Information on how to Fly a bunny

[maherwoman]

Posted: Wed Jan 24th, 2007

Oh, GRR...EVERYTHING coming from the East Coast has a layover either inChicago, or one or two other places, and all three have weatherrestrictions. :X

So, it looks like I'll just have to maintain patience...

:grumpy I don't wanna...:disgust:

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Thu Jan 25th, 2007

OK...on the suggestion of Peg (TinysMom), I checked into AlaskanAirlines. She mentioned that she didn't think they hadweather restrictions, so I thought it was at least worth checking out.

So, I called them this morning, and my first question: "Do you have weather restrictions at all right now?"

Their answer? NO

:woohoo

So, I went about asking the rest of my questions, and the answers wereall the same, except that the final price she quoted me is actuallygoing to be about $40 LESS than it was going to be withUnited!! :shock: And here I thought because theyhad no weather restrictions and were so darn accomodating witheverything, that they would be more expensive!! WOW!!

The wonderfully sweet and patient lady mentioned that there will be nomore than a 2hr layover in Seattle on her way here, and that the totalflying time would be approx 13hrs. I asked her how much timewould be shaved off if she were to fly using their premium service, andshe said it would really only make a 3hr difference.

She also said that there are flights available both Saturday and Sunday...so we're in business!!!

I'm actually, in the end, going to see my girl this weekend!! YAY!! I'm so excited!!

I can't wait to tell Denise and have the booking made and everything all laid-out and ready-to-go!!

I'll be spending most of today fiddling around to see how we want toconfigure her cage, as we're putting it in the corner of the L-shapethe girls' cages make. I'm going to figure out how to set itup so that I can see a lot of her cage, but that it's right bytheirs. (I'm going to leave about a cm between cages just incase. They all have mesh that has about that size of openingsin it, to prevent curious kitty paws from entering, but I just want tobe sure. I'm not sure how the current girls will react to thenew girl, and if any teeth are used, I want to be sure they're farenough apart that nobody gets bit.)

Anyway, I have an exciting couple/few days ahead of me! Thankgoodness I've already moved the hay out of that space! Ittook a lot of moving things around here and there, like a biglivingroom-sized puzzle, so it was more work than it sounds!

:bunnydance::woohoo:happydance:bunnydance: I'M SO EXCITED!!!

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Thu Jan 25th, 2007

I asked her about that, and the basic idea is that other airlinesaren't willing to temp control quite to the length that theyare. Since they fly to Alaska, apparently theirtemp-controlling has to be better. Does that make sense?

It sounded to me like the other airlines, because they didn't haveto temp-control quite so much, they don't. Whereas, givenhaving to fly somewhere with such extreme temps, Alaskan Airlines hasto do more to keep it properly temp controlled.

I'm actually really happy to have found them, because they actuallysound like they're much better with flying live animal cargo.

I'm excited!!!

Haley wrote:

Congrats! You guys must both be so excited!

I dont know if you mentioned this already, but what is the weatherrestriction for and is it safe that Alaskan Air doesnt have one? Likeis it still safe for Trix and why dont the other airlines fly her (iknow it must be safe or you guys wouldnt do it, but Im just trying towrap my head around it ).

Again, congrats!

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Thu Jan 25th, 2007

Yesterday's high and low emotions really got me tired today, but I'm still gonna work on that cage!!

The excitement is building...we live right by Van Nuys airport, and theplanes fly over the house. I don't normally notice them much(in fact, they're a comfort, since I grew up on air force bases andheard it all the time as a kid), but today...I'm noticing each andevery single one! Haha!! I keep thinking..."Iwonder if that's the plane she'll come home on..."

Hehe...I'm so goofy, I know...but I feel like I've been waiting MONTHS...wait, I kinda have!

I'll be sure to keep you guys updated on our plans.

Love to all!

Rosie*

P.S. Looks like my husband might have to be the one picking her up, andit might be at night, after my daughter goes to bed...so I won't beable to go with him. But hey, whatever we have to do to getour girl home!

