Planning ahead for a possible across country move!

[Nadean]

There is a very high chance that we may be moving across country (SC to AZ)! We live in Charleston, SC and I believe the place we may be relocating to is Phoenix, AZ (depending where he's needed) that's 2,153 mile trip or 31 hours so that's a three day trip! I have a Russian Tortoise, adult male, and I am just worried about him because that is a super long journey for any pet. Any tips or suggestions?

I've already considered buying a Rubbermaid bin for temporarily housing for when we stop at a hotel or campground site (if we do that wont be able to plug in his lamp or keeping the spring mix cold). Ugh, lol this is already stressful but I need to plan a head because I am pretty sure these people will hire my boyfriend.

I also want my RT to be secure in the car so probably will get a small 1/2 enclosed dog kennel (picture of what I am talking about down below). I have a pink one that I use for my furbaby and I put the seat belt through the handle to secure it so I want to be able to do the same for my , but what should I do to keep him warm in the car ride for 8-10 hours?

I guess what it all comes down to it is how do I travel across country with my RT?

 

[johnsonnboswell]

What season are you going?

I would not be concerned about lights for those few days at all, just temperatures. You don't want him sliding around in his carrier or loose in the car. Water & offer food when you stop for the night. Make sure he has absorbent substrate since he will pee & poop in transit.

I put mine in the tub for the night when we have to travel. Easy to clean, escape proof, good place for a soak.

 

[Nadean]

What season are you going?

I would not be concerned about lights for those few days at all, just temperatures. You don't want him sliding around in his carrier or loose in the car. Water & offer food when you stop for the night. Make sure he has absorbent substrate since he will pee & poop in transit.

I put mine in the tub for the night when we have to travel. Easy to clean, escape proof, good place for a soak.

Hi John,

Season is unsure, it's a government job so it might take up to a year before we have to move. I use heat lamps to keep his enclosure at the right temp so that's why I am concerned about his lamp if we end up camping rather than staying at a hotel..figured it would be cheaper to camp but if we do that..might not be able to plug in his heat source if its fall or early spring or even winter.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Winter is a problem. There are microwavable heat disks that are good for traveling tortoises. You can use hot water bottles. Soda bottles filled with hot tap water work.

What is his current night time temp? He will be fine around 60 with no additional heat.

 

[Nadean]

Winter is a problem. There are microwavable heat disks that are good for traveling tortoises. You can use hot water bottles. Soda bottles filled with hot tap water work.

What is his current night time temp? He will be fine around 60 with no additional heat.

Yea, I hope it will not be winter time for many reasons but good to know about microwavable heat disks. I will do some research on that to see where to find those, thanks, His current night temp is 60 give or take a little. SC weather is weird and humidity is high and low..it just varies. So that makes me feel better, thanks!

 

[johnsonnboswell]

We'll get you sorted out when the time comes.

I've moved halfway across the country & back again with box turtles, a bucket of gold fish & plants, travelled shorter distances with tortoises. You need to keep him safe, hydrated, and a reasonable temperature, but you don't need light or to replicate normal life in transit.

 

[Nadean]

We'll get you sorted out when the time comes.

I've moved halfway across the country & back again with box turtles, a bucket of gold fish & plants, travelled shorter distances with tortoises. You need to keep him safe, hydrated, and a reasonable temperature, but you don't need light or to replicate normal life in transit.

Thank you, I appreciate that. How in the world did you keep a bucket of gold fish alive?
I defiantly want to keep my tortoise safe. Do you have any suggestions on what to put him in besides a dog kennel? I worry he may get stuck In the door since it does have holes in it..

 

[leigti]

I wouldn't use a dog kennel. He could try to climb up the sides and flip on his back. Are use a small 3 gallon Rubbermaid bin to take my tortoise to the vet. You could get one a little bit bigger to fit in the car. You can cut some holes in the lid for air. The microwavable disks work well, I wrap mine in a hand towel and then put about 4 inches of dirt on top of it. Or you could use handwarmers and do the same thing. I personally would not camp unless you were going in the summer.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

It was a 30 gallon garbage can in the back of the car, & the car was towed behind our u-haul. The turtles were in a plastic carrier with a wire lid. Someone always thought it was a baby carrier and wanted to see the baby when we checked into the hotel. I've also transported goldfish in a cooler.

I've used cardboard boxes for transport, but they don't hold up to moisture. Don't think of your tortoise as living in it for the trip, think of it as secured in it. It doesn't need to be large at all, just hold air.

A towel can hold moisture, absorb waste, and cushion against travel motion.

