If only I could register myself as an emotional support owner, since he definitely needs me!

                      At the moment I am looking at flying to the east coast with him, then after I make sure he has eaten, get on another flight with us both to the west coast (where hopefully he could travel in the cabin). Not quite sure how I would plan this, since it would be twice as complicated as a single flight. It seems as though he may just have to be rehomed in the end; but as long as he is safe and well, that is the most important thing.


                    • vanessa
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                        I just flew united with my bunny in the cabin. I do regular car trips with this bunny so he is quite familiar with traveling. he eats while we travel. Some bunnies will only eat when the vehicle stops moving, others need to calm diwn after the travel to eat. Although it is stressfull at first, i would start taking the bunny with on car rides to get it used to a vehicle in motion. I would research airline requirements for cabin travel, and import requirements.


                      • toki
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                          Thanks Vanessa, I’ll start taking him with me on car rides now and then. I have tried to find a way to take him with me in the cabin, I’ve asked multiple airlines (Delta, British Airways, United, Virgin Atlantic), and they all say he will have to be shipped as cargo.


                        • Vienna Blue in France
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                            I agree with Az, if you’re going to go for it, one flight, get it done and out the way. Arriving daytime is excellent advice…. just in case vet required.
                            Stay overnight close to the UK airport making sure he eats well just before the flight.

                            I don’t know if there are general guidelines on cargo care but i would look into who has the best cargocare record…. someone present during flight, vet check before and after? Etc…
                            Find his absolute perfect healthy food treats…. (dried dandelions ? etc) and those that won’t spoil during 12 hours.. I know mine wouldn’t eat enough hay during travel but EXTRA yummy treats may just be nibbled at. Any veg with high content in water would provide hydration.

                            Anyway of someone putting him on flight so YOU are there to meet him the other side….?? I would think your presence on the receiving end would be more important for his ‘recovery’ back to normal.

                            Check import regs to the US and also, although its not on the cards, reimport regs back into UK. If you needed to, could he get back in easily”?


                          • toki
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                              Oooh, yes I will look into the cargo care. I’d make sure he has lots of treats available. I’d love to be there to meet him on the other side, but I don’t think I could trust anyone else to get the shipping process correct! I have decided to look at finding him a good home (preferably with a friend, or a friend of a friend – so I could always check up on him), and only if I cannot find one, only then I will take him with me. It won’t be for at least 6 months yet, so there is lots of time for planning and such. His health is the most important factor, and I just don’t think I could live with myself if I put him through an ordeal that made him sick or worse.

                              Thank you all for your advice and help, me and Toki appreciate it

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                          Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny on a 10hr flight?