As most of you know, a few months ago I moved to LA from NY. Once I found out I was moving, I had a very short time frame (2 weeks) in which to quit my job, pack up, move, find a new apartment, buy a car and start my new job. Needless to say it was a stressful process.
Of course, I left many things behind in NY - winter clothes, dark nail polish colors, ski gear. But I also had to leave little Albert, my hamster, behind. It was just too stressful to take him, along with all of my worldly possessions, to LA on the first go. (Especially given that, when I moved here, it was my second time coming to LA, ever).
Luckily, a few weeks later I had the time to go back to NY and fetch Albert. He is now enjoying the California hamster lifestyle in LA. But getting him here was stressful. So: I offer some pointers.
Flying with Hamsters on Planes
1. Only fly with your hamster if it is an absolute necessity (e.g. you are moving across the country and are worried that your boyfriend will never clean the hamster cage in your absence). It is irresponsible and mean to take a hamster on a plane if it is not the only option. Driving from NY to LA was not an option for me, so air travel it was.
2. There is only one airline in the U.S. that allows hamsters in the cabin - Frontier. (See their pet policy here.) Other airlines allow hamsters to be checked as baggage - DO NOT DO THIS. It is extremely dangerous due to temperature fluctuations and potentially poor handling by baggage crew that are not used to small animals. Fly Frontier instead. You will have to connect in Denver to get almost anywhere, and they charge a $75 fee for pets in the cabin, but this is really the only viable option. Make sure to call ahead and add your hamster to your reservation before flying - this is very important and they might not let you on the plane without it.
3. Buy a study, large, under-seat sized travel cage. I used this one and it was perfect. Make sure to buy a water bottle that can mount in the cage or on the side; I used this one and it mounted on the side and fit perfectly under the seat in front of me. As you can see in the photos, Albert actually enjoyed his travel cage and taught himself to play monkey bars on the top of the cage. But I included a small area for him to hide and sleep in (the pink hut in the photos) as well as a small amount of food. Make sure that there is a place for your hamster to sleep and hide.
Of course, I left many things behind in NY - winter clothes, dark nail polish colors, ski gear. But I also had to leave little Albert, my hamster, behind. It was just too stressful to take him, along with all of my worldly possessions, to LA on the first go. (Especially given that, when I moved here, it was my second time coming to LA, ever).
Luckily, a few weeks later I had the time to go back to NY and fetch Albert. He is now enjoying the California hamster lifestyle in LA. But getting him here was stressful. So: I offer some pointers.
Flying with Hamsters on Planes
1. Only fly with your hamster if it is an absolute necessity (e.g. you are moving across the country and are worried that your boyfriend will never clean the hamster cage in your absence). It is irresponsible and mean to take a hamster on a plane if it is not the only option. Driving from NY to LA was not an option for me, so air travel it was.
2. There is only one airline in the U.S. that allows hamsters in the cabin - Frontier. (See their pet policy here.) Other airlines allow hamsters to be checked as baggage - DO NOT DO THIS. It is extremely dangerous due to temperature fluctuations and potentially poor handling by baggage crew that are not used to small animals. Fly Frontier instead. You will have to connect in Denver to get almost anywhere, and they charge a $75 fee for pets in the cabin, but this is really the only viable option. Make sure to call ahead and add your hamster to your reservation before flying - this is very important and they might not let you on the plane without it.
3. Buy a study, large, under-seat sized travel cage. I used this one and it was perfect. Make sure to buy a water bottle that can mount in the cage or on the side; I used this one and it mounted on the side and fit perfectly under the seat in front of me. As you can see in the photos, Albert actually enjoyed his travel cage and taught himself to play monkey bars on the top of the cage. But I included a small area for him to hide and sleep in (the pink hut in the photos) as well as a small amount of food. Make sure that there is a place for your hamster to sleep and hide.
4. Be prepared when going through security. This was the part that I was most stressed about, but I actually had a very pleasant experience with Albert at JFK security.
Your hamster can not go through the x-ray machine - I took Albert out of the cage, put the cage through the x-ray, and held him in my hands when I walked through the metal detector. They then had to scan my hands for residue (not sure what type of residue), but that only took a second. Everyone at JFK was really nice and amused by the hamster, but judging by other experiences with the TSA, this might not always be the case.
Be prepared to explain, to hold your hamster, and to take apart the cage should they request it. You may also need to be patted-down if there are no metal detectors available, as you can not take your hamster through the nude-o-scope machines (the ones where you hold your hands up like antlers). Give yourself plenty of time to get through security and you should be fine.
5. Monitor your hamster throughout the flight. Once we were airborne, I pulled his cage out from under the seat a bit so that I could see Albert. He seemed fine throughout the entire flight - annoyed, yes, but not scared or in pain (I was worried about his ears!) - but I would still mind your hamster just in case. That way you can provide soothing or a treat if the hamster seems disturbed.
Overall, flying with a hamster is a stressful experience. However, at the end of the day Albert and I made it to LA unscathed. As long as you are smart and thorough in your planning, flying with a hamster can be done, if it absolutely cannot be avoided.
No comments:
Post a Comment