1,000 miles

[snoit83]

Hello everyone! I am preparing to move from Texas to Florida
It will be a 16 - 18 hour trip and about 1000 miles. I will be bringing my entire family with me. I have 4 parrots, a tank of salamanders, frogs, and puffer fish. I have a decent idea of how to do the birds and fish but a also have Frank a 6 year old rescue sulcata, Bea a 1 1/2 year old rescue sulcata and a rescue leopard tort that is about the size of Bea. We will be moving in January at the latest so no time to warm up. Everyone will be with me in my big van. I have a converter so I can run bubblers and a heater if need be. Any who..... I need ideas and experience from everyone. Big boxes or small boxes? Hand warmers, heat lamps, warm bottles of water, under tank heaters? Cardboard, build something out of wood, Rubbermaid? I have a temperature gun so my passenger can check the temps often. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

Yep. You have a truckload by looking at your signature!

 

[Yvonne G]

My sister used to drive to my house once a year from Oregon...not 1000 miles, but it was a very long day/night drive. And she always brought Bob with her. Bob is a sulcata. He used to travel in his sleeping box, a wooden box with a lid on it. She packed him with hand warmers and if she planned to stop and sleep at a motel, she also brought his night time light with her. She said that when they first set out, he was restless and she heard lots of scratching, but once they got under way, the monotony of the drive caused him to settle down and just sleep.

 

[BodaTort1]

I just moved from Washington to Texas. It was a 4 day trip with 2cats, 1dog, 2 bearded dragons and 4 teens in 2 trucks. The dog slept/sat/laid on the floor boards or seat next to me. The cats were in a wired dog crate with a disposable catbox and food dish on the bench seat behind me. The dragons were in a small cat carrier with a towel and hand warmers underneath the towel and the carrier was placed under the cat carrier and covered in blankets. We stopped every few hours and the cats and dog were walked on leashes and given water. And dragons were checked for temp and need to change warmers. At night we stayed at dog friendly motels and everyone came in. Cats and dog roamed free in room and dragons were placed in tub after bathroom was warmed and fed, allowed to hangout then soaked and placed in carrier for bed. During driving the truck was kept comfortably warmer and we all made it.. It was touch and go for the teens a few times but we ended in Houston all healthy and alive.

 

[jtrux]

Geez, that's a helluva load. I agree about the hand warmers but i'd suggest a box not too much bigger than the tort, maybe big enough to turn around in but that's it.

 

[Jacqui]

Go with boxes just bigger then the tortoise, so they don't have a lot of room. Use rubbermaid/plastics not cardboard, as they hold the urine and other messes better. Have a plastic trash bag, paper towels, wipes, and newspaper close at hand for quick clean ups along the way. Stock lots of handwarmers and have plenty of blankets or towels to cover everybody... just incase the van and/or convertor breakdown.

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Remember too, to watch for drafts/cold spots in your van. The same is true for where all the hot air first goes, as that can get too hot, especially if you happen to have your tortoise in a box with a lid on.

 

[snoit83]

These are all excellent ideas and experiences!! Thank you so Mich!!!

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Much*