Moving to a new, very far away home! How do I go about this?!

[smakemom]

Hey, long time no post! Smake is doing great. He eats well, sheds well, and generally has been enjoying his monotonous snake life.
Now, we are moving... from Ohio to Alaska. And, frankly, I am not sure how to get a reptile from point A to point B.

We have many, many animals. My parent's plan was to toss everybody in an RV/trailer and road trip our way across the country to AK. That's 5 dogs and 3 cats as well as 3 adults, all in a mobile home. This plan may change, but it's the one we've been entertaining so far.

None of us believe that a bumpy, over-crowded vehicle is going to be a very good environment for an entire ball python and its many amenities. We've thought about boarding him and then having him shipped to us, but I don't know where to even begin with organizing that! I would really appreciate any pointers or tips y'all may have for me. This move won't be happening for another year or more, so there's no great hurry.

Smake is extremely gentle and sweet for a BP, having not bitten a soul (beyond a slight nip, which was well-deserved) in his almost three years of life, so I'm not inclined to sell him. Especially now that he's a good eater. I feel like I owe it to him to try my best to make this work. So, to reiterate: any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Armiyana]

Honestly, the road trip will not be so bad! A few keepers here have made long trips before. I'm sure they'll pop by to give more advice.

Some tips I could think off offhand:
-You'll want to have a nice safe travel tub your noodle in. A handful of the reptile safe heat warmers that you can change out as needed, or in the RV you may be able to use a spare outlet to drop a heat pad on a thermostat nearby. In either case, you don't want the baby settled directly on the heat source.
-You won't want to feed him immediately before the trip. The risk of regurge is not something you want. Have an extra snake bag or two to change him out in case he does have a potty on the way. As long as he's been eating well the little fast won't bother him much.
-You can offer water when you settle down for the road stops. Not all snakes will drink during a roadtrip though... so while you wait for his habitat to warm up at the new home, you can offer a warm soak to help him rehydrate a little bit better before settling him in and letting him readjust to everything.


When this move happens is also another concern. Depending on where you are moving in alaska, shipping gets rough from what I understand. Sometimes deliveries to places there will just stop in the dead of winter. So I almost feel the road trip may still be the best option. But I could be wrong.
I just remember a friend telling me about how an avalanche had blocked her small town off from the main road for 2 weeks one winter. @_@; I wouldn't want to risk the baby being kept up because of an unavoidable delay. If you can find a breeder in Alaska, you may be able to reach out and ask about things like the shipping situations and such that they deal with.

[bcr229]

The bigger issue might be with getting him into Canada if the vehicle is inspected.

[Armiyana]

That's true.... I would make sure to look into any paperwork for border crossings.
They'll have to be doing that for the dogs and cats as well regardless. Vaccine records and whatnot.

[Luvyna]

Glad to hear that you aren't planning to give up your BP despite such a big move!

If you plan to drive you will need to get CITES paperwork ready for your BP as they are considered wildlife and you need a permit to import them to Canada and the US. This can take 3+ months so start preparing it well in advance - it's good that you're asking about this early! I recommend calling the wildlife border inspection for both the US and Canada to confirm how this process works. Even with all those preparations, I'd still have a backup plan (boarding options, delaying the trip...etc.) in case for some reason they won't let your BP through at the Canadian or Alaskan border.

Be VERY careful about temperatures during the RV drive and never leave your BP (or any of your animals!) unattended in the vehicle without AC or heating if you stop somewhere. I think RVs usually have electric outlets so it would be best to have a small tub set up with a thermostat, thermometer, and heat mat, and you should monitor temps closely daily.

Overall, given how long the trip will be and the fact that you would need to cross into Canada and then back into the US with a CITES animal, it would likely be easier (although more expensive) to ship your BP. There are reputable reptile shipping companies that will handle the process and any necessary paperwork for you but you will need someone to leave your BP with who you can trust to pack him properly for shipping when the time comes. I also recommend shipping at a time when temperatures are mild like the late spring or early fall - it's best to avoid times when it can get really hot or cold because sometimes accidents can happen, animals can get left in an area without temperature control...etc. and it's less likely that a mistake like that will be fatal when the weather is mild.

[Bogertophis]

I wouldn't want to try shipping your snake there- way too much can go wrong. I personally think she'd be safer with you on the road, but never rely on the warmth of your vehicle- for safety, your snake should be bagged in a cloth bag- have an empty stomach prior to the trip but just in case have extra snake bags (or old pillow cases). The snake in the bag should be placed inside an insulated container (either an "ice chest"- no ice!- or a thick styro-foam box used for air-shipping snakes & perishable foods) with a small air hole (don't rely on your memory to open the container for fresh air every so often on such a long trip); the snake in bag should also be placed on an old towel inside the container for some padding, so your snake isn't thrown against the sides whenever you have to stop fast.

I personally hate trying to un-tie cloth bags- I much prefer to use a strong twist-tie wire to first close the open end of the cloth bag, then fold that part over on itself & fasten a strong rubber band around that- I've never had a snake escape that- & having one loose on a road trip is not a good plan- so bring a few extra wires & rubber bands. I've moved across country with some 15 snakes in the past- also a dog & just for extra fun, various rodents to re-start my breeding colonies. I had no problems with any snakes- they did fantastic- I did offer them water when we stopped for the evening, & had a short visit to see how they were doing (re-assure myself). They clearly accepted the trip very well- keeping your pets comfortable is a priority.

In motels, I only declared & paid extra for my hard-to-miss dog- another good thing about using ice chests for snakes is that it just appears you're carrying food for your trip, something most people do. There's no point giving anyone a "melt-down" over a few bagged snakes, & my snakes seemed very relaxed about the whole thing- they slept quite comfortably. Also goes without saying that you need to have plenty of heat packs for the snake- test this out ahead of time with the exact container you're going to use on the trip, so you know how warm they make it, & for how long. Factor in the temperature of the vehicle too- if the vehicle is warm, how much warmer will that make it inside your ice chest? Bring your temp. gun & check for safety during the trip. While snakes can get sick from being chilled, they can die from being over-heated- please don't forget that.

Your trip will be more complicated than mine was- I didn't have to cross any borders other than states within the U.S. so do your homework on what others have suggested you'll need. Make sure you're asking the right authorities- there's nothing worse than relying on the wrong information once you're in the middle of your trip.

[Malum Argenteum]

Cincinnati to Anchorage is 65 hours on the road. That's 4-8 days depending on how you end up driving it, longer if Gramma has to stop at every Tim Hortons you pass.

FedEx apparently can do overnight to AK:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ight-to-alaska

FedEx charge on a 12" cube box is a bit less than $200 from OH to AK. You get the shipping label from these excellent folks:

https://shipyourreptiles.com/

I'm willing to bet there is more than $200 worth of hassle in arranging for two CITES permits (one from US, one from Canada) and customs fees and import taxes, but I've never arranged permits. You might get in touch with Sam at Reptile Express (good company) to see if he would simply line up permits for you.

https://www.reptileexpress.com/

To ship, you'd need someone on the OH end to hold the snake and then pack it up for you, and then some way to get yourself to the FedEx ship center in AK to pick it up (shipping animals door to door nowdays isn't a good option).

Delta Dash (airport to airport) might be an option, but I couldn't find a flight on their website to give you an idea of what that would take. Calling them might yield some info.

It is likely six on one hand and a half-dozen on the other. Many people would probably feel more comfortable with the snake in the vehicle with them, but planning ahead for possible big problems (breakdown, accident, weather, etc) would make me want to think hard about shipping.

[Bogertophis]

With the right advice from shippers, that may indeed be the best way to go- depending on the time of year, too. Either way, it's a challenge that good advance planning should solve.

[Albert Clark]

I second the shipping option. I’ve shipped from N.Y.C. To Anchorage Alaska several times with no issues. Shipping rate was 70.00 thru SYR (ship your reptiles)/ FedEx. Thank goodness it’s not a rack full of reptiles instead we’re considering only one. Understandably there is a weight consideration and packaging dimensions for a adult ball python.