Moving out of state - moving tips?

Melissa319

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5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
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32
Location (City and/or State)
outside of Phoenix, AZ
Hi all,

Haven't been here in a bit, but you guys would be able to help me think through this! Our sulcata, Stanley, is probably in the ~65lb range. He was about 55lbs when we rescued him and he is noticeably larger, so that's my best weight guess if it factors into your suggestions.

My husband recently accepted a new job, and this will require a move from our current home outside of Phoenix, AZ to the Ft Worth area in Texas. The distance is just a bit over 1,000 miles, and due to our other pets, we'll be driving straight through, with adequate stops of course. Our current plan is to bring a couple extra drivers and split that part, but not much of a factor here.

The move will be late this year or very early into 2018. My first consideration is temperature control, and as Stanley will be riding in a climate controlled vehicle, I'm not too worried about that. We have a power inverter and the heater from his outdoor house we'd bring along just in case, but as he'd usually be hibernating at that time, I think he will be ok.

My primary concern is WHAT do I put him in to move him? When we adopted him, he JUST fit inside of a very large Rubbermaid storage bin for moving purposes. I semi-jokingly took that bin out back yesterday and held it up over him and let's just say that's not gonna work with his current size. Should we fabricate some type of wooden crate for him? If so, how much larger than Stanley should we make it? How can I safely pad it for him? I know he's basically a giant moving rock, but I worry about him getting tossed around a bit if we have to slam on the brakes, etc. (I tend to worry, if that's not obvious) I imagine hay as a bedding would be ideal.

The good news is, we're looking at acreage and will be able to fix him up with an awesome environment! We've built him a custom house with heater here, not sure if we'll move it or improve on our design in TX, but I'm excited to get him all settled into a (hopefully!) awesome living space in our new home.

Thanks for any help!
 

SarahChelonoidis

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Apr 20, 2015
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Toronto, Canada
Our sulcata, Stanley, is probably in the ~65lb range. He was about 55lbs when we rescued him and he is noticeably larger, so that's my best weight guess if it factors into your suggestions.
...

We have a power inverter and the heater from his outdoor house we'd bring along just in case, but as he'd usually be hibernating at that time, I think he will be ok.

I've not had to move a tortoise that size before, so I can't say what the best container is, but I was intrigued by your above comment about him hibernating... Sulcata do not hibernate. They are a tropical species and require warm temperatures all year round. Did you attempt to hibernate him this last winter?
 

MPRC

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Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
3,102
Location (City and/or State)
Oregon
Would a plastic kiddie pool be suitable for moving him? Be prepared for poop, lots and lots of poop. As soon as the car starts my tortoises start pooping. We use dish bins with puppy pads and towels and just make sure to bring bags we can seal the stink up in.
 

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