Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I am wondering if anyone has any experience transporting eggs by car, van etc to another state? any hints will be helpful. It looks like I may be moving and will have a lot of eggs that haven't hatched. I may be able to get someone to buy the eggs or hatch them for me but would rather take them along if possible. Thanks in advance!

Never done this myself before but have a few suggestions. There are three important factors in moving eggs, at least in my view.

1)- Making sure the eggs don't encounter extreme temperatures.

Depending on what you are using to incubate the eggs and the temperature of the inside of your car, the plane etc, it may be necessary to provide additional heat/cooling. If travelling by car and expecting to stop for more than a few minutes during the trip, it would be best you use a cooler or something to keep the eggs from getting too hot. Though a few degrees too hot for a short period may not affect the eggs in the long run, prolonged periods at too high a temp or too cold a temp, will kill the eggs. IN fact, there is a better chance the eggs will still hatch exposed to colder temps for a few hours than too high temps. Freezing temps will of course kill the eggs out right. But being summer, freezing shouldn't be a problem.

Ideally, if you can use a car lighter adopter as a power source for an electronic cooler, maybe rigged with a thermostate, would be your best bet to ensure the eggs stay at an ideal temp. Or, if you don't have a huge amount of eggs and can get them all in an easily carried storage container, bring it with you out of the hot car, if you are going to be eating or stopping for more than a few minutes during your drive.

2) Preventing eggs from rolling.

Unlike birds eggs, you can't rotate reptile eggs without risking drowning the developing embryol. Thus, when packaging the eggs for travel, you have to make sure they are secure, either in their incubation medium and the container they are travelling in so the eggs won't tumble around due to bumps and car vibrations. For the most part I suspect leaving the eggs in their deli cups and incubation medium, be it perlite, vermiculate or a combination of the two, and securely packaging around each deli container, should be all that is needed to ensure the eggs don't turn or rotate. If a sudden stop, or the container falls off a seat etc, then open it up and re-orientate the eggs back the way they were. (best to makr the top side of the egg with a soft tip marker, if not already done so).

3) Preventing spills/other things I can't fit in other catagories:

This is related to number two, except where you store the container all the deli cups are stored in must also be secure. I don't recommend putting them on a seat. Better to put them on the floor of the car, whether it's front or back seat. Securing the box/cooler between the back seat and front seat is probably best, this way you don't have to worry about AC vents blowing cold air on the box and possibly cooling the inside too much, or on one side. Finding as light a colored box/cooler would be best, to reflect as much sun light off the container and help prevent it from overheating. Using a digital therometer with probe, with probe inside the box, near the center of the container, will allow you to keep an eye on inside temps. If you are driving alone, then keep the therometer up front where you can see it. Most probe wires are pretty long so shouldn't be any trouble doing this.

Hope my suggestions are of some help. COuld be completely useless since I have never travelled with eggs. At best I have travelled with live reptiles and using a soft cooler with thermometer and probe to monitor inside temps, was able to ensure sun beating down into the car didn't cook my new reptiles.
-----
PHLdyPayne