Flying Bunnies

[HayHey0248]

Hi everyone, :biggrin: as you can see i am new here and do not have a rabbit. Though i have had before.But thrilled to have found this site!
I was just questioning about flying rabbits on planes.
I am planning on getting my new rabbit from a city near me, which is a 1 hour flight.
As were i live we have no rabbit breeders, only back-yard and pet shops. :grumpy:
I found a breeder (HoneyMoon stud, any experiences?) and she is willing to fly them, though we must organise it because funny enough she has never flown interstate only out of state!:confused2:
What precautions should i take and how can i make sure bunny has an stress free flight and drive home?
Thanks. :innocent

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

Welcome to the forum
I have no experience with flying buns but I am sure someone will come along and help you.

 

[LakeCondo]

I don't have any experience either, but it doesn't sound encouraging from what it says in Rabbits For Dummies.
.
It says air travel is the "least favorable" way for a rabbit to travel, what with the crowds & delays. It's not so bad if the rabbit's cage can be in the cabin as carry-on luggage. It's very noisy in the cargo area & very hot. Therefore it's best that the flight take place in the cooler months.

Sorry this isn't better news, but if you can't go & drive the bunny home, I'd think about getting one from a pet store, though naturally that's not ideal.

 

[Buttercup n Charlie]

I've flown my rabbit only a few days ago, but she was in the cabin with us. This was the return leg of our journey, and just like the original leg, she hated it. But it was more displeasure than discomfort. She didn't seem stressed, just quiet and mad. We had her in a carrier in the cabin with us (which is surprisingly expensive to do) and we had the carrier covered with her favorite blanky, so she didnt see much. If we opened up the cover a little bit we made sure she could only see us.

 

[Buttercup n Charlie]

But I should mention, a lot of it went so smoothly because she is very comfortable with us. A rabbit that doesn't know who you are may not be as cooperative or comfortable.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I'd contact the airline first and see how they transport--also, are you going to fly there and back? We like to have everything in front of us--matter of trust and I have almost zero.

 

[HayHey0248]

Well I will be flying them with 'Quantas' and its only a one way flight that lasts between 40mins to 1 hour, depending on the wind. I am not able to go down their and pick him up and bring him back though, that's why I didn't choose a car plus that would take 6-7hours on a barren road. I will ask them if I can bring them out of the cargo area and put them somewhere else. Where do they usually have pets?

 

[HayHey0248]

Its just that were I live we have a very limited stock for rabbit stuff and the(quality)rabbits on that hand and I have to order everything in from other places. It's such a drag...:thud:

 

[LakeCondo]

The only way a rabbit MIGHT be able to fly in any part of of the plane except in the hold is with a paying customer. And some airlines don't even allow that. I don't know what Quantas's policy is. Flights are often delayed, so the poor rabbit could be in the hold 10 or more hours, which COULD kill it, especially with the heat. Perhaps this isn't the right time for you to get a rabbit.

 

[HayHey0248]

I just rang 'Quantas' today and they gave me the number for 'Australian Air Express' which specialize in pets.
They said the don't wait on tarmac for over what is needed and it is air-conditioned to the right temp. and pressured to what is would be for humans in passage. I don't think their are actually passengers on the flight, just shipping stuff. They say they do rabbits quite often. The lady even told me the transported a Zebra last week!
Thanks so much for you consideration. At least i know i can trust the people on this site.
Though so far the people i have spoken to seem quite reliable.
Thanks everyone, i'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Toady]

Unfortunately in the US it's quite different to here in Australia, in the US you are sometimes able to take a pet on as hand luggage as long as it's in a cage/carrier... here in Australia we're not allowed, the only way that animals fly (including fish, had to pay $40 to ship them even though they'd fit in my bag) is in the pressurised hold and for QANTAS it's through AAE (Aust Air Express). I'd ask the breeder if they just ship through AAE or go through a pet transport company like Jetpets or Dogtainers.

 

[HayHey0248]

Well so far so good. My rabbit will only have to be in the actual plane for 90mins because of the good weather forecast for that day. Only 6 more days to wait! XD XD XD

 

[LakeCondo]

:highfive: