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Going from New Jersey to Oregon for college....

platinumtlc Nov 28, 2005 04:33 PM

how do I bring my 2 collared lizards with me?

I have a tank set up here at home, and I was considering either bringing it with me, or buying an entire new set up when I get out to Oregon.

How will I get my collards to my new school? AM I able to bring them with me on the plane? Would it be better to have my family ship them to me when I'm out there?
I can't leave them here with family because no one would take care of them, and I want to take them with me.
I would probably bring them back during like spring break and summer break, thats why I would leave my original tank here.
I have a 20L.

SO what are my options?

Replies (1)

underthestairs Dec 04, 2005 01:21 AM

Most airlines won't let you take reptiles on planes, at least not any that I've called and asked. A lot of reptiles are shipped through airlines though, so maybe you could work something out that way, i.e. having it shipped and work it out so you arrive at the same time it does. I have no experience with this, however, so maybe someone else will chip in on this one.

My two snakes travel to and from college with me (between WA and CO), but in a car. It's obviously much easier this way, and they can both fit in an insulated box with heat packs. They are also in my control the entire time, and since I drive anyway, I don't have to pay for it. They only go home during the summer, and I have a snake keeper friend to take care of them over winter break. Both snakes have done very well on this system, but just to be safe, they get immediate vet checkups when they get home in the summer.

Since you're going to school so far away from your home and travelling to and from by plane, you might find that it will be very difficult to deal with moving your reptiles back and forth. Also consider what you will do over breaks. I think it would be quite stressful to them to be shipped several times a year. Shipping reptiles by airline is also quite expensive, and they're out of your control in transit, so you don't know how they're being handled.

Another consideration is how well they would do in a college environment. I live in a quiet house in my own room, so my reptiles are exposed to minimal environmental stress. But if you're going to live somewhere that's going to be loud or anywhere that will have parties, or have a roommate/housemate that doesn't like your lizards or who will take them out to show people without your permission, it could be extremely stressful to your lizards, especially if you keep them in a common area (like a living room). On-campus facilities almost never allow non-underwater pets either, so there's always the danger the school will find out and tell you to get rid of them--what would you do then? I don't know what year you are or what your situation is, so I'm just giving you general information--if you already know all this stuff, I apologize! Also make sure you have access to a good pet store and a reptile vet, since it sounds like you won't have a car out there.

The best scenario I can think of that would be least stressful to your reptiles (given that you have a suitable living environment for them in Oregon) is to find someone in Oregon whom you trust and is knowledgeable about reptiles (or maybe find a local herp society and get to know some of the people there--perhaps one of them would agree to be a foster parent over breaks). Ship your lizards to Oregon (make sure you learn everything about shipping lizards first, of course), and leave them with your trusted friend over breaks. In this situation, I guess you could either leave your tank setup at home or ship it out. Check around and see how much it would cost to ship (all the times you want to ship it) versus how much it would cost to buy a new setup.

I understand your desire to have your lizards at school with you--you care about them, and they do make wonderful company. I should add that one of the snakes that travels with me is my sister's. She's in college in Boston, flies back and forth, and lives in a loud dorm. There's no way she can have her snake up there with her, so I take it during the school year. I also have a friend here who has a ball python, and her parents drive her back and forth from school (from new mexico) because she can't take him on a plane. I'm sure its quite the hassle for them, but it's better for the snake.

Oh yeah, I should add--if you ship DHL or a similar postal carrier, don't ship to campus addresses! Make sure it comes straight to your door, into your hands. You definitely wouldn't want them to go through a campus mail system. They might not accept it, or it might take them days to process it and notify you. Even if you put a dorm address down it will go through the central mail system.

So, in sum, I'd say consider your living situation, minimize the number of times you ship your lizards, have plans for care over breaks, and consider the health and wellbeing of your lizards above all!! Good luck, and I hope this helps a bit! Sorry for the loooooooooong response, it was probably overkill

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