college and my rabbit

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apollo4441000

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hey, so i am moving from Leicester, England to California to go to a performing arts college, and i also have a single female rabbit, named Snowy, my parents would love to keep her, but she doesn't particularly like anyone else in my family, so I've asked around and people have said it would be best if she came with me
anyways so i have applied for accommodation and the apartments are pet friendly but i just want to know how i can make the whole journey less stressful and how i can overcome things like climate and environment for her
i have also spoken to my roommates and i have found out that one of my 4 roommates also has a male rabbit, which she is bringing along, and we were willing to keep our rabbits close to each other so they can (hopefully) one day live together
please help
 
I think that bringing her with you would be best. She'll only be making that initial trip to California and that would be stressful, but she would get used to her new home and you'd be there for comfort her.
You could probably check out the different airlines and see how they feel about flying with rabbits. A lot of the time you can carry them on and put them under the seat in front of you, if they have a health certificate. I know United allows rabbits to be brought on as carry on, in a small carrier. But a lot of airlines only allow one or two animal carry on per flight, so you would have to check that your rabbit was the only animal on that flight.
If you have to ship her though, I would look into a company that ships animals exclusively.
I'm not sure how getting the rabbit into the US is though, someone else who has shipped an animal here, might be able to help more.

I hope you do bring her though! I wouldn't want to go anywhere without my pets!
 
thanks for the help
but i don't need too ship too much. all I am shipping is a load of food she is used to and her toys and bed to make it seem familiar
as soon as I have unpacked and I have acquainted myself to my roommates, me and my roommate are going to go find a pet shop to buy a hutch and bedding and the necessities and also go meet our on-campus vet
 
Be sure to check both the US & British requirements for animals traveling to their country. Each country has very strict guidelines & may require quarantine. My dad was in the military & at that time my cat had to be quarantined for either 30 or 60 days, I don't remember now I was a child. Don't want your bun to have to be quarantined & away from you for even a month! Maybe that was just the military procedure for traveling with animals but I would definitely check. You don't want to be on your way to college to find out they are going to take your bunny to quarantine or other problems. Also, as Morgan said airlines do allow 2 pets onboard the plane per flight so you will need to check & make your flight reservations for each flight of your travels to CA making sure that they have a space for your AND your bun on each flight. Make sure the carrier is approved for the airline you will be traveling & that your bun can fit in the carrier & under the seat. Hope you can work everything out for you & your bun to go off to college together! Oh, & congratulations!!!!
 
You first need to look into the requirements to bring a rabbit from the UK to the US. I know Canada has a quaraentine period due do some diseases rabbits can get there but not here. Having the required vaccinations is probably a must and you may have to keep her away from other rabbits for a certain period.
Most airlines don't allow pets, especially rabbits in the cabin. For those that do, they might not allow it for some fights due to the distacne or requirements of the country. This is something you need to check out and plan for. If she does have to be in cargo, get a larger carrier so you can add a litter box and give her some room to move around. The carriers that fit under the seat tend to be quite small, so could be uncomfortable for such a long trip.
You will need to get her vet checked before the flight. Many airlines do require a health certificate within 10 days of travel. The import laws might require vet paper work as well.

Assuming that everything clears and you can take her without too much trouble, you need to think about when you actually get there. Taking a big cage is not really an option and will be quite expensive. You can get a folding tent for short term use until you can find a suitable cage. You probably won't be able to take pellets or hay with you, so you might want to put her on pellets you can get in the US to make the transition easier. Try to find a local pet store so you can get supplies right away. Finding a vet is also a good idea just in case, you never know when you might need one and don't want to be scrambling to find one in an emergency.
Talk with your room mates to see if they can help you out with a cage and supplies, at least until you can get your own. They might have an extra cage or pen you could borrow.

I would not recommend trying to bond her and the male. You don't know how long you will be living with these people. Bonding the rabbit and then separating them is not a good idea. Rabbits do form deep bonds and do grieve loss. I am sure you would want to keep Snowy and your room mate would want to keep her rabbit. If they are not spayed or neutered, that can lead to problems and fights, if both are intact they can and usually will breed.

You do need to consider her as well. Some rabbits just don't travel well. This could mean she stops eating and needs vet care. If it becomes serious, she could die from it. For a rabbit that does travel well, it can turn out ok. Some medical conditions could be aggravated by the pressure changes. You know her best, so should be able to make the decision that is best for her and not just what you want.
 
I don't think there is a quarantine for rabbits entering the US. They are not even on the list so they probably fall under "Small Mammals". I would contact the CDC via email or phone though just to cross your t's and dot your i's.

Check out the CDC website for more info:
http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/bringinganimaltous.html

Find an airline where you can carry on your rabbit. I wouldn't do it any other way. I would check for policies online and call around.

Don't bond unless they are going to live together for the rest of their lives. It's cruel to separate bunnies after they've been bonded.
 
What part of California are you heading to? I'm a Los Angeles native and am now in Pomona for vet school.

Are you planing to go home for summer, etc.? What will you do with Snowy then?

If you're set on bringing her with you, I'd have your veterinarian contact the CA state veterinarian, Dr. Annette Jones to ask about any requirements for importing rabbits. Most airlines also require a health certificate for animals. http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
 
im going to be staying in corona and i was just trying to find out if most rabbits travel well, as my snowy doesn't usually mind and likes going in her carrier
and for the summer and holidays and things I am going to take her along with me
 
Something to consider is while there may not be any quarantine when you take a rabbit from the UK to the US there definitely is a quarantine involved in taking a rabbit from the US to the UK. It might not be viable to take her home during the holidays.

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/quarantine.htm

The link above says any rabbit from outside of Europe would require a 6 month quarantine. This would likely apply to your rabbit even if it was originally from the UK.
 
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