Pet Travel Question: A Challenging Rabbit
Number of Pets: One
Pet Type: Rabbit
Pet Breed: Dwarf Dutch
From: NYC
To: California
Hello,
I have a very aggressive/assertive rabbit. She greatly dislikes being held, which is a problem for us when going even short distances (like to the vet). We are now moving to California. Getting her into her carrier is always a traumatic ordeal for her. Do we have to take her out of the carrier at the security checkpoint? I am afraid she will be terrified and jump/run as fast as she can away from us which will be unpleasant for us all. Can I request them to just use the wand on her soft carrier?
Thank you so much!
-Sam
Hi Sam,
It's hard to say exactly what will happen at the security checkpoint, but you will likely be asked to remove your rabbit from her travel crate. You can explain the situation to the security agent, of course, but there is no guarantee that they won't expect you to comply with the standard rules.
If you decide to go forward with the trip, the best advice we can offer is to continue to work with your rabbit to help her become better accustomed to traveling. Practice putting her into the crate a few times a week, take her for car rides so that the experience becomes less of an ordeal, etc... Hopefully at some point she'll start to relax a bit.
Take a look at this resource on rabbit travel for more details about what to expect, and please contact us if there's anything else we can do to help.
Good luck to you, Sam!