Taking hamsters on a plane

Peanut84 · 01-23-2015, 03:04 PM

Hi guys!
I know I haven't posted in a while, I've been away over Christmas and really busy after. So I most likely will be moving in the next three month from the UK to Germany and I would like to take my hamsters with me. I know it's a while off but I just want to have time to plan everything. If anyone has experiences of flying with hamsters I would be really glad for any tips.
So I have a few questions:
1. Do you think it would be ok for them to go on a plane or would it be better to rehome them? I really would prefer to take them, but if it is unlikely that they will survive the trip, I would do what's best for them of course. The thing I am a bit worried about is that there is no direct flight, so i have to change fights ones.
2. Are there any airlines that let you take your hamster with you in the cabin?
3. how should I prepare the cage? I have one mini duna I use as a travel cage and a real travel cage, that's quite small. Since there are two (dwarfs) is it better to get a second mini duna or a second travel cage or would both be ok?

I'm thankful for any advice. I know flying with hamsters isn't ideal, but I really love my little ones and would prefer not to leave them.

barley · 01-23-2015, 03:26 PM

I work for a pet shipping company in the UK. We categorically refuse to export hamsters.

On the two separate occasions we agreed to it - once to Italy and once to the USA - the hamster sadly died in transit or within 24 hours after arrival, due to stress.

If you still decide to go ahead and export your hamsters, they will have to go in the cargo hold, they cannot travel in the passenger cabin. You will not be able to use a regular hamster cage such as Mini Duna as their travel cage - they'll need to use a very small cargo crate. Around the size of a shoe box, usually made from wood.

I extremely STRONGLY advise that you do NOT attempt to send your hamster via air.

kittokitty · 01-23-2015, 03:49 PM

This might sound a bit weird, but have you considered driving? If I am not mistaken, there is a huge road to France and you might be able to drive from France to Germany. It would probably take WAY longer though.

SinNyx · 01-23-2015, 04:11 PM

I've done the drive from the UK to Holland a few times, and I know that a lot of people do take hamsters too, due to there being hamster shows in the UK and Holland/Germany that breeders go to.

I wouldn't recommend flying with a hamster if I'm honest. It is a short plane journey, but for a little animal it may push them over the edge.

RubyDG · 01-23-2015, 04:23 PM

If you really want your hamsters with you (which I personally would) then your best option is going to be to do it by hire car and take it easy. I would look for advice on how to best transport hamsters by car from people who have done it before. It may also be worthwhile leaving your hamsters with a friend or relative while you get yourself set up in Germany first, even if it takes a month or two, so that when you arrive they can settle in straight away.

Peanut84 · 01-23-2015, 04:35 PM

Thanks for all the advice.
I'm not a very experienced driver, so I would not feel comfortable driving this way. There is a bus, but it takes over 24 hours, I don't think that would be good.
I wonder if there is any other way to get the hamsters to Germany, I thought breeders sometimes transport hamsters quite a long way, but maybe they just drive.
I know it's stupid, but it's really hard to imagine to leave my little ones with someone else.

kittokitty · 01-23-2015, 06:10 PM

You could get a friend relative to drive the hamsters if anyone is willing

Peanut84 · 01-24-2015, 04:15 AM

It's a good idea, but to be honest, I don't think any of my friends or relatives would drive such a long way just for my hamsters (unfortunately I'm the only hamster crazy person I know)

Pebbles82 · 01-24-2015, 04:43 AM

I was also going to suggest driving. I know you say you are not a very experienced driver and I was terrified the first time I went abroad on my own by car - but it really is very easy! I was only scared before setting off, once on the ferry I relaxed and it was really quite fun and exciting by the time I drove off at the other end. You just need a plan. In fact the roads in France and Germany are absolutely brilliant and much better than here. The motorways are very very good and in France there are loads of motorway services, one after the other - you can pull over virtually every 20 minutes if necessary. On top of that, it is not like here where there are lots of complicated lanes and roundabouts to get to the services - it's just like a layby - you just pull off and park up. And the restaurants at these laybys are amazing!

Motorways are a piece of cake. Once you are on them you can't go the wrong way or end up on the wrong side of the road. Other than that, when you get off the ferry you just make sure you are on the right instead of the left (which is easy because you just follow the other cars!) and then just follow the other cars. Signposting is excellent.

It is also a huge confidence booster after you have done it. And you can take your time. I drove across France to the far end of Italy and back. The motorways in France are so good you can drive from north to south in a day - although I chose to do it in two days and take my time.

What you could do is - leave your hamsters with someone while you move. Do the journey by car. Then go back and drive them over - you will have done the journey once already and have less to think about, having done the move.

You could even fly back and hire a care that has plenty of space to fit things in how you want, although personally I'd rather do it in my own car, as I found that having my own car with me immediately made everything feel familiar when driving abroad.

How old are your hamsters by the way? That might be another consideration.

Whereabouts do you live? For example I know that there are ferries that go from Hull to Rotterdam which cuts out some of the driving at the start and it is not that far to Germany from Rotterdam. Which part of Germany is it? The ferries from Hull to Rotterdam are overnight ones though, so you may not want to have your hammies on the boat that long, especially overnight when they are active.

Dover to Calais would be the quickest route by ferry, taking about 90 minutes, and probably the cheapest too. The route from Calais is very simple. You go straight onto the E34 motorway, which becomes the E40 motorway past Antwerp (missing out all town driving) and Calais to Dusseldorf takes about 3 hours 50 minutes. German motorways are supposed to be some of the best in the world. Wide and well serviced.

It's only Europe at the end of the day. No need to even get out of your car. But it's quite nice stopping at the service stations!

The timing is what would take some planning too, as sometimes it can take longer to get to Dover than to drive halfway across France.

It would probably mean a very early start and a ferry crossing the same day and then driving to your destination the same day. A long day, but you could have plenty of breaks and your hammies would probably sleep in a carrier during the day most of the time.

Peanut84 · 01-24-2015, 05:05 AM

It's from Newcastle to Berlin. Ok, maybe I should have been a bit more clear about the driving. I have not driven a car in six years and before that I did not drive on a regular basis either, only short distances, so I really think driving is not an option. I could take the ferry to Amsterdam and a bus from there, but it is still a long journey, so I'm not sure how stressful that would be for the hamster.