Practicing flying with bunny?

[senatcha93]

Before I got my bunny I was a frequent traveler. I love traveling and often spend 3 months in a foreign country instead of just a week since I like to immerse in culture and people. I have German citizenship which allows me to stay for 3 months in almost all countries without having to apply for a visa.

Since I got my bunny which has been over a year I didn’t travel at all. Of course, I’d like to travel in the future – especially to Asia. So my question is if it is a good idea to prepare him for air travel by flying frequently and increasing the distance bit by bit? It’s no option to leave him for 3 months. It’d take 9 hours by plane to Hong Kong from where I am in Germany. I’m thinking to start with 1 hour and work my way up inside Europe (Luckily I don’t have to conform to quarantine regulations inside the European Union). A lot of places are 1-4 hours away so to practice with 6 or even 8 hours I have to take a flight that has to stop along the way. Still worried though.

What do you think? I’m trying to raise my bun anxiety free. He is used to traveling in the car, subway and used to the sound of the mixer, vacuum, and doesn’t get scared of loud noise or being outside(car honking, etc.) I plan to go with him to central station and the airport soon so he will get familiar with the noise and the amount of people.

[Azerane]

Hi there

My biggest concern for traveling is that many places have quarantine restrictions ( outside the EU as you mentioned) that last 1-6 months so wouldn’t be worth bringing bunny with. The other thing to remember is that some countries don’t allow air travel of rabbits, in or out of the country so make sure to do plenty of research in that regard before selecting what country you bring your rabbit to if you choose to do so.

Aside from that, I personally don’t really think it’s a good idea to travel frequently by air with a bun. Your bun may tolerate it ok but it can be hard to know, and not all airlines allow them in cabin which makes it harder. Stress leading to GI stasis is the biggest concern but if you truly belief ff your bun would tolerate it well then is your choice Since he already is adapted to other travel you could introduce some aeroplane sounds, and gradually play them louder to him to acclimatise him.

Otherwise in afraid I don’t have much advice, it seems a little bit risky to me but you know your bun best.

[kurottabun]

Personally I do feel that bunnies are too fragile to risk frequent travelling since they will be exposed to so many different environments (climate, diseases etc).

I’m from Asia and as far as I’m aware, rabbits are not common pets in most countries (with the exception of a few). Aside from logistical issues of airports or airlines not used to seeing rabbits being transported, this would also mean that if your bunny falls sick, it may be very difficult to find a rabbit savvy vet. Even if you could find one, you may not be able to communicate with the vet due to language barriers. There are just too many potential issues that could arise.

Like Azerane said though, you know your bunny best and you could always try it out as long as you are fully prepared for the risks

[senatcha93]

Right, it seems risky… I already did some research on that topic. As there is no quarantine restrictions inside the EU I’m pretty lucky. I wouldn’t travel to a country where my bun would have to be in quarantine for up to a month or longer anway. I know that Japan and Korea’s pet quarantine lasts 3-5 days. That is okay with me. What I mean by frequent is maybe 2-3 times a year. He is an Emotional Support Animal, so flying in cabin wouldn’t be a problem. My biggest concern is the flight duration. Do you think practice can reduce stress?
Yes, I’ve played aeroplane sounds and other sounds on youtube since the day I got him

[LittlePuffyTail]

I really don’t think there would anyway to get a bunny used to something like flying, unfortunately. I always feel bad when I’m traveling and I see animals. It must be so strange to them, to feel the takeoff and landing, turbulance, etc but have no idea what is going on.

[Author]

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