Message to Delta's 'Pet First' Cargo

I sent 2 hedgehogs from Boston to Idaho Falls this morning. The reservations were made earlier this week and I dropped them off at the cargo counter at 5AM. The 2 hedgehogs were in a size 100 kennel (that's a small cat carrier), the same as I have always shipped them.

The counter monkeys, who were unfamiliar with the rules for shipping hedgehogs, pulled out their rule book and went down the list. These were the same rules other airlines follow when you are shipping out of the US, but not for flights within the US and Canada. So they gave me a hard time because I didn't put 2 layers of wire mesh over all the openings and the female hedgehogs were not separated. I assured them that the 2 hedgehogs were social and have lived together all their lives, so they let me slide on that rule (after all, they were in the kennel together playing). They still gave me a hard time over not having mesh over the holes. I assured them that the hedgehogs were not rodents and there was no physical way they could chew threw the carrier and run wild on the plane (burning and pillaging villages and stealing all their women). Short of spontaneously growing opposable thumbs or astral projecting, there was no way the hedgehogs could get out of that cage on their own.

After 30 mins, they finally let me ship the hedgehogs as they were, but they did send me off with a copy of he regulations and told me that any future shipments would have to comply. I probably shouldn't be too mad at they, they were only following the directions they were given. *Grumble* The people who wrote the regulations need to be schooled as to what a hedgehog actually is!

If you're curious, to comply with the regulations, the cage would have to look like this: front back side I am sure that you will agree that is total over-kill! (That is the cage I made to ship to Finland. Between lumber, supply, tool rental, and a paid carpenter it cost $150.00 to make). So needless to say, Hamor Hollow will not be shipping through Delta in the future.