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[amber]

Hello everyone,
I just found out I'll be moving to Japan from the US sometime within the next 6 months. I have 2 male chinchillas that I would love to bring with me but I wanted to get other chin owner's opinions. Do you think the flight would be too stressful for them (it's around 14 hours)? I am already planning on taking my senior rabbit in cabin with me, so the chins would have to go in the pet hold area (pressure and temp controlled). They are allowed to be in the same pet carrier.
My biggest concern is the issue of cruelty vs kindness. Would it be less stressful for them to be re-homed  or is taking them with me the better option? I am Chinchi's 3rd owner and Lingling's only owner. They're healthy and happy, but certainly more bonded to each other than they are to me. I am so scared of giving them to a new family that would loose interest or not care for them so well. If re-homing is the best option, I still have a lot of time to find the perfect match.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Thanks!

[GrayRodent]

What are the rules for quarantines in Japan?

[mb30]

What airline are you using? I will need to take my chin back to the states with me from the uk when the time comes. Im having a difficult time finding any informatin at all. I tried calling british airways but its nearly impossible to talk to an actualhuman.

[amber]

Thankfully, the Chins don't even have to be quarantined (the rabbit does). We just need international vet certificates which the vet I see can do.

I haven't bought tickets yet, but I believe AA lets you fly chinchillas. I have a list somewhere of airlines and their policies but I can't find it at the moment.

[GrayRodent]

The biggest threat to a chinchilla's health is when they are being transported between the plane and the terminal. If that is not air conditioned it can be a problem if the outside temperature is much above 60 (cause the vehicle or container will much get hotter inside if not air conditioned). I know that sometimes they transport animals in air conditioned vans. There is a possibility that the other animals in the cargo hold can be noisy and cause stress to the animals. Some airlines in the past have allowed small pets to be carry on luggage but that might be hard to do with two chins. That's about all I know. I've never had to take an animal on a plane before.

[Nordic Angoras!]

I have taken chinchillas to airoplain twice, but the routes was within Europe, so the regulations was easyer. Just to book airplaintickets in advance for the animals and I could have them in side the cabin. Aircompany was Finnair. There is several aircompanies that do not take animals omboard.

I have also started to look on what is the regulations when taking chinchillas to "outside world" from Europe, then the system gets really messy I think... so many regulations and paperwork. 

[mb30]

It seems to be quit difficult to find any straight answers when looking into international transport. Worst case scenario is i find a new home for my chin when the time comes but i really do not want to do that.