Victoria Harris wrote:
>Surely something can be done about these people, i would have thought it
>very inhumane to do something as rediculous as actually Ship a live animal
>to someone's home.
 
I guess you don't travel very much.  How is shipping an animal any worse
than you traveling?
 
Oh..you mean, you believe that pap about cold, unpressurized cargo holds?
Victoria, I have been shipping ferrets for over 4 years now, with no
problems.  There are people all over the United States that have received
ferrets from me, **ALL** in good condition.  Cargo holds are fully
temperature stabilized and pressurized, this is an FAA mandate.  If there
are animals onboard, they are also lighted.
 
On one occasion, I had to reroute some ferrets to El Paso, Texas, because
the scheduled plane's cargo compartment's temperature control was
broken...the plane had to fly without any cargo in that compartment,
which just happened to be the animal hold as well......
 
It may be hard to believe, but...shipping ferrets is not the issue at
hand.  In this case, the issue is the sales of ferrets, via the internet,
to unknown buyers.
 
Jane Langdon asked the FML, "Is shipping ferrets legal?", and stated it
certainly wasn't moral.
 
Yes, it is....why would it be illegal?  And, what, pray tell, is immoral
about shipping an animal?  Thousands of animal a year are shipped via the
airlines...I sure haven't heard "It isn't moral" used before.  My
curiosity is piqued!
 
Debbie Bassaraba wrote:
>Has anyone out there used Delta Dash to transport a ferret from one place
>to another?  I called Delta and they said they have moved ferrets before
>with no problem.  I just need to know and fairly quickly... is it safe...?
 
Debbie, you bet it is!  And Delta's DASH service is one of the best.
 
Just a word of caution: Make sure you use an airline approved carrier for
your brat.  All the major pet stores carry them..ie: PetCo, PetSmart, etc.
Do NOT seal the carrier before taking it to the shipping counter...the
insides of the carrier will need to be hand inspected by the cargo
folks... this is an FAA/FBI mandate..no exceptions.....
 
Make sure you buy an inexpensive hammock and put that in the carrier for
the beastie to sleep on...the best recently to come out for this is the
hammock that has the pocket in it for the ferret to climb into!  Just make
sure you hang it high enough so that it doesn't hit bottom with any weight
in it.  That way, the ferret will remain 'dirt' free.
 
If I may, I send this info along when need arises...to make a pleasant,
and relatively clean trip, there are several things you can do to the
carrier.
 
Water and food in the enclosure are also a mandate from the FAA.  To
prevent a major mess, here is what you can do:
 
Go buy 4 tubs of cottage cheese.  Empty the tubs and clean thoroughly.
Take one, fill with water and freeze.  Take two of the lids and cut a hole
in them that is slightly larger than the head of the ferret being shipped.
(He should be able to get his head in past the ears and out again without
major resistance.)  Do NOT make the hole too big!
 
Then, take two empty tubs and hot glue them close to the front of the
cage.  Again, FAA mandate states that the airline cargo people must be
able to give water and food to the animal without opening the enclosure,
should the need arise.  (I also put in a couple of pop rivets to double
secure them)
 
Then, when it is time to ship, fill an empty tub with food, put the lid
with the hole in it on securely, and drop it into one of the tubs you
previously installed in the carrier.  Now take that tub now filled with
ice, put the other lid with a hole on it securely and plop that into the
remaining tub.
 
The ferret will lick the ice for liquids and it should last 8 hours.  The
food in the other tub remains contained.
 
I use shredded newspaper for the floor of the container...lots of it, to
absorb any spills, liquids, and poop.
 
Hope this helps!  (Another very good airline for animal shipping is
Continental Airlines with their counter to counter animal service.)
Delta's DASH is still my choice, even though it IS more expensive.
 
For Our Ferrets!
 
MC, The Rude One
(With Snorkle, Tuzigoot, Bancho, and Artemus.  In spirit, Bubba,
Billy-Bob, and Garret)
[Posted in FML issue 3596]