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Thu Jan 25th, 2007

TinysMom wrote:

When I first followed thisthread, I thought about AlaskaAir and was going to metnion it. Butlet's face it - Trixie is in NY and she's going to CA. That doesnt'seem to be close to Alaska (although it IS closer than TX is).

I also was under the impression that flying Alaska Air was more expensive....

So I was silent. SHAME ON ME! BAD BAD BUNNY MAMA!

Here is the way I understand the whole climate control issue. I don'tknow that I'm right but I suspect I'm pretty close to being on target.

Because AlaskaAir flies to Alaska - the interior of their plane - thecargo area - has climate control like the cabin would have. Well -maybe not like the cabin would have.

But whether they have more or better insulation or built-in heating -or whatever....whatever is in the cargo hold of the plane while it issitting and waiting to take off - is warm enough for the animal tolive.

When we had animals shipped into San Antonio - it was an hour beforethey got them OFF the plane and to the cargo area. During that hour -in spite of the fact the rabbits had water bowls, etc - if the temp hadbeen 110 degrees like it is in the summer (it was actually fall so itwas cooler) - the animals could have died in the belly (cargo area) ofthe plane while they sat and waited to be unloaded

So while Trixie might be flying into some of the same airports she'd beusing if she flew United...she will be SAFE while inside the planewhile waiting to be transported to a new plane or the cargo area orwhatever. In a plane from United- while she sat on the tarmac...shecould freeze.

Make any sort of sense?

I think the mods may be posting a bit of what went into all of thislater tonight or tomorrow as there was a lot of trying to figure outoptions to help out Trixie (and Rosie) as soon as possible...

Peg

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Thu Jan 25th, 2007

You worded it so much better than I could have. That's basically what I was trying to say.

I'm happy that things are working out so nicely...

Hehe...not "bad bunny mama"...you've just got a lot going on, and it's completely understandable.

Fact is, despite the fact that I would have given a fortune to have herthe day after we decided we could take her, it is all fallinginto place as perfect timing. If she'd been here sooner, wewouldn't have had the money to get the things we're able to affordgetting last-minute this week. (My husband got paid a LOTmore last week for a HUGE job he's doing...he's an electrician.)

Anyway, don't worry...it's literally perfect timing.

So...here's the plan so far...

ON OUR END:

1. Tonight, my husband will be buying another box ofNIC panels (since my design for her cage requires about 20 morepanels), as well as the wall mount for the TV. We'll mountthe TV tonight.

2. We'll put the cage together as much as we can tonight, but not fully, because...

3. Tomorrow, my husband will go get the pegboard forthe bottom floor and each of the three levels above the bottom floorthe cage will have. The cage will be completed tomorrow night.

4. Trixie will arrive sometime Saturday night...and go right into her new cage.

ON DENISE'S END:

She's three hours ahead of me, so things essentially start for her tomorrow.

1. Tomorrow: Denise's husband will pick up a largercarrier on his way home, while Denise takes Trixie to the vet afterwork for her Health Certificate for the flight. She'll callthe airlines tomorrow after she has the exact dimensions (as requiredby the airline) of the carrier.

2. Saturday: Trixie gets her wings!!

 

[maherwoman]

Editing note: Trixie actually came with a 32oz version of the below. Denise already had one.

Posted: Fri Jan 26th, 2007

Good idea, thanks!

Unfortunately, given the timeline of things at the moment, it doesn'tlook like she'll be able to go to a store to get one.Literally, Denise is COMPLETELY packed for time in making this happenon her end...it's crazy!

Seen as how we realized YESTERDAY we could use this airline, and it waslate for Denise when she found out (her home # is all I have, or Iwould have called her cell), and she still has to take Trix to get herHealth Cert for the flight (AND has a dr appt herself). Notto mention she decided last night when I was talking to her, andrealized that Trix had a 13hr flight ahead of her, that she needed abigger carrier.

CRAZINESS!!!

But it's nice to know that we're that close to things happening!!

