# Moving to Germany from US



## Trollzilla

I haven't seen any specific posts about this, but I'm hoping to get some info. 

We are moving to Germany for 3 years, are willing to do just about anything to take our 2 hedgies with us. From what I found in German sites, hedgies are allowed there, and I've also found that bringing them back to the US from Germany won't be an issue either. 

The part that I am most concerned about is getting them there. Of course we would love to have them in the cabin with us if possible. We'll be traveling in December so I'd definitely feel most comfortable having them on board with me. Does anyone know if any airlines allow this? 

Any info regarding the transport and/or the move in general would be super helpful! I plan on contacting the Consulate and USDA, but it'd be nice to have a general idea before I do that so I can ask the right questions. 

Money is not really an issue. We want our babies with us.


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## nikki

The best thing to do is start calling all the airlines you might use and talk to them. Regulations change and they will have the most up to date information. You will also have to contact customs and border control in Germany to make sure what their requirements are. Just because hedgehogs are allowed there doesn't mean they can be imported and they may still need to be quaranteened.


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## Trollzilla

No quarantine required but I did read something about rabies vaccination. They don't give rabies shots to hedgies, do they?


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## Draenog

Do you speak German yet? Germany is probably one of the countries in Europe where hedgehogs are most popular, and they have quite a large community which might be able to give you some info as well. 

For transport I'd contact the airlines. I would call the instances in Germany to ask if you need a rabies vaccine. It might not be necessary but you'd probably need some form of medical papers either way.

And be aware of the differences in care between the US and Germany, so don't be surprised or offended if people don't react very positively if you're planning on keeping your hogs the same way as you likely do now (for example things like fleece liners, tub housing and bathing with water is viewed as not done by a lot of people).


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## Trollzilla

Draenog said:


> Do you speak German yet? Germany is probably one of the countries in Europe where hedgehogs are most popular, and they have quite a large community which might be able to give you some info as well.
> 
> For transport I'd contact the airlines. I would call the instances in Germany to ask if you need a rabies vaccine. It might not be necessary but you'd probably need some form of medical papers either way.
> 
> And be aware of the differences in care between the US and Germany, so don't be surprised or offended if people don't react very positively if you're planning on keeping your hogs the same way as you likely do now (for example things like fleece liners, tub housing and bathing with water is viewed as not done by a lot of people).


I'm originally from Czechland so I mainly know Czech, but I know enough German to get around still, but probably not around a German hedgehog forum haha. I'm glad they're popular there though, because it will hopefully make the process of moving them over there smoother. Do you know anything about the EU pet passport? We'll be traveling a lot between Germany and Czech so I wanna do it right. We'll mainly be traveling back and forth with our dog, but we'd potentially take the pricklies with us on longer trips.

I do remember reading a post about the differences in hedge keeping between US and Germany, so I was thinking about all that already. I'm probably just gonna try to not get myself into a situation where husbandry might come up. Or I'll try to find middle ground. Bottom line, as long as my hedges are happy and healthy, that's all that matters. I'll just be grateful to have them with me.

Thanks!


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## nikki

You will also need to find out what the requirements are to bring him back to the US later.


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## eloisecupcake

Going back to the US shouldn't be a problem but they may need to be quarantined entering the EU. I posted about how I brought my hedgehog from the UK to the US in cabin:

http://http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/15-travel/173794-i-flew-my-hedgehog-cabin-me-uk-us-here-how.html


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## nikki

Hedgehog Central does not condone using illegal means to transport an animal or lying on documents. This is not a good idea because if caught it could lead to no animals being allowed in the cabin of airplanes.


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## Trollzilla

Okay panic mode is setting in... no airline seems to allow hedgies in cabin, but to make things even more complicated, we are only authorized to use military flights (which only allow cats and dogs) or United... united?s PetSafe people told me that both hedgies and our leopard gecko could travel in cargo. But I?m scared. We?d probably drive to the east coast to make sure that we?re only on one flight with no layovers, but I?m still nervous about them flying in cargo. We do have a dog that may potentially fly in cargo too. Does anyone have any experience with United?s PetSafe service for any kind of pet?


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## Draenog

I have heard a lot of bad things about United's PetSafe service. The internet is full of them.

What about a shipping company just for shipping animals? There's various reptile shipping companies which ship from the US to the EU or the other way around, they do it professionally and they have experience with sensitive exotics. Maybe they'd ship hedgehogs too?
Edit: I think Dutch Dragon Import is widely regarded as having a solid reputation and the reviews on their FB page look good. I haven't used them personally but I know they're quite a big name.


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## Trollzilla

I read many horror stories about United?s PetSafe too, but they all seem to be related to traveling in hot temperatures. We?re traveling in the winter so I figured I can always add extra blankets. I got a direct flight from the states to Europe and I will be that person who?s constantly asking about my babies and where they?re at. Unfortunately they were the only airline that allowed them and that I could get a direct flight with. I?ve looked into shipping companies but they only always answered with info regarding my dog, but never acknowledged the Hedgehogs. I?ve also looked into a few reptile shipping companies but didn?t find anything useful. One other thing I was told is that I have to accompany the Hedgehogs when entering Germany. I?m gonna look into the company you recommended for sure. Thank you!


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## Ms. Bee

Just as an FYI to anyone looking at this thread, I contacted Dutch Dragon regarding importing Sebastian to the Netherlands this summer, and sadly they only transport reptiles.


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## Trollzilla

Here’s an update for anyone who ends up in a similar situation...

We made it across the ocean without any issues! I bought 2 cloth type carriers for small animals and put a T-shirt and a beanie with mine/hubby’s scent in each along with pieces of fleece. Then I put the 2 carriers inside a small airline-required cat carrier so each hedgie would have their own space without having to pay double. They both had access to water and food. This set up seemed to work well for them because neither one seemed too distressed once I picked them up. I had called United’s petsafe desk prior to the flight asking if this set up was okay and they said no, but I decided to risk in anyway for the hedgehogs’ safety because I really didn’t feel comfortable leaving them loose in a big space, even if they each had their own cat carrier. When I dropped them off at the pet safe desk before the flight I asked about the set up and they had no issues then. 

Even though Germany didn’t require any paperwork for them, we got them a health certificate from a vet a week before the flight just to be on the safe side. Once in Germany, customs went smoothly (aside from figuring out where to pick them up once we landed). 

It was a huge relief to hear the usual huffs and puffs when i picked them up from customs lol


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## Ms. Bee

I'm so glad to hear the trip went well! I would still love to have Sebastian in the cabin with us, but good to know that cargo worked out. We'll likely be flying KLM, which seems to have a good reputation for animal cargo, so hopefully that works in our favour.

Did you have any hand warmers or other heating source in your kennel set up?


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## Trollzilla

I didn’t put any in the carrier because I didn’t want them to get too hot but i had reptile shipping heat packs ready for when I picked them up. But it was warm in Texas when we left. If it’s cold when you’re flying out, maybe the heat pack would be better...


KLM is my favorite airline overall. They’re good at everything from my experience


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