Ferry Travel from Rotterdam to Hill with Guinea Pig.

[WandaTheWanderer]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to the forum

My Sister and her family are returning to the UK from Canada and my niece is distraught at the prospect of leaving her Guinea Pig behind. My niece is Autistic and her pet is extremely important to her.

I know that this is a last resort but after many, many emails with many carriers, no airlines would allow the GP in the cabin with me (I have offered to somehow get her back here!) So the only option to get her back was via cargo and so this is how she’s traveling. In a temperature controlled space, in her favourite carrier with her little fabric bed to tuck herself away in.

She arrives into Frankfurt and I’m flying from the UK to collect her. I planned to get the train to London from Frankfurt, but have just discovered that the Euroshuttle doesn’t accept pets at all and the Eurostar doesn’t accept foot passengers. I’ve located a ferry from Rotterdam to Hull, so I’ve emailed them to ask if she can travel in a pet friendly cabin with me in her carrier.

DEFRA have confirmed for me via email that GP’s can travel freely between the EU and UK without any certification requirements, a health certificate is only required if the GP has a health issue to specify, otherwise I just need to provide an informal declaration letter from me confirming she is a pet, I don’t intend to sell her and she is in good health to travel. I spoke with a let transportation company too and they also confirmed no documents are required for GP’s.

My post is to ask if anyone has travelled this route with a piggy before, and how it worked? Or just in general, how ferry crossings went from an EU port to the UK - in particular the customs/border control part?

any advice or tips greatly appreciated for operation ‘get Wanda back to Nancy!’

Hxxx

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Wow, she is going to be a very well-travelled piggy by the time she gets re-united with your sister. I hope you can make it work!

The only time I can recollect of a piggy travelling on a ferry, is one who came to @Wiebke from the Channel Islands (hope I've got that right). I should think it's much like going by car or train on a long journey with a piggy, except for the boarding/getting off part when you'd probably want to be last in the queues to avoid jostling and excess noise etc. But customs/border control are probably different now for coming from the EU since Brexit ...

 

[Bill & Ted]

Aw, that’s so kind of you to do this for your niece.

I have no experience personally but two of my piggies used to travel a 600 mile round trip in one day so one could have dental treatment from a specialist vet. Most guinea pigs travel pretty well after there initial realisation that they are in the move. Make sure the Guinea pig has moist veggies for the journey and a cosy hide inside the travel cage so they feel safe. Also put plenty of hay inside too and a water bottle. I hope it goes really well

There has been one or two people who have travelled with guinea pigs, I’ll try and search one in particular for you. Hope it all goes well, it will be worth the effort

Travelling with guinea pigs

A post back in 2018

Our Experience Of Piggies, Europe And Aeroplanes

 

[Bill & Ted]

If you use the search box in the green bar you should see a few posts that might be helpful. Do bear in mind that the UK has left the EU so rules may have changed over the last few years

Stenaline Ferries -- Traveling with Guinea Pigs

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

I don't think that you will be allowed to take a guinea pig into a cabin with you.

The guinea pigs from Channel Islands in whose rescue I was involved on another forum over a decade ago had to travel in their carriers in a pet compartment. One of them was a 9 years old lady who amazingly survived the crossing and a several days car and train journey in stages organised by forum members taking in some of the piggies to eventually reach a then private sanctuary in Liverpool with her then 6 years old 'toy boy' husboar. The island rescue had a euthanising policy for any piggies deemed to old for rehoming at that time so we had to work out another solution in a hurry.

I can however not say what the rules and requirements are these days but I suspect that the red tape and the difficulties have unfortunately got much worse since then.

 

[Merab]

Hope everything works out for Wanda.
Your niece is lucky to have such a caring aunt