JAK Rabbitry wrote:

Go to petsmart...ferret section....get a 16 OZ TOP FILL bottle. You actually just popopen te top of the bottle and pour the water in that way...the bottlecan stay stuck on the cage. But the best thing is, its not the usualmetal ball thingy at the end, it has a different kind of valve thingyand sholdn't leak at all or at least as much. I use them all the timeand they're freakin' brilliant. -JAK

maherwoman wrote:

Question...if it doesn't leak on a normal basis, will it be fine? Thanks! Rosie*

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Fri Jan 26th, 2007

Okay, guys.....

Here it is....

She's going to be arriving here at LAX on Sunday at 5:15pm...my husband's birthday, haha!

So, there ya go...we've got 46 hours left to go!!!! :bunnydance::bunnydance:

I think we should all take a moment and give Denise some encouragement,though...she's feeling really horrible at having to say goodbye to herbaby. She went to give Trixie some Craisins tonight, andbroke down crying.

I feel so aweful for her...:tears2:

 

[maherwoman]

Edited note: This is Denise's response toeveryone sending love her way at losing her baby. I thoughtthis would be a beautiful thing to add to this post, to illustrate bothsides of the coin...both the excitement of getting a new baby, and thesadness a previous owner goes through in losing their baby.

Denise is such a wonderful lady...and she deserves a mention here.

Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2007

TrixieRabbit wrote:

Hi everyone....

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you from the bottom of myheart for taking a moment to think of me and my DH. Your posts,encouragement and understanding brought tears to my eyes. We truly arebeside ourselves at losing our sweet Trixie. Now that the reality oflosing her has set in, I can't help but cry every time I look at herand her cute little twitchy-nose.

Even though the decision to rehome Trixie was voluntary, it was withgreat sadness. There are multiple reasons for rehoming Trix that arebeyond our control, but the number one reason was to give Trixie theopportunity to have the best possible quality of life, 1,0000%happiness. We took a REALLY good look at our situation and realizedthat it would not be fair to give Trixie any less. We could keep her,but would she be truly receiving the best possible attention and care?We realized we could not be selfish and the best we could do for herwas to find a new home for Trix, and it would have to be someone fromthis forum. We wouldn't accept anything less than that, even if itmeant keeping her and sacrificing.....
Luckily, Rosie and I, who became friends over time through this forum,started chatting about how great it would be if we lived closer...andeventually, the conversation turned into...when can we book theflight?? And WHAT A RELIEF! Everything is booked and ready to go! Itwasn't as easy or cheap as posting Trix's pic on the supermarketbulletin board, but hey, Trixie is WORTH it, in my eyes.

So, it is with a mixture of great sadness and happiness that I send myprecious princess across the entire US on a 13-hr plane ride to hernew, loving home in California. We know we couldn't have found a bettermatch for Trixie, and we are so impressed and happy with how ROsie hashandled everything on her end. With my morning sickness, it was hard tomake all those phone calls and do all that research. Plus, my job hasFIREWALLED Rabbits Only (EGADS! The NERVE!) and I couldn't even post.So Rosie took up the extra slack and did most of the research.

Thank you all for your bunny advice and support throughout the pastyear. This forum has truly brought together such an eclectic group ofpeople from all over the world who have the same thing in common: anincredible love, caring and compassion for other animals. Essentially,MY kind of people. If only we could all get together and meet in personone day - it would be a bunny utopia!

I will be here to check in and say HI...so look for me on the off-topicboard. Plus, I have learned a lot about bunnies, so I will post advicewhen I can.

So....until later...BON VOYAGE!

Love,

Denise, Paul and Trixie:bunnydance:

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sat Jan 27th, 2007

I know!! The anticipation's KILLIN' me!! I thinkI'll be pacing the whole time my hubby's gone to pick her up!:waiting:

Thank you for the warm wishes...I'm sure everything will be wonderful.

Denise will be calling me right when she's on the plane, so I knowshe's on her way. (Though, since she'll beflying at 7:45am their time, I'll be receiving a call at 4:45am mytime...but hey, I just want to know everything's going well.I'll also be calling her the second I know she's okay when my husbandgets her.)

