Moving :/ help .

[Mrl249]

So as I've heard A LOT of bad stories about moving ball pythons, (from dying to going off feed) happy our time is up here but I'm not looking forward to the actual move.

I have a couple of questions for the more experienced ones. I want to do this as safe and quick as possible without harming or affecting them.

1. Should I just leave them in the tubs, cover them with lids, stack a few, and drive slowly? Would it be better to take them all at once?
2. I also have eggs in the incubator right now they won't be ready for another month and we move in 2
weeks! The house we are moving to is about 10-15 minutes away. I have no idea how I'm going to keep the eggs safe or at the right temperature for that matter!
Please, any advise or "what not to do's" are much appreciated! Thank you in advance, you guys are awesome!

[Dave Green]

In 2007 I moved from NJ to AZ in August. I rented an RV and drove for days with over 50 adults, 20 or so babies and and two clutches in the incubator. Everything made it fine. I bagged the adults up and packed them like I was shipping them. I put babies in deli cups with aspen. I actually pinned my incubator on a seat in the RV. I would plug the incubator in at night when we stopped and threw a few heat packs in there when we were driving. The incubator would drop into the low 80s but I hatched a clutch mid way and one hatched about a month later. No issues at all. The RV rattled like you wouldn't believe. I was about a half hour into the trip and figured I'd lose the eggs for sure. I brought ice packs just in case and everyone made it fine.

This was a siginificant trip but yours sounds pretty small, you'll be fine with some planning.

[Kaorte]

If it makes you feel better, I moved very recently about the same distance as you are. We moved everyone in one go (even a gravid female) and everything went perfectly.

I would put everyone in snake bags and in tubs or insulated boxes. Get everything set up as quick as you can. That is a short move, they should be fine.

As for the eggs, 15 minutes out of the incubator shouldn't be too bad. Just keep them warm as best you can (maybe in a cooler with some warm water bottles). Have someone holding on to the box so they don't get jostled around too much.

Keep calm!

[4theSNAKElady]

I moved from DE to NJ two christmases ago, and everything went fine. We packed up the snakes last, and had already set up the one rack. Start filling up your old soda n water bottles,keep em in the incubator n put them in a cooler with the eggs the day of the move....thatll help hold temps.

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[KatStoverReptiles]

We moved 2 hours last summer. I saved the snakes till the very end and bagged them all then laid them in a tub. I had to use 4 tubs. I wasn't able to set them up till the next day so they just stayed in their bags overnight. Thankfully it was summer and the house was fairly warm so I didn't even need any supplemental heat.

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[JLC]

Here's an article that should help:

U-Haulin' Reptiles

[Mrl249]

Thanks everyone! I have learned so much. Crazy stories. I will let everyone know how the move goes

[Ginevive]

The others had some great advice. We drove from NY to CA in moving, years ago. (and back, with a few snakes, too.) I bagged the snakes in pillow cases (securely knotted) and had them in a tub. I won't go into details about staying in hotels, etc, but your drive is short enough that it should not be too stressful. Keeping them from getting bumped or jostled around in the car would be key. Snake bags (a separate one for each snake) or pillow cases, either one being secure to prevent escape, is good. Consistent temperature and no drafts is good. I would not let them sit in the car at a stop for any length of time; it is amazing how a car can overheat inside really fast if you are in a hot climate. I had mine in one Rubbermaid tub. The eggs, I never moved eggs, but the others' advice is sound.

[Mrl249]

I took a trip to Walmart on my way home and bought 20 pillow cases. I plan on putting each individual one in a pillow case and then putting those in one big tote. All securely tightened and padded very well along the tote. I will have my wife sit in the back seat to hold it and ill drive slow.

As for the eggs.. I actually have an idea... (Tell me if it sounds like a bad one ) I plan on getting all the water bottles from the incubator and putting them in a bigger tub. (Like a 28q) and putting the egg tub right in the middle. My wife will hold it on her lap. Ill check the temps with the heat gun. It is a small ride but I want everything to go as planned. We rarely get a food refusal from all our Bp's and I don't want that to change.. I think I should be safe thanks again everyone!

[mechnut450]

I seen a guy use tooth picks to keep his eggs from rolling around in the incubator . I think this would help too if moving but I agree with everyone a short trip should not be a issue if you can prevent the large sliding and jarring them around.
I would thing your best trick would to be making sure you can get there and set the incubator up first to place the eggs back in as first thing will help even more. to keep them stable as possible temps.