rabbit has to fly cargo (no other options)

[June]

I already went to reddit to try and get advice/reassurance but I just got told that I was a selfish bunny owner and that I clearly don’t care about my rabbit.

June is a part of my small family and has gotten me through some of the toughest points of my life. She’s my baby and I couldn’t bare to lose her. My home life is really bad right now and my family doesn’t care about her health or safety, only that the house isn’t clean enough and that its her fault.

I live in Australia right now, but am planning to move to the US (Iowa to be exact) to finally be with my partner. My partner LOVES June to bits and jokes that she’s his kid. Rehoming her just isn’t an option. One main reason (apart from the fact that she’s literal family) for this is because of the deadly diseases/viruses that the Australian Government deliberately puts out to kill the wild rabbits. They claim these diseases don’t have a vaccine/deny allowing it for domestic rabbits. She was abused and used a breeder at her last home and was taken from her less than 8 week old babies when I first got her (I was obviously not aware of this at the time). When I arrived to pick her up they had left her on their steps to the house in a cardboard box and it wasn’t even closed properly, I could see her poking her little head out from the car. I had no idea about this at the time, I was told she had belonged to their “daughter” and that the daughter was now no longer interested/moved away. I asked them if she had ever been kept with other rabbits and their answer was no. I also asked them what her name was and they said she doesn’t have one. That’s when I knew they were lying. The next day after I brought her home I check their page again and there were her little babies.

I know the statistics of rabbits and I know that even if I did rehome her to a seemly good home they’d most likely become bored of her after a short while and sell her for less than 5 bucks on Gumtree. She’s had such a hard life already and I just want her to be happy and safe.

I’m moving permanently and am not planning on making her travel on any other flights ever again after this. I’d be moving in to my partner’s place where there will be a large pen set up for her temporarily whilst renovations are complete. Once they are she will be able to free roam our place as much as she likes.

We leave at the end of September this year and I’m so stressed out. Is this the right decision? Am I really selfish for wanting to bring her with me? We have to fly Qantas as its the only airline (from my knowledge) that will allow me to take her. We’d have one stop over in Los Angeles for a couple hours and then flying to Omaha, after that it’s just a short drive in to Iowa and then we’re there.

Is there anything I can do to increase her chances of survival? I know how risky this flight is but it really is my only option and I can’t let her stay with my family as they will neglect her and place her in an old chicken coop we have in the back (which they’ve been trying to force me to do since I got her). They’ll forget to check her and won’t bring her in even if its pissing down and freezing or dangerously hot. And like I mentioned earlier, Australia releases countless viruses to kill rabbits and won’t provide vaccines against it so the chances that she would catch of these is extremely high.

Please any advice would be amazing I am at a complete loss of what to do

 

[Bam]

We had a member who successfully transported her bun from Kuwait to Canada some years back. She chose Lufthansa, but she had a choice. The bun had to fly cargo, the owner wasn’t on the same plane, her parents collected the bun. He was then in home-quarantine for some weeks because that’s required in Canada.

I know about the viruses they release in Australia and that its not safe to keep rabbits outdoors.

Have you checked with relevant US authorities what is required for bringing a rabbit into the US from Australia?

I don’t think you’re selfish, you clearly want what’s best for your bun. People on the Internet can be horribly judgemental, it’s seems many people love nothing more than being judgemental on the Internet.

 

 

[June]

thank you for this <3

I’ve been trying to find the correct authorities but have been unable to verify what I need. I’m moving to Iowa as I stated and have been unable to find anything about what I need (if anything) to be able to bring her in. From what I’ve heard I need a health certificate from my vet saying she is good to travel and probably confirming that she’s been spayed and up to date with vaccines

[Author]

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