(BTW...I'm not going because I have a hard time driving & suchthrough LAX, and we have a six-year-old daughter that would bedifficult to bring with us on such an adventure...so I'll be waiting tohear from him that she's okay.)

cheryl13 wrote:

Aww Denise,saying goodbyeto Trixie is going to be so hard i'm sure,but take comfort in knowingthat she is going to another lovely family

And you must let us know when you have that little baby of yours,we will all wanna check him/her out




Good luck for sunday you guys!

Ohh the anticipation of waiting Rosie!!

cheryl

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

TrixieRabbit wrote:

Hi everyone

I just wanted to pop on and give you all an update on what's going on so far in Trixie's travels....

This morning DH and I got up at 3:30am EST to feed Trixie and gatherall her toys, hay and food. We left the house by 4:20am headed towardsNewark airport in New Jersey. We arrived at Newark Airport at approx.5:30am. Alaska Cargo is in the same building as Continental Cargo, andin fact, the entire staff that was there were Continental employees.
When I brought Trixie in her small carrier, she quickly drew a crowd ofbig, burly cargo workers with her charm. I told Rosie it must be thetwitchy nose...she cast a spell on everyone - BEWITCHED-style! LOL.....
As per the Alaska Airlines rep who I booked the flight with on thephone, we were told they would inspect the kennel upon arrival at theairport and make us take Trixie out of the kennel to inspect it. Also,we were told the rabbit would not be allowed any food or water, noteven hay! This was a HUGE issue for me, and I even hung up on themcrying before calming down and calling them back to book the flight...

ANYWAYS, rather than pull her out of the kennel and try and hold asquirming, indignant princess of a bunny while they inspectedeverything, we brought her in her smaller carrier and brought thelarger carrier empty for them to inspect....we also brought a bag ofhay, food, a bottle of water, 2 different water bottles, zip-ties, wirecutters, her favorite toy and duct tape in case they had a problem withthe set up of the carrier.
They didnt even inspect it when we got there! The workers there were sofunny and laid-back they didn't care...they took one look at Trixie andus and just KNEW nothing was shady about us. They even let us put herhay, her water bottle, and even her favorite toy in her carrier withher!
And the health certificate everyone was so admant about over the phone? Didn't even ask for it....
So....as I am waiting for processing of the flight info, etc....thecrowd of employees has grown to about 10 men, all telling stories abouthow rabbits are smart, how to raise them, how BIG Trixie is...it wasamazing how interested they were in her well-being!
The supervisor that booked everything was suprised that we used Alaskaairlines instead of Continental b/c he said Continental flies directlyto LA airport with no layovers and he seemed concerned about the 3 hrlayover in Seattle. But, he booked the flight on Alaskan Air asplanned....
So, after all was said and done, and Trix was transferred to herlarger, more "plush" accomodations (we lined her larger carrierwithskid-proof shelving cloth on the bottom and shreddedpaper), we waved goodbye and blew her kisses as she was taken in backon a small payloader....and told the supervisor to take good care ofour baby.....

The flight was scheduled for 7:45am EST, so when I got home around8:30am, I thought Trix was already in the air...and I didn't realizeRosie wanted me to call her as soon as I dropped off our bunny since itwould be 5:30am her time....so I collapsed into bed and was awoken at11am (yes, I am a tired pregnant lady -ha) by the SUPERVISOR of AlaskanAirlines. DH answered the phone and I INSTANTLY sprung out of bed whenI heard him say "You're kidding!? Can this be taken care of?" I had NOCLUE what happend and feared the worst....images of a runaway rabbit inthe cargo area of Continental were running through my head like ahorrible nightmare!
Turns out, according to the supervisor, everyone fell in love withTrixie (how could you NOT?), and rather than take her outside on thetarmac as the cargo hold was loaded, they kept her inside where it waswarm and kept an eye on her and gave her lots of pets. They were soconcerned with her being warm, they FORGOT TO LOAD HER ON THE PLANE!LOLOLOLOLOL SO, the supervisor called to let us know theywere going to fly her to LA on the next Continental flight at 12pm. Thebest part was, the flight was DIRECT with NO LAYOVER and Trix wouldarrive in LA at the same time as planned! GREAT NEWS! Less stress forTrixie! So I laid back down in bed and smiled at our good fortune. 20mins later, the phone rings again...it's the supervisor Reggie fromContinental Cargo with even BETTER news....they got Trix on an EXPRESSflight to LA departing at 1pm EST and she would be arriving an HOUREARLIER than planned, so instead of arriving at 5:15pm PST, she wouldbe arriving at the Continental Cargo receiving area at 4:15 and thentaken to the Alaska Airlines receiving area for pickup as planned! Sono inconvenience for anyone!

