The ONLY legal way to ship rats is by airline. ANY other way is illegal and extremely dangerous.

Even via airlines it can potentially be dangerous. The animals should be cared for, but once they leave your hands you don't know what might happen to them. I have heard horrible stories about rats dying in transit, not necessarily at any person's fault but simply by accident. Rats have starved, dehydrated, or stressed to death, others have over heated or froze, others have died of suffocation when cargo shifted and blocked the air vents on their carrier. Those are possible dangers, there is no way to make it 100% safe. There have been many successful shipments of rats, BUT always consider these dangers and whether or not it is truly worth it.

That said, shipping rats is extremely expensive. Since they can only be shipped by airlines, you have to buy them a plane ticket, starting at $99. Some airlines require special carriers, looking at another $30 or so. Sometimes health certificates are required, another $20+ for the vet check and certificate. There's also a lot of hassle. BEFORE rats can be shipped, you need to confirm weather from their departure, AND their arrival. Weather in BOTH locations has to be good before the animals can be shipped. If its too hot or cold or rainy or whatever on one side, they CANNOT be shipped. When they are shipped, the person who will be receiving them has to be their AT the airport before they arrive, ready to get them. If the person is not present, there is additional risk to the animals that they could die from stress and/or exposure while waiting.

I personally have never shipped rats, and personally I'm very reluctant to do so. In most cases, the expense, hassle, and danger isn't worth it.

 

Flights are not cheap either, I paid a $470 for a pair of rats in first class.

Are you insane? lol