I'm moving from Los Angeles to New York in a month. I travel with my rat a lot, before these new full-body scanners were installed, I just put him in my pants and none were wiser. But now I'm afraid that won't work. My plane ticket has already been purchased and Virgin (along with most other airlines) does not accept rats. (ANIMAL RACISM!) I've looked on a few pet shipping sites and the prices they ask for are ludicrous. I love my little rat and don't want to have to give him up!

You should get a friend to ship it to you

I'm sorry, but you will have to drive. It will be a very long drive but it's the only way to keep your rat without shipping him for a high price. Your family will have to bring their car to New York anyways, right? So it shouldn't actually be much of a problem. Just make sure he gets constant breaks outside of the car so that he doesn't get sick. Do some research on rat carsickness so you know the details.

You could try putting an ad on Craigslist to see if anyone is driving there who could give your rattie a ride. Airlines don't accept pet rats? That bites!