I have flown with one rabbit from Washington, D.C., to Vienna, Austria (on Swissair), and with two rabbits back from Vienna to Washington (on Air France). If
you plan and organize your air travel with extreme attention to
detail, the trip can be completed comfortably and safely.
Be absolutely sure your rabbit can fly in the cabin with you.
Check, and recheck, and check again, at different times before
your trip, consulting both booking agents and airline reservation supervisors.
If you need to transport more than one rabbit, ask whether the
airline has a "one animal per person, one animal per carrier"
rule.
When you book, stress that you must have the quietest seat on
the plane; metallic galley noises are awful for a rabbit, as are
the smells of meat.
Put into your carry-on luggage everything you might possibly
need on the trip. Organize it in layers; consider what you'll
need when. Don't forget that your checked luggage might not
arrive with you, so be ready for that too. Carry anything that
your rabbit is familiar with, so you have the use of it as soon
as you arrive.
Carry your rabbit's health certificate with your papers so
you have it readily available if needed.
You'll find that a lot of people smile at you and your rabbit,
some ask questions, and others ignore you (or try to). You can lay
a little towel over the top opening of the carrier to prevent the
rabbit from being scared by faces/smells/noises as you walk
through the airport.
When you check in, ask where there's a particularly quiet place
where you can wait with your rabbit. You can even ask if they'll
let you use the first class or VIP lounge. They might just
surprise you and allow it!
You might be required to remove your rabbit from the carrier at
security checks. I've had to do that. Just take your time. If you
can't hold your rabbit, ask where there's a table or another flat
surface to put him on. Spread out a towel (from the top of your
carry-on luggage), put him on it, and hold him. Ask somebody
to send the carrier through the x-ray machine; that way you will
never have to take your eyes off your rabbit.
You will be asked to put the carrier under the seat in front of
you. I used a carrier with front and top openings, max size
allowed (check with the airline), and I found the big top opening
important for feeding and comforting. When I traveled
Austria-to-U.S. with two rabbits (a 9-pounder and a 6-pounder in
separate carriers), we were 2 people, and the rabbits were in
their carriers 18 hours. Every 2-3 hours, I stood up, put the
carrier on my seat, got out a fresh towel (ancient towel saved
for the trip), then lifted the rabbit out into my arms while my
companion rolled up the dirty towels, bagged them for disposal on
the plane (we had plastic bags for that purpose), spread out a
disposable bedpad (cut to fit the carrier), put down another old
towel, and added hay. I put the rabbit back in. The whole process
took 60 seconds. The rabbits arrived clean and dry, and we had
lighter shoulder bags.
You are not supposed to remove your rabbit from the carrier
during flight. I dared to change the carrier towels during the flight across the
Atlantic only because the flight was smooth. I
wouldn't want to be holding a loose animal when a plane hits an
"air pocket" and loses altitude with a jolt.
One of the airline's fears is that the rabbit will get loose.
We need to make sure that does not happen. And I know someone whose
rabbit peed on an airplane seat. We risk losing our rabbits'
cabin privilege, on the few airlines that grant it now, if
accidents like that multiply.
Your rabbit might not feel like eating or drinking during the
trip, but can get dehydrated and tummy-upset if he doesn't.
Rabbits vary a lot in this respect. Take a plastic
container of cut greens that he likes, just for the trip;
sprinkle water on them as you leave home. Take some hay, and
papaya pills if he likes them. Hold these things to his mouth as
you fly.
Adjust the temperature carefully for the rabbit during the
flight: blanket over the carrier if necessary, no direct stream
of air, etc.
Watch the rabbit with special attention as you start to
descend. Honey, who could hardly eat anything at all while
traveling, suddenly started chewing hay like mad every time our
plane began a descent. She was adjusting the pressure in her
ears, smart little lady, and during that brief time I could get
her to eat a few more greens also.
Coming from overseas, we threw away all remaining hay/veggies
before landing in Washington. After immigration/customs, we went
to the Dept. of Agriculture counter for approval. I asked for a
garbage pail; my companion and I did the 60-second towel change
for each rabbit (when I looked up afterward, a crowd had
gathered); the official went through our shoulder bags (looking
in vain for hay/veggies), and we thus met the rule that no
hay/veggies are allowed into the U.S. The friend waiting for us
outside the airport had fresh hay.
If your pet supply store doesn't have the maximum-size-allowed
carriers with top openings, some pet supply catalogs do.
Note:
For current information on U.S. health requirements for pet
rabbits entering the country, contact the office of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) at the U.S. Embassy in the country where the
rabbit is, and see the APHIS page "Traveling with Your Pets".
Rabbits vaccinated against rabbit hemorrhagic disease or
myxomatosis are not legally allowed to enter the United States.
Jennie Langdon, March 2003