So...as of now, my little bunny is somewhere in the sky, on her way toher new loving home....and until 7:15 my time, I will be praying forher safe arrival.

That's about it! I will keep you all updated if I hear anything else!

~Denise

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

Hehe...thanks for all the warm wishes, guys! Your love andsupport got us through this stressful time, and I'm sograteful!!

Yeah, I got up at about a quarter to nine our time (after going to bedaround 3am mostly building Trixie's cage, haha), and realized Denisehadn't called. So, I walked over to the computer in asomewhat zombie-ish state, and saw that nothing had popped up on ourMessenger, either (which is one of the ways Denise and I have kept intouch)...all sorts of scary thoughts going through my mind (like Denisementioned she was thinking, too)...worried that she'd somehow not madeit on the plane. That they decided that even after all thework Denise and Paul put into doing her carrier to specifications, itwas somehow just the slightest bit off, or something lame like that,and they'd turned them away. Argh...

So, I sat down at the computer, and Denise signed in and I immediately(as I'm sure she expected) asked if she was on the plane.(Thinking, "please say yes, please say yes...") The firstthing Denise said was, "Can I call you? I have someinteresting info." So I said, "Um...sure...does this meanshe's not on her way? " Denise's reply: "Nope...wellkinda." I think I had a couple of coronaries when I readthat...so I gave her my number, worried outta my mind, while readingher message of, "Don't panic." Hehe...

Then she imparted the above situation to me...and had I not beensitting down, I might very well have fainted!Hehe!! I went from thinking the worse, to hearing thebest...I get my baby a whole hour earlier! :woohoo

How funny that we always think the worse. I think it's a defense mechanism...a kind of "just in case" thing.

But...I was so happy to hear she was okay, that Denise and Paul wereokay, and that our (Denise and my) baby was on her way.

I tell ya, it was so nice to hear the relief in Denise's voice thatthings were okay, and hear her laughter after all this time of stressand frustration. I'm not surprised in the leastthat our girl charmed everyone to that extent. She's such asweetheart!

I can't wait until she charms everybody tonight. We're havingfriends over (don't know if I mentioned that before) to playD&D (it's my husband's birthday, so we're doing one of hisfavorite things to do...we're geeks, hehe), and they're absolutelygoing to swoon all over those floppy black ears! I will beinforming them that they need to try to remain nice and calm,though. (Not that we're a wild bunch of people, but sometimesthe game gets loud and exciting, hehe!) I don't know how muchTrixie will be up for petting and coming out and hopping around, butI'll be playing my portion of the game on the floor, with her cage dooropen just in case she'd like to join me. I really don't thinkmy heart will be in the game quite as much tonight somehow, hehe!

Anyway...my husband has to leave in about an hour to go get her!!!YAY!! This is all so exciting!!!

I wonder what the kitties'll think...they're still quite fascinated byFlower's pure white...wonder what they'll think of a spottedgirl!

Hehe...this is all just so dang exciting...I'm so happy all our hardwork paid off so beautifully. Goes to show you what awonderful thing planning is!

Love to all...I'll post a quick little something when my husband callsto let me know he has her safe in the car with him...but after that, Ican't promise anything!

Hugs and love,

Rosie*

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

She'll be arriving at 4:15 Pacific time...so about an hour and a half.

WOW!! Time FLEW!! :shock:

My husband has to leave in a half-hour, and he's not even back with thefinishing touches for the cage (that I can't do myself). Eek!

It'll all work out, I know it...we both have a great ability to make thing work out right...so I'm not terribly worried...

