Traveling

[Sheazamm]

Hello!

This is my first post on here, this site has been a huge help. I just got my first ball python about 2 weeks ago. I will be traveling for Christmas to see family and staying about a week. The drive is about 5-6 hours. I was wondering if I should take my snake with me and bring her whole set up as well or if I should keep her here and see if a friend can check on her through the week. If I do travel with her, should I just put in her a ventilated container during the drive and have a heat pad or something of the sort on the bottom? Thank you in advance.


-Shea

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Hello!

This is my first post on here, this site has been a huge help. I just got my first ball python about 2 weeks ago. I will be traveling for Christmas to see family and staying about a week. The drive is about 5-6 hours. I was wondering if I should take my snake with me and bring her whole set up as well or if I should keep her here and see if a friend can check on her through the week. If I do travel with her, should I just put in her a ventilated container during the drive and have a heat pad or something of the sort on the bottom? Thank you in advance.


-Shea

Your snake is better off at home in it's enclosure with limited stress, they are not dog can can stay home without supervision for a week or two.

Make sure you stop all feeding a week prior to your trip.

Make sure you have a water dish big enough and top it of before you leave.

Make sure you have absorbent substrate.

[LeeAnnT99]

Make sure you stop all feeding a week prior to your trip.

Hi,
I will be traveling for a week as well, but my son will be staying at the house to keep an eye on Lilia. He will freshen her water and monitor her temps/humidity. (But no handling! I asked him not to bother her while I'm away. He's 30, so he will listen to me!)

I was planning on feeding her a few days before I leave, but you say to stop all feeding a week prior. Can you explain? I'm learning...so I'd like to put this information in the notebook I keep about Lilia's care.

Thank you!!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

The reason you want to make sure to stop all feeding a week prior is to make sure the prey is fully digested, should their be a fluke and your BP would regurgitate while gone, not only would you come back to a smelly mess but depending on the extent of the regurgitation your BP could be sitting in his on gastric juices causing burns or worse (it has happened before)

[LeeAnnT99]

The reason you want to make sure to stop all feeding a week prior is to make sure the prey is fully digested, should their be a fluke and your BP would regurgitate while gone, not only would you come back to a smelly mess but depending on the extent of the regurgitation your BP could be sitting in his on gastric juices causing burns or worse (it has happened before)

Thanks Stewart_Reptiles!

[Bogertophis]

Agree it's best to leave him home...snakes don't need the stress of travel, especially long trips. You'd also run the risk of having car trouble, let's just say, & having
the trip take longer than expected. If you ever DO want or need to transport your snake(s), they do very well when bagged securely in cloth bags (or pillow cases)
and then put in an "ice chest" (or insulated styro-foam box, like live snakes or food is shipped in) with either a tiny air hole or periodic brief opening for fresh air (about
every 8 hours), or just a small wad of tape to prevent the lid from closing tightly is very easy too. To keep a snake warm on the trip, you can use a bottle of hot water
(it will last about 8 hours) or a chemical heat-pack as used when reptiles are shipped by air. Either way, make sure the heat source is wrapped so the snake is not in
contact with excessive heat, ever, during the trip. The cloth bag containing the snake will help but always "err on the side of safety". I've moved cross country with a
number of snakes traveling this way...they all did great, & seemed relaxed about the whole thing. I checked them & gave them water when I stopped each night.