Vacations w/Ferrets: Flying? Driving?

Question
Hello Jacquie,

This coming summer my boyfriend and I will be working at an internship very far from home. We (of course) want our two babies with us and would like to know how safe it is to have them fly with us on a pet-friendly airline as carry-on items for a 2-3 hour flight. What do you recommend I do to make sure they are comfortable for the duration of the flight? Would it be better to drive?

Thank you so much for your time!
Tahnee

Answer
Hi Tahnee:

I have flown cross-country with a ferret several times and really enjoyed the trip!  Ferrets are GREAT little travelers who require very little care with some advance preparation.  You do have to anticipate their needs ahead of time, though, because the things you will need you *must* take with you. Little tips like giving your ferret ONLY bottled water, from the time you leave home until you come back home, so they don't get diarrhea from drinking strange water during the trip can make a big difference.

I think it's great that you want to take the babies with you! If you are in the United States, only one airline permits ferrets in the passenger area. Delta Airlines will allow TWO pets per flight - on a first-comeo first-serve basis.  In other words, if you and your husband each take one ferret in a carrier and get on the same plane, you should check in very very early for your flight to be sure that you are both able to board with the ferrets.  There will be a charge. The last time I had to pay a child's fare (and the ferret doesn't even get a seat! LOL) and they do not even guarantee you will get on a flight unless you are the first to arrive, so do beware of that.  There are hard-sided plastic pet carriers with metal bar tops so you can see inside and access the ferret. I took a baggie of kibble and a little bottle of water in my purse so the ferret didn't spill anything in the carrier. I put a soft blankie (enough to be cushy & cover up with too; or less in summertime) in the carrier so he could nap if he chose to.  I also fashioned a teeny litterbox out of a cut-out corner of an old plastic dishpan and attached it permanently to the bottom of the carrier with Liquid Nails. The 'litterbox' was probably 3"x3" - that idea worked out great. I didn't put litter in it, as it made it easier to immediately clean up potty messes. My ferret is really good with the litterbox tho, so you might want to try a trial run with your ferret beforehand and make sure he understands its a litterbox before you set out for an all-day trip with no litter in the litterbox.  As soon as the ferret would use it, I would take a couple tissues from my purse, open the top of the cage and remove the poops and toss them in the trash (or into a ziplock baggie I had in my purse for in-flight poops). That way neither I nor others around us had to smell anything strange during the flight or while waiting in the terminals.

I did take my ferrets harness and leash. In between flights we had a long layover in an airport. I found a gate that wasn't being used and allowed my ferret to get down and walk about and stretch his legs, which he appreciated. Food & water were kept in my purse and hand-fed off and on throughout the day.  Once the flight got in the air, I actually sneaked my ferret out of his cage and he napped on my lap until it was time to land.  The little old lady in the seat next to me said as she was about to exit the plane: "When I first saw that little furry thing, I almost asked to have a different seat assignment. Once we got in the air and I heard that baby back there crying (for almost the whole flight!), I was really glad to be sitting here by you and your sweet little ferret!"  :-)    So, always remember when you have your ferret in a public place, you are an ambassador for ferrets and ferret owners everywhere.

The trickiest part about traveling with a ferret for me was how/when to get the ferret's *regular* cage to and from our destination. What I ended up doing was buying a ferret playpen (the wire panel kind) and I used that here at the house so I could ship the cage to our destination about a week before we took our airline trip.  Then, of course the ferret needed the cage until the day we left there coming back this way again. I was able to collapse it and take it as cargo on the plane on the way back home. The playpen is a great thing to have when traveling tho - if I had to choose, I'd choose it over a cage (unless of course you have a dog or cats that would go over the top that you have concerns about).

Another thing I took onboard with us was a front pack carrier. I have a little denim one with flannel lining that's just soft and not bulky. When I felt he was tired of being in the tiny carrier, I would quietly slip him out of the carrier and into the front pack, where he would rest quietly and calm right down.  Just a few little secrets like this will make the trip very pleasant, even fun(!), and the time will pass quickly.  This is probably as good a place as any to mention also that you need to be very careful in and around the airport that you don't ever leave your ferret unattended; and be sure that your ferrets carrier is well marked with contact information that is valid WHILE YOU ARE TRAVELING (tricky).

I took a little dropper bottle with Ferretone in it, as I was unsure whether the altitude change may cause any ear discomfort as it sometimes does in babies and small children. I never noticed the ferret acting as if he was uncomfortable, but I did give him a few licks of Ferretone when my ears were popping just in case. If your ferret likes N-Bones or Cheweasels, those would probably be good things to take along too.  A small stuffed animal and ball with a bell in the carrier helped make the carrier a fun place for him to spend a good part of the day surrounded by familiar comforts from home.

If you do decide to drive, of course you will probably take them in their own big cage and you will take all their 'stuff' with them, so you won't have to plan with baggies and all that.  Either way - driving OR flying - BE SURE your ferrets have had their RABIES VACCINATIONS and DISTEMPER SHOTS at least a month before you leave. If you fly, you will have to show the paperwork when you board. Check with Humane Society officials in the city you are going to and be sure ferrets are legal there, and ask if they need to be licensed. Don't forget to take a COPY of your pets' vet records with you too - you never know when a medical problem would come up and you may need to know their past history.

It won't matter to the ferrets whether you fly or drive. They are so very flexible - whichever is best for you will be just fine with them. Do check on the cost of flying with them. Don't forget the cost of the carriers, their vaccinations, etc.  Check and double-check your list of items 'to take' before you leave, then just go and enjoy!  What I have found with my kids is that the ONLY time they get fidgety when I'm holding them in public is when they have to go potty. If I find a place and let them potty (even if it's a corner somewhere & I can blot it up with kleenexes when they are finished), they instantly are content again with me holding them, taking them along wherever I go.

Hopefully this information will help you decide whether it will be easier for you to drive or fly. Flying with a ferret really was fun and he really was no trouble at all. You know your ferrets, tho. If they are young and very energetic, you may want to wear them out a bit before putting them in a small carrier for hours and hours in an airport terminal/on a plane.  If your ferrets are older, they should be quite happy to rest quietly and people watch at the airport - that's what my kids loved to do. I strongly urge you to NOT allow anyone to touch or pet your ferrets. No matter how well you know your ferrets, that will NOT be a *normal* day for them, so please don't even take one small chance that they could bite someone. I told people (and it's true too) that ferrets catch viruses from people (such as flu) and I didn't want him to get sick from people touching him. Usually people don't push too hard once you say "I'm sorry, but I just don't like other people to handle him because I don't want him to get sick."

Enjoy, whatever you decide - and don't forget to plan ahead....read and re-read and I probably have even left some things out (no doubt). It was several years ago the last time I took my kids across country.   Oh.....one thing I DID forget to tell you...the night before you fly - give the ferrets a bath in Johnson's & Johnson's Baby Shampoo. Lather, rinse TWICE. Rinse really well. Clean your ferrets ears with Q-tips and baby oil because a lot of odors hide in there too.  Be sure the blankie in the carrier is CLEAN and there should be NO ODOR to your ferret when you board the plane the next day :-)

Enjoy!

Jacquie Rodgers