Though I am having a hard time typing correctly...haha!

OFF I GO!!!

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

TrixieRabbit wrote:

Oh Rosie, I am SO SORRY for keeping you in suspense this morning! Ipassed out as soon as I got home, I just couldnt stay awake. I didn'tknow you wanted me to call you at 4:45am your time! I actually fellasleep thinking to myself "I have to turn on the puter so I can sendher an IM..." and the next thing I know, it was 11am and the phone wasringing.....sorry hon! Hope your heart has recovered from the shock...

DH just came in....he was all upset. Said he was makinghislunch for tomorrow and also took out a paper plate for Trixie's dailybanana and realized she wasn't here...he actually had tears in hiseyes!
I keep turning the light on in the 2nd bedroom for her....then realizing the room is empty. :sad:

I can't wait to hear if she arrived OK! Hope your hubby finds herquickly and the transfer from COnintental Cargo to Alaska Air goessmoothly....

PS: Tell your hubby I said HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :bestwishes:

 

[maherwoman]

Edited note: LOTS of replies between that lastnote and this one of people trying like HECK to figure out what's goingon...where Trixie is, etc. Hehe!!

All the time, I think I was doing last-minute things to try to distract myself so the time would go by faster...

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

Oh my gosh, guys...sorry I wasn't online to help ya'll know all that's going on!

Hehe...

Ok, her plane's arrived. My husband's at the airport, andoriginally went to the Alaskan Airlines terminal and asked around forwhere to pick her up...but since she came in on Continental, and werebringing her over from there to the Alaskan terminal, they didn'treally have any idea where he should wait (LAX is HUGE).

So, they told him that it would be another approx 45 mins before theywere able to bring her over (due to the time it takes to unload aplane), and said he might have better luck if he went over to theContinental terminal. So, as of fifteen mins ago, he was onhis way over. In finding the info online for the flight(thanks to Denise already having it up, haha), I was able to direct himto the exact terminal number (which they had guessed incorrectly whendirecting him there at the airport, so thank goodness I'd foundit!). So, last I heard, as of ten minutes ago, he was on hisway over.

I should be hearing from him soon...I'm certain all is well with our girl...but man, I'm shaking from being so nervous!!!

Any minute now, guys!!

I won't be able to post much once he gets here, but he promised to callme AS SOON AS he had her, so I could rest easy, and just be shaking inanticipation and eagerness of seeing her cute little loppyface!

You'll know as soon as I know, guys!

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

Hehe...my husband got to the Continental area, and they said that acouple of agents JUST LEFT to take her to the Alaskansection. HAHA!!

So, back he goes to the Alaskan terminal! Poor guy...hehe! :rofl:

Any minute now, guys!!!!!!

:bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

TrixieRabbit wrote:

TinysMom wrote:

Am I theonly one who find it strange that they have to use TWO agents totransport a bunny?

Are they afraid she will overpower one of them?

Peg

They were worried one of them might faint upon gazing at her sheer beauty!

HER HUBBY HAS HER! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

Ok...guys, as of about five minutes ago, my husband's got her!!!!!

:bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::colors::colors::colors::elephant::elephant::elephant:

He said she looks just fine, and that he even let her out a little bitand was petting her. He said that the ladies in the baggageclaim area were saying aww's and ooh's over how cute she is.Hehe!!

I can't wait to see her...I wish it wasn't such a long drive home!!!!

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

TrixieRabbit wrote:

I am online IM-ingRosie and I THINK her hubby just pulled into the driveway!:colors::colors::colors::colors:

 

[maherwoman]

Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2007

TrixieRabbit wrote:

The bunny has landed! :elephant:

Trixie has FINALLY arrived at her new home. Rosie asked me to updateeveryone while she gets Trixie comfy in her new home. She said sheprobably wont be able to post until tomorrow.....

The journey has ended...yet has only just begun! Let's give a round ofapplause to Trixie to being such a tropper throughout the entireordeal!
YAAAAAAAAY Trixie! Mommy loves you forever and misses you!!!!!!!!! :bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance: