From: gerard@caliban.soest.hawaii.edu (Gerard Fryer)
Subject: Re: Birds and Planes
Organization: Scum Of the Earth and Senile Tenured
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 00:43:28 GMT

In article <532.2B296C1C@kennel.FIDONET.ORG>, Stephen.Ceideburg@f20.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Stephen Ceideburg) writes:
|> 
|> NR(>Can anyone who reply to this please post also to this board. I
|> NR(>didn't realize that you could take birds on a plane with you and I
|> NR(>would be interested in finding out more about this. I will be
|> NR(>flying from OH to FL for the Christmas holidays so my boyfriend
|> NR(>will be watching my cockatiel this time. However, next year I would
|> NR(>be interested in taking her with me to FL.
|> 
|>      Several years back I flew with a pet ferret. I bought a
|>  traveller cage from the airline that fit under the seat. The
|>  carrier was United and the carrier ran about 25 bucks if I
|>  remember correctly. You might ask the airline if they can provide
|>  a carrier for your bird.
|> 

A few years ago I took my amazon from San Diego to Honolulu.  I bought
a standard under-seat traveling cage at a pet store in San Diego ($19,
almost certainly identical to what United sold Stephen, the same
thing costs $35 here in Hawaii).  Because of the bird my itinerary had
to be changed.  I had reservations on the puddle jumper (United
Express) from SAN to LAX, but that particular plane was not pressurized
and for that reason they would not allow the bird on board. So I
switched to a San Francisco flight (a 727), took the bird on and parked
her under the seat.  No problem.  Hawaii, however, are real sticklers
(quite rightly) about importing animals and I had to demonstrate to
United Airlines that I had the appropriate paperwork (Interstate animal
certificate, Hawaii importation license).  The bird was not permitted
in the cabin and had to be checked, which for some reason meant I had
to buy her her own ticket ($50 flat rate).  They took her off and put
her in some baggage compartment along with one other amazon, two dogs,
and a cat. In Honolulu she was taken directly to the USDA animal and
plant inspection station at the airport, and I had to go there to bail
her out.  She survived fine.

Strictly, you should have an interstate veterinary certificate if you
are taking any animal interstate, regardless of how you are doing it
(plane, car, etc.).  Fortunately, in the contiguous US that law is
never imposed on private owners so you can basically forget about it.
Going in and out of Hawaii, however, you have to be squeaky clean.

My bird did fine in the simple "cat box" with newspaper on the
floor.  I rigged up a food container and water dish, both of which
spilled a little on the way, but neither were empty after the five hour
flight from San Francisco.  I guess if I did it again I'd rig some
perches on the bottom of the cage rather than expect the bird to sit on
the flat floor the entire time.
-- 
Gerard Fryer                                  |  g.fryer@soest.hawaii.edu
Department of Geology & Geophysics            |
School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology  | <-punctuate that if you can
University of Hawaii at Manoa                 |
Honolulu, HI 96822-2285                       |
From: hdg@otter.hpl.hp.com (Hugh Duggan)
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 10:31:01 GMT
Subject: Small bird - long car trip?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.