considerations for animal transport

[chucky]

I may have the opportunity to do some animal transports in the not too distant future, and seeing as how I much prefer flying to driving - and that I'm willing to do much longer legs in the plane than in a car - I was thinking about doing them by plane. Since I know a number of people on this board do animal transports of one sort or another, I'm soliciting advice about the sorts of things I should be thinking about.

First, the animals in question are small, caged animals - generally mice, rats, rabbits, or things like that, so I think securing them in the baggage area would be quite simple, and the weight would not be an issue. I'm not looking to do larger animals in an aircraft (yet). Second, although I've mentioned it to some of the flight instructors, I haven't yet talked to the guy who runs the flight school (and owns the planes), which obviously is a must. The instructors seemed to think it wouldn't be a problem, though. In terms of organization, I'd be shooting for situations where the flight would be the majority of the transport, so there would be one driver to get them to the first airport, and one driver to get them from the second airport to their new home. I think trying to squeeze an airplane leg into a longer transport with that many more people to coordinate would probably be a bad idea. Are there things I'm not thinking about that I should be? Thanks in advance!

 

[Ted]

It sounds like you pretty much have it figured out. So long as they're in cages and you have the cages well secured, all should be fine. Also, if you're the one who is providing the cages, make sure to clean and disinfect them between transports to prevent any disease transfer.

One thing to take into consideration with animals such as rabbits is that they tend to be pretty sensitive. Not knowing what plane you're using, I would consider trying to have them someplace where you can keep an eye on them and that has some good temperature control. There's not much you can do about the noise levels, but all animals I've flown have seemed to handle it pretty well.

Enjoy!

 

[chucky]

Thanks! Yes, we are always careful to disinfect before and after a transport. Rats at least should do fine with the temperatures they'd encounter in a Warrior, provided they've got plenty of bedding and maybe a blanket to cover the carrier. Most rodents I've known are terrified of anything new but adapt pretty quickly, so I suspect they'd be okay, although the sheer volume in a Warrior is significant. I may want to look in to that a little bit more carefully. Thanks again.

 

[ChrisS]

Animals require plenty of water.

 

[chucky]

Animals require plenty of water.

True, though when the animal you're talking about weighs less than 2lbs, 'plenty' can be a relative term. :wink2:

 

[Ted]

Animals require plenty of water.

For the duration of a transport, it's not a big deal. To prevent messes (and associated disease) we recommend that the dogs and cats get no food or water after midnight the night before the transport. Yes, they'll be hungry and thirsty when they arrive, but that is better than being in their own filth.

For rabbits or rodents, I wouldn't recommend that procedure, but you also tend to have said creatures live and get transported in containers that have litter in them.

 

[ChrisS]

True, though when the animal you're talking about weighs less than 2lbs, 'plenty' can be a relative term. :wink2:

That is very true.

 

[ChrisS]

For the duration of a transport, it's not a big deal. To prevent messes (and associated disease) we recommend that the dogs and cats get no food or water after midnight the night before the transport. Yes, they'll be hungry and thirsty when they arrive, but that is better than being in their own filth.

For rabbits or rodents, I wouldn't recommend that procedure, but you also tend to have said creatures live and get transported in containers that have litter in them.

The reason I mention the water is many years ago I used to work for the aviation cargo industry and animal death from lack of water was a common event. Not a pleasent way to go and easily avoided. Although this was for long haul transportation and probably not relevent to transport by GA.

 

[chucky]

One thing we do for rats is to give them cucumber slices. Decent source of water, and gives them something to do/fight over, once they get over the terror of being somewhere unfamiliar.

 

[chucky]

For rabbits or rodents, I wouldn't recommend that procedure, but you also tend to have said creatures live and get transported in containers that have litter in them.

Yep. There's going to be 'fear poops' regardless of what you feed 'em.

 

[Ted]

The reason I mention the water is many years ago I used to work for the aviation cargo industry and animal death from lack of water was a common event. Not a pleasent way to go and easily avoided. Although this was for long haul transportation and probably not relevent to transport by GA.

Agreed. What you talk about is one of the big problems I have with sending animals of any sort on a commercial/cargo flight. When I fly dogs, they don't have food or water, but they're also in the passenger area with me. I keep a good eye on them that way.

 

[chucky]

Hmm, my girlfriend's doing a transport tomorrow where she's been assured there will not be 'more than 21 rats'. Not that flying is likely to be an option anyway, for the next few days.

 

[poadeleted20]

If you're renting or borrowing a plane for this, I think a full and frank discussion with the aircraft owner of everything you plan to do is absolutely essential before you go further. I can think of a lot of things an owner might find objectionable about such a plan, so make sure it's OK with the owner and don't hide anything about your plans.

 

[chucky]

If you're renting or borrowing a plane for this, I think a full and frank discussion with the aircraft owner of everything you plan to do is absolutely essential before you go further. I can think of a lot of things an owner might find objectionable about such a plan, so make sure it's OK with the owner and don't hide anything about your plans.

I absolutely agree about this, of course. One of the things I was hoping to get from this thread is the sorts of things an owner might object to that haven't occurred to me yet.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Hmm, my girlfriend's doing a transport tomorrow where she's been assured there will not be 'more than 21 rats'. Not that flying is likely to be an option anyway, for the next few days.

I absolutely agree about this, of course. One of the things I was hoping to get from this thread is the sorts of things an owner might object to that haven't occurred to me yet.

Rats (and other rodents) gnaw. If I were an owner, convince me that the rats won't gnaw out of their box(es), any waste will be contained as it is corrosive, and my plane won't smell of rats (to me) afterwards.

All of these are non-issues with appropriate transport containers.

 

[chucky]

Okay, it was not less than or equal to 21 rats. And I don't think we could have fit four aquariums in a Warrior.

Rats (and other rodents) gnaw. If I were an owner, convince me that the rats won't gnaw out of their box(es), any waste will be contained as it is corrosive, and my plane won't smell of rats (to me) afterwards.

All of these are non-issues with appropriate transport containers.

Yes, those are as much issues in car transports as in planes. The more I think about this, the more I'm leery about whether or not it would really be a good option for small animals because of the noise/vibration. I think I will discuss things with the owner, just to see if the option is open, but I don't know if I'll ever actually do it. Thanks all for the advice, though (and keep it coming, if you think of anything else!).

Some day, though, animal rescue/angel flight is definitely something I want to do.