Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im transporting 2 RES 10 hours from DC to Chicago...anyone have any suggestions...I know you should not put water in the transporting container (probably a rubbermaid tub) but that you should put warm papertowls and smashed plastic soda bottles with warm water...any other ideas? im so nervous that they will be traumatized....thank you

Well since thers no reply I figure I'll just give you my own experience... I don't really have advice heh

When I first got my turtles they were from NY's Chinatown when I went to go visit back in 97 (yea I know its bad to get it from there, but I didn't back then). I live in California and when it was time for me to go back home, I took the small plastic container, put half a inch of water and sponge inside, and placed my 2 turltes in there and went on my way. I kept them in a paper grocery bag so it would be dark and I tried to stabalize them but I'm sure they got tossed around a bit

Well 7 years later they are fine. They weren't even messed up when I brought them back.. and keep in mind they were very young, tossed around in a plane and car, for 4-5 hours. Its not 10 hours like yours... but I'm sure they were younger then yours. So I just can say that turltes are pretty strong creatures.. if you have kept them healthy, I don't think keeping them in a rubbermaid with some water will hurt them that much.

I've read the alternatives some while ago.. like keeping them in a damp towel.. and I just gotta say it sounds pretty bad. I mean first you are immobilizing them, locking them up in some weird feeling towel, and then interegating them for 10 hours (lol k I'm just making this up). I feel that although this might keep them safe from being bumped around, it sounds pretty cruel. Maybe if you're driving just keep them in a rubbermaid with some water and take it easy driving. No need to do sharp turns or anything

thank you!!!

Hi,

I drove 10 turtles all the way from Philly, PA to Houston, TX in a matter of 5 days. They were kept in styrofoam and cardboard containers that had damp towels or thin layer of water in them. Every night I took them out and let them swim in the hotel bathtub. They're all doing fine now...but I wouldn't recommend it for hatchlings that get stressed easily. If you take breaks, make sure to check up on them and maybe even feed them.

Oh ya and just last nite I brought my baby painted turtle on a flight. Put him in a pocket when going thru security and took him out to be placed in a small container for the remainder of the flight. Just some transportation experiences.

Johnny

Hey, I live in Maryland and frequently travel to my other home in southwest Florida. I have two yellow bellied sliders (which are pretty much the same as RES). I bought them as babbies down in Florida and when I came back up they were just fine in a box with a towel and at every stop they got to be put in water with a little food to relax them. I just made the trip from Maryland to Florida last week and they are much larger and smarter now... I figured a box and towel wasn't a good idea anymore. So I filled a plastic storage container with about 6-7 inches of water. To keep it warm I bought a car power inverter (it plugs into your cigarette outlet and allows you to plug regular appliances in to it). I plugged a submersible water heater into that to keep the water warm. The trip took 18 hours. At the first stop I had to do a complete water change because one of them took a dump. After that the water stayed clean. At every stop either take them out to walk around or stop for a decent amount of time for them to relax. You'd be surprised how calm the water is when you're on the highway. I have a lowered customized car which is very bumpy and that didn't make much of a difference. Make sure the tub is secured and constantly check on them. When it gets dark (which was the whole second half of our trip), they'll actually go to sleep. Hope this all helps! Let me know how it went!

We moved from Pittsburgh to Phoenix in October of 87. I loaded 2 RES, 2 Cooters and a Map into a cooler for the drive. They spent the nights in the hotel bathtub. No worries. We also had three 5 gallon buckets with battery operated air pumps for my three pirannha. Had to change batteries often but they too made it with no ill effects. Oh and two cats also. And my wife had just had all four wisdom teeth pulled the day before we left. I think she was the most miserable!