I think the rideshare idea needs a mother. I am willing to coordinate 'passage'....it will take me a few days to clean off my email computer and install some webpage building software; and I will post info on my private website on my ISP. Who has gerbils: I need address (email) and physical location (i.e., Dallas, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa, Bangor, Maine; Toronto, Ontario) and what is available. If anyone is then willing to transport; they email with city of departure and city of arrival, and day(s) of travel. I can look up and add cities along the way (we are talking probably driving right through said burg) and if anyone is then looking for an animal, they can double check the route cities and date, after the one doing the trip approves that they will stop on that list. We should also work it so that the transporter isn't spending an extra three days with seventeen stops; one to three is more reasonable (in a 1000 mile trip I would be willing to make three along the way stops if I volunteered to do transport). It is suggested that the transporter be paid a few dollars an animal, equivalent to detour and other delay required; to take the animal(s) along and drop them off. Also, hopefully, we can set up a few 'halfway houses' for some of the really long ones; where the animals might be dropped off and picked up by someone else. This way there is a caring and expert person in charge of the animal all the way from point A to point B. I will doublecheck with every state I can get ahold of; and find out if: it's legal to own gerbils, degu, and hamsters in that state; if it is, is a certificate of health required--and anything else needed for compliance of the law. I will compile that into a list and post it. And, if it is not legal for the animals, is it acceptable to transport same THROUGH the state. I need to go chat with Greyhound in the next few days anyway (Jack Rabbit, and other bus lines) and will see what they would do about shipping live animals. If this works then; there may be a way to get animals around a lot 'safer' and a lot more LEGAL than we've been doing now..and other than a certificate of health (have to check into prices) should be a lot cheaper. Please give me a few days, and I will post the particulars and the URL for the website, if I find it is legal...else we will have to restrict it to IN STATE transfers. [any deliveries I've done so far, have been within my home state...] Deb Rebel's Rodent Ranch.
