Shipping Rabbits

[moonkitten]

For Air Canada shipping within Canada, look here for rates:

http://www.aircanada.com/cargo/shared/en/documents/solutions/aclive_rates_ca.pdf

Assuming 2 rabbits in a cat carrier weighs less than 20kg (44 lbs) your cheapest shipment would be $120 and your long distance flight $195.

Add to that cost of the cat carrier plus water container plus Live Cargo stickers and you're still looking at a pretty penny.

If you want to ship more than 2 you need a divided compartment carrier which adds to the cost.

 

[PulpFaction]

For Air Canada shipping within Canada, look here for rates:

http://www.aircanada.com/cargo/shared/en/documents/solutions/aclive_rates_ca.pdf

Assuming 2 rabbits in a cat carrier weighs less than 20kg (44 lbs) your cheapest shipment would be $120 and your long distance flight $195.

Add to that cost of the cat carrier plus water container plus Live Cargo stickers and you're still looking at a pretty penny.

If you want to ship more than 2 you need a divided compartment carrier which adds to the cost.

And still, sometimes it's just worth it. There are certain lines that are of average price, and indeed possibly nothing special, but they are what I need to compliment my existing rabbits. If I could get the breeder to ship, I would gladly pay her asking price for the rabbits, all the expenses of shipping, plus gas/time. Sometimes to get EXACTLY what you need or want is just worth it, and in my case, I believe it would pay off in big dividends.

The only way to make it up here is to have REALLY good stock that makes others understand it's worth the shipping price. And to get to that point, you're going to have to start with really good stock. And you're also going to have to fly out of state, with rabbits in tow, to make nationals, convention, regional specialties and convention, etc.

Really, it's all relative. When I lived in Memphis, I probably would have never considered shipping. But up here, I have to, and honestly it feels like a whole different playing field when you're spending that much money on rabbits, LOL.

 

[FurBabies]

Comment about lost Health Certs and Pedigree. We never send the pedigrees with the animal when shipping by plane. We always Mail the Pedigree's to the buyer, because it is a common thing for the airport to loose them. And we Tape the Health Cert. to the top of the cage after checking the animal in. Just buy some of those Clear Folders that ppl use for comic books, slide the Health Cert. in it and TAPE TAPE TAPE it to the top. (Or the way you shipped, Tape it in between the wire and the cardboard)... Tape it good! As if it is a bar of gold. You certainly don't want it to get lost.You can fix the problem if it gets lost, but why take the chance of your vet not being in the office to fax it, if you don't have too. Plus if your vet waits to fax it, the buyers are standing there at the airport just waiting and waiting to get their animal.
And yes, you are right....The health Cert. is a waste of time. But, its the rules. :bunnyhop:

 

[ajc057]

US Postal Service normally doesn't ship rabbits. In the last year, I've seen one person write that they ship by postal service, but I've never seen any followup on it.

Rabbit show breeders/exhibitors ship rabbits by air all the time. Breeders go to national shows or even international shows. The rabbits are packed into rabbit carriers and travel with the luggage. The same thing for shipping rabbits as cargo, they travel with the luggage. When you prepare for it, the rabbits handle the stress easily. Hundreds, if not thousands, of rabbits went by air to ARBA national convention in Minnesota last month.

Time of year is critical though. Rabbits can handle cold better than heat. There is a "no fly" period for rabbits from late spring through summer for most airports in North America because it gets too hot for the animals.

Winter is good for flying between most airports.

Here is an article from my blog recalling our first air shipment experience:

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 Delta
and 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 avert 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

This is so good to know. Do you have any experience shipping rabbits internationally? I was living in France, but had to come back to the USA for a family emergency. I plan to go back to France to get my rabbit (she's with a sitter now), but I am desperately looking for a company that will allow her either to be on the plane with me, or at the very least shipped via cargo. Or in case I am not able to come back, I will need to find a way for her to be shipped over.