Ever evacuated with a tortoise?

[lendube]

We had to yesterday. Evacuation is nothing new for us. Brushfires are a horrible common occurrence here. Yesterday at about 11 a.m. when we realized it was time to go we had an additional beastie to think about. I grabbed a small cardboard box, threw in some timothy hay and put him in the car with our two dogs and three cats (in carriers). We had to get gas for one of our vehicles and then decided to ride it out at my daughter's house which is 3 miles from us and 4 miles from the fire. It worked out perfectly since she has a wonderful large glass enclosure sitting under the trees that used to house a snake in the warmer weather. It was perfect and I think Sheldon even enjoyed his little getaway. He, unlike everyone else, was spared the stress of the day. I think I might even take him over there once in a while now for a change of pace. We were able to go back home at 8:45 p.m. but Sheldon got to spend the night there.

 

[wellington]

No never, have and probably never will have to. Glad though that all went well for you and yours.

 

[Dizisdalife]

I saw the smoke from that fire on Thursday, but realized that the wind was from the West and I wasn't in any danger where I live. Glad that the fire was contained so quickly. Last May the fires were within a mile of my house. I wasn't evacuated, but I did do some packing just in case. With a 45 pound sulcata there are just not a lot of options. You are fortunate to have a secure place to take your tortoise to.

 

[lendube]

Oh Joe, I saw the smoke from yours for days. That was so sad and scary, the scope of those fires. I hate this time of year. Did you have a plan in place if you did have to evacuate re: your Sulcata? My guy, a Hermann's, is only about 6" long so he could easily stay in the bathtub of any hotel if it came to that. Too bad the Wild Animal Park (I know, I know , San Diego Zoo Safari Park....) doesn't have a drop off in cases like that. And yes, evacuating in that direction worked well this time for us but you just never know which way you're going to have to go. It's been to the East/desert each time up until now.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

One of my worst nightmares is having to evacuate. I don't know how I would get all my animal friends out of here. I've got the mammals all covered (pens, food ... etc.) but the shelled friends would be a challenge.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Kimber is right. Evacuation is a nightmare. I hate to admit that I don't have a solid plan. The unpredictability of a fire makes planning for evacuation most difficult. I have a place or two that I can go with my animals, but there are no guarantee that they will not also be threatened by fire. Until these latest fires I have felt like I was in a pretty safe location with most fires originating in the East County or Mountain areas.