GliderCENTRAL

International Travel

Posted By: Anonymous

International Travel - 08/25/08 07:01 AM

My husband and I are talking about getting a pet.

About a year and a half ago, my female pair of gliders passed away and I have missed them deeply ever since. I brought up the possibility of getting a pair of sugar gliders as our first pets together.

My biggest issue is ... my husband is in the U.S. Air Force and we are supposed to get PCSed to a new base in a year which will likely be overseas. It could be in Japan, Europe, Germany, Italy or Australia. It could even possibly be somewhere else.

Has anyone traveled with their gliders on international flights? Does anyone have any insight on whether or not I could do this?
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 07:09 AM

I could be wrong, but I don't think gliders are allowed in base housing. Maybe it depends on the base, though? I'm not sure.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 07:10 AM

We don't live on base. We prefer to live in off-base housing.

Edit: You are right, though. Pets are not allowed on military bases.
Posted By: Sabrina

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 07:19 AM

I think that the first step would be finding out whether or not sugar gliders are legal in the country you're going to. I realize that you'd have to wait until your husband got his orders, but what if you got a pair and then ended up not being able to take them with? If they are legal, I would check with the laws of the country to see if you need to quarantine them or if they'll allow them with no quarantine period. You'd also want to check with the airline to see if they will allow them and if so, if they will allow you to carry them on. Those would be a few of my questions..
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 07:24 AM

Right and that's what I was hoping to get more insight on.

I don't want to get sugar gliders now only to find a year from now I'll have to find them a new home.

Looks like I will probably have months of research on international laws ahead of me.

I'm a stay-at-home wife whose passion lies in animals and animals alone. I badly would love to have some animal companions to share the days with me. Still, I won't take that step until I know they can move with me.

I can't get a small dog and even if I did, there's a horrendously long quarantine period to get a dog overseas. I think it's around 2 months or so.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 07:31 AM

Our family LOVES animals, too. This is why hubby decided to just stick with the National Guard instead of going full time. We would not have been able to part with members of our family.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 07:39 AM

Yeah, I met him 2 years into it. Lolz.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 02:59 PM

Also look into a quarantine (if there is one) for gliders entering all those countries...honestly I don't think many gliders would make it 2 months without regular human interaction and playtimes in a quarantine cage...I think it would be SO stressful for them it would just really be unfair.

Also consider if there are going to be vets in these areas that can treat sugar gliders.

Also consider how stressful the transport may be on the gliders if you are going on a flight that long...you will have to carefully design a carrier for them.

I hope I don't offend you, but if I was in your position, I would not consider getting gliders at this time. They are just too high maintenance to do well with a long plane journey, possible quarantine, and then, what if you need to move again for your husband's work? We have seen quite a few gliders getting rehomed recently due to military couples not being able to keep them frown I just don't feel it's fair to the glider.

Now, being a fellow animal lover, I can understand wanting to have an animal! I would go for a dog, a cat, even a ferret, something that 1) most vets, even those overseas, would know how to treat, 2) would do better with the flight and quarantine than the gliders 3) would be allowed in more housing situations, 4) if you HAVE to rehome this animal, it would probably do better than a glider would.

Wishing you the best of luck in whatever you decide hug2
Posted By: hipbchik

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 03:04 PM

The quarantine for gliders will be the same if not longer...I think Peri (Winkle) said it was something like 6 months in Australia, but I'm pretty sure you can not even take our gliders over there as there is a chance of "contaminating" the gene pool of their indigenous gliders. You could probably PM her for details.

When we moved to Japan on PCS Orders, we were able to take our cat with us, but the quarantine was 60 days. It was horribly frustrating, but the reunion was AWESOME!

You should be able to contact the Family Ombudsman at each base you may be travelling to for the information you need. It will considerably shorten your research time as no one knows Military info and base restrictions along with country specific information better than the Ombudsman.

Good luck to you!
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 05:25 PM

After looking it over last night it seems you guys are right and I told my husband that this morning.

No flights even want to carry gliders and overseas travel would be extremely stressful for everyone involved. Plus, a glider is not a dog or cat [neither of which I can get and my husband hates ferrets] and I have no idea how the people working quarantine would feed them for 2 months.

It's just not in the cards for me. *sigh*

Thanks, guys.
Posted By: hipbchik

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 05:40 PM

I'm sorry...Maybe you'll luck out & he'll get stateside orders again & you can get gliders after all!
Posted By: Sabrina

Re: International Travel - 08/25/08 08:16 PM

You don't have to give up on owning them. If your heart is really set on having a pair, do all of the research on them that you can and after you move see of you can find a pair in the country you move to. I know that I've seen people on this board from all over the world, so you wouldn't necessarily have to get them from the U.S. The only problem would be getting them back to the U.S. if your husbands order's change.

As far as airlines, I saw a post a while back about an airline that will accept gliders, I just can't find it.
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