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Transporting reptiles across country

F

FamilyZoo

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We are moving across country in 12 days. Plan is to pack 4 humans, 1 Doberman pinscher, 2 cats, 1 parrot and 30 something reptiles in a Durango. First two sets of seats will be for humans, 3rd set will be for dog, cats and bird. Back will be for reptiles. They are being cooled down, most of them, not a lot of room for them back there, so we need to put them in shipping size containers. U-haul trailer will carry enclosures. Road trip will take 3-4 days.
Anyone ever do this? Any advice?
 
Been there, done that!

Yes! From Denver, CO to southern Missouri, several years ago. 2 adults, 4 teenagers, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 50+ snakes divided between 2 cars and a 21 foot rental truck. Thought it would be a 2 day trip, but the moving truck broke down, so it turned into 4. (That's another story, and one that gives me flashbacks, so we'll skip it for now.)

As for the travel arrangements: we moved in winter, so everyone was bagged, then put in storage containers with heat packs. All of them made it just fine.

With it being hot rather than cold, I'd make sure that you have some cool packs available in case you need to leave them in the car while stopping for meals, etc. The inside of a car can get really too hot in a short period of time. I wouldn't suggest feeding for at least a week prior to the move (for snakes). I would try to give them water daily, especially if they're younger.

Good luck!
 
I moved from

Indiana to Arizona with several reptiles and dogs and one teenager.. Whatever you do, do not leve a rental truck running while at a rest stop with a dog roaming freely in the truck! My daughter went to the restroom while i waited in the truck, i saw her walking back so i jumped out and shut the door,so i could go. Well the puppy we had in the truck with us ran from door to door jumping on the door locks.. Yep you guessed it, we were locked out. We found a guy with coat hanger, and it took about an hour to get back on the road again.. As for the reptiles they made the trip alright, but it took them awhile to get acclimated from the trip.. Good luck and don't leave the dog in the truck LOL!!! :bolt01:
 
Hey Mark, thats a lot of work. I hope things will go smooth for you, good luck. I have no experience except for driving to L.A. and back with a bunch of snakes. I just bag them and keep them in a steady place where they do not slide around. Again, good luck.
 
I would only reiterate what has already been said. Keep them cool. Reptiles tend to tolerate cooling better than overheating. Overheating can cause permanent neurological damage even if it doesn't kill the animal.

One thing that you might consider is, if you have a trustworthy friend in the new location, shipping the reptiles via Delta Dash to him or her the day you are leaving, or the night before. As long as they are unpacked from the shipping boxes and kept in a cool (air conditioned) room for those four days or so they should be fine without being fed, unless they are very young. If you do not have a friend on the receiving end, conceivably you could have a friend on your current end hold them, ready to go into the shipping box, for the four days you are on the road and ship when you arrive. You can fit a large number of animals into large shipping boxes, and tape two or more boxes together if necessary (so long as the combined dimension is not bigger than Delta's size rule) to make it cost effective. You can review the requirements at http://www.delta.com/business_progr.../cargo_products_services/delta_dash/index.jsp. It should be noted that one does not need to be "Delta certified" to ship live animals via Dash, at least in my area.

Good luck with the move.
 
Thanks for the advice.

Plan is to only turn the Durango off only when we stop for gas and keep the AC on and for someone to always be in the vehicle.

Shipping the critters ahead wont work for us.

Contacted U-haul yesterday to reserve a trailer. No problem reserving one, problem comes in with the guarenteee that a trailer will be available. :shrug01: Thought about just buying a trailer, but we are wating to close on a house in the next couple days.
 
FamilyZoo said:
Contacted U-haul yesterday to reserve a trailer. No problem reserving one, problem comes in with the guarenteee that a trailer will be available.
Click to expand...
That hardly sounds like a reservation, more of a request. :>off_to<:
 
Just an idea...

I can't really add too much more than just a suggestion about the cool packs. You might want to consider finding one of those electric coolers that plugs into a cigarette lighter. That way, you'd be able to keep a supply of cool packs cold and insulated so that you can swap them out if necessary. A few years ago, I picked up one of those coolers for around $40, and it keeps temps below 40*. I imagine it would be more convenient than having to stop for ice or whatever.

As far as U-Haul, I'm not sure if you're going directly through U-Haul or a company that just contracts out their trucks and trailers. I would suggest going to an actual U-Haul distributor, as they'd be more likely to have what you need available. I wish I had done that when I helped by brother move...then I wouldn't have had to drive a truck 3X bigger than what we needed.

Good luck with the move. :bolt01:
 
Talked to actual U-haul people. Its because they have more oneway vehicles leaving California then coming in, that they wont promise one will be here.

We have a cooler ready and a portable incubator ready. Since we are leaving in 10 days, our AFT geckos are getting it on to add some spice to our trip. :rofl:
 
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