Shipping Rabbits
Shipping live animals is expensive these days, with prices going up even more since Covid began. Ellie's Rabbitry does not personally ship animals. It is ultimately up to the customer to work with a third-party shipper to get your bunny from Ellie's Rabbitry in Cynthiana, KY to your location, but we are happy to help you through the processes. Below are a few methods of shipping that past customers have used that have worked great. Hundreds of our bunnies have been shipped via air and car all over the country from California and Washington to Florida and New York! Bunnies typically do very well being transported as long as they are shipped in proper crates and kept in a comfortable temperature. We do not ship bunnies out of the United States at this time.
It is required that any bunny being shipped be taken to our vet to be approved for transport. This visit includes a signed
health certificate and costs $85. This gives you peace of mind and proves that a healthy bunny left our rabbitry. It can also help you prove the health of the animal if any unexpected unfortunate event happens while in the possession of the shipper. There is ALWAYS a risk when any animal is being shipped from negligence of a shipper to stress relates illness. This is incredibly rare, which is why we are still comfortable with shipping our bunnies. Even though the below methods of transportation is recommended by us, it is still important to talk to the shipper if you choose to use car travel to ensure you feel comfortable with the person that will be responsible for your rabbit for an extended amount of time. Shipping rabbits is at the customer's own risk. We always prefer bunnies to be picked up in person but know that picking up in person is not always realistic due to distance.
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Once your bunny leaves our possession at Ellie's Rabbitry, we are no longer responsible for anything that may happen to your rabbit. Any issues that may arise must be worked out between you and the transporter of your choice. When the transporter leaves with your rabbit, the sale is final. Our health warranty listed in our sales agreement DOES NOT APPLY when shipping rabbits with a third party. It only applies to those who come and pick their bunnies up in person because we cannot be held responsible for a third parties' possible bad actions/negligence. When bunnies leave our rabbitry, they are healthy and leave in a safe and comfortable crate with all the necessary food/supplies they will need for their journey. We cannot take responsibility for illness/injury or death once the bunny leaves our possession. We are not responsible for any monetary loss in shipping if the bunny does not reach its final destination.
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At this time, VIP Logistics is our only recommended Transporter. Please also see U-ship as a reliable option. ​
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1. Chris Rutherford with VIP Logistics
Phone: 404-824-6783
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Transportation via U-Ship
U-ship can be used year-round. The easiest way to describe U-ship is it's like Uber for animals and other things like furniture and appliances. The people that transport animals typically stick to animals and specialize in it, so your rabbit is in good hands. Independent transporters use the U-ship platform to find jobs. Because they are independent and work for themselves, their prices all vary. You can request a quote on the U-Ship website, and it will give you an idea of what would be a good quote, fair quote or high quote. That way, when you place a bid for transport, you will know if the transporters are quoting you a good deal or not. You will not always get a bid from a transporter that is a good deal, it will typically reflect the cost of a fair deal that you saw when getting a quote.
Below is a link to U-Ship's animal transport page. Click the link below and you can fill in some info and get a quote. When filling out the info to get a quote, you will notice they do not have a rabbit shipping option, so use the cat shipping option as it works the same. You will need to e-mail me for my address to get an accurate quote.
My e-mail is: elliesrabbitry@yahoo.com
If you decide to use U-ship, when filling out information to create an account you will see a section on animal vaccinations. There are no vaccinations or rabies shots for rabbits. You can either check yes to all or leave blank. When corresponding with the independent transporter you choose to use through U-ship, let them know that rabbits to not have vaccinations if they ask.
Once an account is created you will place a bid, which is basically an advertisement that will be seen by all the transporters. Your bid can say something like... Needing a rabbit transported from Cynthiana KY to ________. It is best to do a date range of a week or two so you have the best chance of fitting in several transporters schedules and will attract more bids. They are typically doing a route and picking up and delivering several animals on their trip. It may take a week or two to find a transporter with a reasonable rate going the right direction, so don't panic if you do not find one in just a couple of days. This process seems complicated, but their website is great and very user friendly!
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https://www.uship.com/ship/animals