Moving rats across a country to another country

Hello everyone!

This coming September I am going to be moving from Ontario to the US (Specifically, Oregon). I am currently in the process of deciding A) whether it is fair to my rats to move them such a far distance, B) if it is possible to move them from Canada to Oregon, and C) how I am going to get them there.

If I have to fly to Oregon, I don't know that is fair to bring my rats with me. As far as I know (and by this I mean I have been doing research) most airlines do not allow rats and

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If I have to fly to Oregon, I don't know that is fair to bring my rats with me. As far as I know (and by this I mean I have been doing research) most airlines do not allow rats and – the ones that do – only allow them to travel via cargo. I have heard horror stories about the treatment of animals in the cargo (i.e., there is no temperature regulation, they are often mishandled or misplaced). Furthermore, my rats often have bad myco flair-ups, which are more likely to happen if they are stressed (which they would be in the cargo). Because of this, I was planning to drive to Oregon. I just worry, though, that I will have trouble bringing my rats across the border. I have also heard that not all states allow you to have rats as pets –am I allowed to drive through a state that does not allow rats as pets? (I will personally have to do more research about what states allow pets and so on).

I definitely do not want to leave my rats behind – they are almost two, and the one often takes a long time to warm up to strangers. I have a couple friends who currently own rats, so if I decide to not bring them with me (which will be a last resort decision), they would be left with someone who would love them.

So, I guess I am wondering if anyone else on here has had experience traveling long distances/over the border with rats, and if anyone has any suggestions concerning what I should do. Also note that I have contacted a few companies who only ship pets -- they told me that the route I would be sending my rats on would be way more expensive than bringing the rats to Oregon via Air Canada (AC also only allows rats in the cargo), and strongly suggested (because the price would be so high), that I find another way of getting them there.

I will leave it to others to deal with the more specific issues, but I do know that you should not take them into Alberta. It is illegal to own rats there, and it is the only place in the world that is officially rat free (no reports of wild rats in the past few years even). If you are caught with pet rats in Alberta they will immediately take them from you. So, plan to cross the border before you get to that province and drive the rest of the way in the US.

I drove my rats from Indiana to Colorado (over 1000 miles!) and they were fine. We just didn't mention them when booking hotels and kept our "Do Not Disturb" sign up. No problems at all. They slept most of the way. If you're driving through the US I don't think any states have rules on pet rats. If they do, the chance of anyone caring is slim.

It is a good idea to have a vet check up and a letter from the vet. Letter should say what type of rats they are, state that they are not African pouched rats, and that they are healthy. I have an email from US gov. that I can send you.

People have taken rats across the border into the USA without this but when taking rescues across the NB/US border the Americans would not allow my pets to enter without this info.
If you only have a couple of rats you may not have a problem. They tend to hassle US citizens less then Canadians.

I don't think you will have any problems driving in the U.S. with your pet rats as far as I know. I live in California which has a lot of restrictions on what kind of animals are legal pets and rats are just fine. Here's a bit of info from the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/bringinganimaltous.html
I agree that you should probably have a bit of paperwork for them from your vet stating they are healthy just in case. If you have any kind of paperwork stating where you got them (i.e. receipt from pet store or shelter or rescue) it may come in handy too, but may not be necessary. I've thought about this as well as I will probably be moving in about a year but in a different direction as you. I'm from the U.S. and thinking of driving to what will be my new home in Mexico. If I move I'd be taking my pet rats with me, so I've been doing lots of research but will be interested if anyone has any other experiences moving long distances with their rats.

You need to call the border that you are crossing at and ask what they require to have the pets cross the border. You may also have to have a vet appointment set up at the border so they can be inspected before being able to cross.

I've crossed the border with dogs, cats, rats and hedgehogs. I've always needed vet certificates, owner paperwork and vet appointments at the border. You do have to pay for the vet check up, so prepare for that. So once you figure out where you'd be crossing, call and ask exactly what they need for pet rats to cross.