flying to Japan

Question
My husband and I are PCSing to Japan in the beginning of February, we have two wonderful ferrets, Trouble and Mischief and want to take them as they are part of our family. We have hit a problem, we can't find an airline that will allow us to carry them in the cabin or take them as cargo. We haven't been able to find out how to get them to Japan and are really worried about it. Any information you have about getting them overseas would be wonderful, as we are on a time crunch.

Thanks,
Amber, Trouble and Mischief

Answer
Hello Amber, Trouble and Mischief,

One of the reasons you may be running in to trouble is that (according to the reading I've done on it) people aren't allowed to just bring a ferret into Japan (unless they lived there before). I am not sure exactly how it goes. I think you are probably going to be looking at some quarantine periods for your little ones and definitely have them up to date on their shots and have those records for them.

I think, at this point, your best bet is to talk to someone at the American Consulate in Japan and see if there is a way to get those little guys in with you. After you get that settled, you can worry about airlines! Maybe someone at the American Consulate can help you out with that, too.

Here is a link to the Consulate:
http://nagoya.usconsulate.gov/

And here is a link to the Embassy just in case you don't find what you're looking for with the Consulate (although, I think you will):
http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/


I really hope this is helpful and if you have any further questions, concerns or you need clarification on anything, please feel free to ask!

Good luck in Japan!
Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews