Shipping Rabbits

*from the rabbitgeek notes*
We've shipped several times. Below is an article we wrote in 2004.

I'd like to add that we used a standard 3-hole show carrier with
cardboard inserted in top of the carrier under the wire to make a
"solid top".

We used empty tuna cans for feed and water cups. We punched two
holes in the sides of the cans with a nail and used wire to attach to
the side of the cage.

The article follows, Tracy writes:

Flying Rabbits to Hawaii

This endeavor started in August with an inquiry as to my For Sale
French Angoras. I'm pleased to report that the three angoras that I
sold to a girls school in Maui are flying to their new home on
Tuesday, 12/14/2004.

I highly recommend flypets.com for handling the flight. Flypets.com
was recommended to me by Betty Chu. Betty's an amazing resource,
she knows EVERYTHING!!! :) I tried initially to send the bunnies on
Deltavand found that the flight alone would be about $700. Through
flypets.com, the flight on American Airlines is $199. To ship them out
of Sacramento it would've been $300. So I'm driving them to San
Francisco for the cheaper rate. Now understand that the price is just
for the rabbits. I don't get to go :(

I have an appointment with the vet to get the bunnies' health
certificates. The angoras will have to be quarantined in Hawaii for 30
days but the school has arranged to have them quarantined on their farm.

Shipping Rabbits

The three angoras are making their way to Hawaii as I write this. We
drove them to San Francisco International Airport and dropped them
off at American Airlines cargo. It was great because we didn't have
to actually go inside the airport. Flypets.com made the reservation
with American Airlines and handled all the paperwork. The cargo clerk
was expecting us and she was very nice and efficient. We had no
problems with either the Health Certificates or the Acclimation
Certificates. We shipped them in a 3 hole carrier this time without
using a dog kennel. Franco just put a solid cardboard top on the top
of the kennel, inside the wire top and they were good to go.
I wouldn't hesitate to ship rabbits again. It was a very positive
experience.

Safe Arrival!

My French Angoras arrived safe and sound at the Honolulu Airport.
However, the rabbits arrived missing one of the health certificates,
the pedigrees, and the acclimation certificates. I'm not sure what
happened to them because Franco put them in between the
cardboard and the wire on the top of the cage. It seemed secure
to me. So at about 4 pm our time, I got a call from the Honolulu
airport saying that they have the rabbits but they can't release
them without the health certificates. I kept copies of the certificates
but the official needed to have them faxed directly from the vet.
So I called the vet and she faxed them right over to the official
and the rabbits were released. That was the only snag in the whole
procedure and it was a very minor one. I'm not sure how to prevent
that problem the next time we ship but we'll figure something out.

The health certificates were somewhat of a joke. I paid $30 for an
office visit and $18 for each health certificate. The vet weighed the
rabbits, looked at their teeth, ran her hand over their bodies, and
listened to their heartbeat. That was it. Then she completed the
certificate. At the time, I was thinking that this was a waste of time
and money, but it is a requirement for shipping, especially to Hawaii.

The girls school LOVES the rabbits. They say that Asher is such a
cuddle bug (and he IS). I sent Lily to Hawaii bred to Rhubarb so
they'll have a larger gene pool.

This has been a great learning experience for Franco and I. We'd ship
again without any hesitation. Now that we know what we're doing :)


Have a good day!
Franco & Tracy Rios