 

[Nadean]

I wouldn't use a dog kennel. He could try to climb up the sides and flip on his back. Are use a small 3 gallon Rubbermaid bin to take my tortoise to the vet. You could get one a little bit bigger to fit in the car. You can cut some holes in the lid for air. The microwavable disks work well, I wrap mine in a hand towel and then put about 4 inches of dirt on top of it. Or you could use handwarmers and do the same thing. I personally would not camp unless you were going in the summer.

Yea. I was worried about that too, him flipping over or getting stuck. Thank you for the advice. I think the Rubbermaid bin even in travel is best.

 

[Nadean]

It was a 30 gallon garbage can in the back of the car, & the car was towed behind our u-haul. The turtles were in a plastic carrier with a wire lid. Someone always thought it was a baby carrier and wanted to see the baby when we checked into the hotel. I've also transported goldfish in a cooler.

I've used cardboard boxes for transport, but they don't hold up to moisture. Don't think of your tortoise as living in it for the trip, think of it as secured in it. It doesn't need to be large at all, just hold air.

A towel can hold moisture, absorb waste, and cushion against travel motion.

Thank you for the advice. I can refer back to this thread when the time comes, this is great!

 

[Judy@SYR]

Here's an article I wrote about moving reptiles cross-country: http://thereptilereport.com/u-haulin-reptiles/

My hubby is in the Air Force and we've done MANY of these moves with a variety of reptiles, including a small tortoise.

It's a good idea to carry a large tub with a heat lamp and basic husbandry materials (water bowl, some paper towel or newspaper for substrate, maybe something to hide in) and use that for any overnight stays you do. For the actual travel part, you want a small container that you can insulate well. A box suitable for shipping works well. You want the tortoise secured in a bag (or deli cup if its still a baby) and placed in the travel container with other material packed around it to prevent it from being able to shift around. You don't want any sudden stops or hard bumps to knock the little critter around. He'll most likely just sleep through the trip. (But bring extra bags and packing material because he may also pee in there).

So long as he is traveling in your personal vehicle and you take care to follow the cautions in the article I linked to, you shouldn't have to worry about specific temperatures, because you'll keep your own car at a comfortable temp while on the road. Insulation in the travel box helps prevent spikes or dips while moving from the car to a hotel room or whatever.

Don't feed while on the road...just water. And don't feed for at least a day, preferably two, before you begin your trip. You don't want food in the tummy during this stressful phase, and they can go many days without eating and be just fine.

Good luck with it, whenever it happens!

 

[Nadean]

Here's an article I wrote about moving reptiles cross-country: http://thereptilereport.com/u-haulin-reptiles/

My hubby is in the Air Force and we've done MANY of these moves with a variety of reptiles, including a small tortoise.

It's a good idea to carry a large tub with a heat lamp and basic husbandry materials (water bowl, some paper towel or newspaper for substrate, maybe something to hide in) and use that for any overnight stays you do. For the actual travel part, you want a small container that you can insulate well. A box suitable for shipping works well. You want the tortoise secured in a bag (or deli cup if its still a baby) and placed in the travel container with other material packed around it to prevent it from being able to shift around. You don't want any sudden stops or hard bumps to knock the little critter around. He'll most likely just sleep through the trip. (But bring extra bags and packing material because he may also pee in there).

So long as he is traveling in your personal vehicle and you take care to follow the cautions in the article I linked to, you shouldn't have to worry about specific temperatures, because you'll keep your own car at a comfortable temp while on the road. Insulation in the travel box helps prevent spikes or dips while moving from the car to a hotel room or whatever.

Don't feed while on the road...just water. And don't feed for at least a day, preferably two, before you begin your trip. You don't want food in the tummy during this stressful phase, and they can go many days without eating and be just fine.

Good luck with it, whenever it happens!

Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times! So helpful from what I've read all ready...I will defiantly check out the article! We are one step closer, the interview went well so it's just all about the background check that could take a long time to get back so it's all depending on that when we will move.

 

[Carol S]

An adult should be fine in the car. I would use a rubbermaid plastic storage container with a lid (one that is colored and not see through). Put his normal substrate in the bottom. My adult Russians live outside. They have a hibernation house. In the spring some of the days are cold and rainy and they just stay inside their house until the weather warms back up amd then they come out; bask and eat. Your adult Russian should be fine without food for a few days. The temperature in the car when you are driving will be fine and you can take the plastic container in the hotel with you and give your tort a warm soak to keep him well hydrated. If your tort was a hatchling then it would be all together a different story in how I would transport him.