Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone!

Well the time is drawing near for my big move to MA! This is the first time I've moved out of state so I need some advice.

I have several snakes and lizards that are coming with me (I would never leave my babies behind). So, here's the situation and my delimma:

#1. I'm afraid to ship my animals in TX summertime. It's well up in the 90s every day now and unless I find a break of rain real soon (within the next 2 weeks) then I'm paranoid about shipping them in this weather. Most of my animals are under 4' in lenght, man are neonates (hence they would roast quicker). I've shipped many times without any complications in shipping via UPS or VedEx, but...I'm just worried.

#2. My boyfriend and I will either be driving just my car up north and having all the cages and belongings transported via a moving company, or my car attached to a UHaul and doing it ourselves. If I have keep my herps in the cabin with me where it will be climate controlled to not get too hot or cold and have all my babies packed as if they were for shipping but with extra room so they are not cramped....would this be alright for them? Keep in mind, this will be approx a 3 day journey.

So here's what it comes down to. I can ship them all and just hope for the best like we all usually do. Or, I can keep them with me in the cabin where I know they will be nice and safe.

I do plan to ship out the ones who stress easily (which is only two neonates) and the one adult who has been fasting and just started back to eating. My friends receiving them have offered to take these guys in until my arrival.
Here's my concern though. Regardless that my cabin will be climate controlled and I can let them out for roaming time when we stop to "camp" for the night (no pun intended), is it likely they will stress for a three day trip more than the risk of shipping them in the heat? I know that's an odd comparison but I guess I'm asking, when faced with this decision, what would you do?
Bare in mind, all but the adult that fasted and the two neonates that are still adjusting attitude-wise, my animals are supherbly docile and laid back. I take almost all of them with me to educate the public with and so they are used to car rides and going out and not one of them has ever changed their placid attitudes during these field trips. However, 3 days is a lot longer to be in a vibrating car than a few hours ya know? In thinking that they are all that laid back....do you think they'd be fine with climate control and daily handling to know I am there (almost all of my snakes recognize me and seek out my shirt to wander through, many sleep with my previously worn t-shirts and refuse their hides so they can stay in the shirt, lol!)?

Any and all thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. I'm just really paranoid about shipping them in TX heat when I've never done that. I don't wish to stress them out but again, these animals don't stress easily (even though yes, it can be difficult to see if a reptile is stressing or not).
Please bare in mind what I mean by "they don't stress easily" is that they've never gone off feed or not been "regular" with their defecation or shed cycles and their activity levels and attitudes have never changed really. When I moved into the house I'm renting now, only two stressed because they smelled squirrels in the attic...pretty annoying dodging all those feeding responses. LOL!

Anyhoo I'd love to hear advice, opinions and experience from anyone else that has moved. I want to do what's easiest and best for the animals maximizing their safety.

Hugs and thank you,

Amanda Rose

I also did not want to ship them. I lost 2 animals in the move....here is why. I had my snakes in styros and snake bags or deli cups depending on their size. A total of 6 large tropical fish styros. I put all of them in the cab of the moving truck with us. I brought spray bottles of water, cold packs and heat packs to regulate the temp. is needed. The one thing I did not take into account is the temperature on the floor of the cab. The bottom box must have been right over the drive train. It got very hot...I had a box sitting right in front of it on the floor that measured 81F...but that one box got over 100 degrees... can't believe how quickly it happened. I feel absolutly sick about it. I've never lost a snake before....and it hurts more knowing it was my fault...but I hope this situation will help you avoid the same mistake.

All of the other snakes came out of it fine and are now back in their enclosures and thriving. If you do it this way, put a milkcrate or a cooler on the floor under your styros. Watch the temperature, and take them out of their bags everynight and offer them water and let them crawl around a little.

Good luck with your move....
Chris Olson
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www.chrisolsonreptiles.com

How long was your move? I know yours was a long haul to wasn't it?

I'm very sorry for your loss and please don't beat yourself up. You couldn't really have known it would be that much of a difference. Yes I'm sure looking back you's say "well I should have measured the temps EVERYwhere" but the fact is, most of us don't realize the bottom of the well in our cars is not an even temp. Our feet are there all the time and we really don't sense one part is hotter than the other. :/

Thank you for the advice and I really think, other than the one animal that went off feed, I probably won't ship anyone else...I'll probably just drive them with me.
I had planned to do what you said...take heat and cold packs with us as well as a couple misting bottles so I can look in on them during the drive, at stops and such and make sure they are good on humidity and temps. I plan to feed everyone (at least) 72 hrs before we go so they will have totally digested and still not be starving before their next feedings (granted, the ones on the adult feeding schedules won't be bothered by this). I'm sure I"ll have many a poop run to the nearest garbage cans. LOL!

Do you think putting them in snake bags inside their deli cups would work best for their security and comfort or would larger deli cups (I was going to use those glad disposables with lids after drilling holes into them) filled mostly with moss or towels so they can curl up and hide do just fine? I want them to be able to curl up and hide in some form of "substrate", but also hold humidity and temps in the styros.

Here's what I was thinking in details on their crates:

having the styro boxes for everyone that would have lids and holes poked through for circulation and also to keep the humidity around 50% (more for my rainbow). I was thinking of putting peat moss or a towel in the bottom with a heat pack underneath all that, misting the towel/peat moss so the heat from the pack would create humidity, and placing an egg carton on top of the towel/moss to keep the babies from overheating. I'll of course be testing this out for at least a full four days in a row to make sure this holds good (got loads of heat packs so I can spare it just fine). This way, I'll have their heat (again, I'll measure the temps with my temp gun above the egg carton and check it frequently. I can replace the heat packs as the temps lower (meaning as it fails or begins to die) during the trip.
Thoughts?

Hugs!

Amanda Rose

Amanda,
My trip was 4 days. 2,439 miles from Boise, Idaho to Savannah, Georgia.

I think testing for 4 days is a good way to go, but try to mimmick the conditions in the car. I didn't feed my snakes for 2 weeks before we left...just to make sure everything had cycled through.

If you're using deli cups, you might try using plenty of aspen bedding with a clump of moss. They can burrow in the bedding and you can dampen the moss as needed to increase the humidity. Bring extra deli cups that are already set up in case an animal does deficate.

Good luck, Chris Olson
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www.chrisolsonreptiles.com