Moving

[K2exotics]

So here is a thought... if you were faced with a long move ( lets say across the country) what would be your choice for moving your snakes and why? This is not an immediate concern for me but I was thinking how I would manage it and wanted to get some other opinions or suggestions. Now before I get any.. giving up the snakes to new homes is not an option... I want to hear opinions on how to keep your snakes and move.

[TrpnBils]

How many snakes are we talking here?

[K2exotics]

only a few 3 at the most

[TrpnBils]

Sterelite tubs in an appropriately heated car would work for a day or two drive. If you were staying in a hotel at some point along the way I'm sure you could probably sneak them into your room and into an appropriate setup for the night (that is, unless you're talking about 3 adult retics or something like that!)

[K2exotics]

Sterelite tubs in an appropriately heated car would work for a day or two drive. If you were staying in a hotel at some point along the way I'm sure you could probably sneak them into your room and into an appropriate setup for the night (that is, unless you're talking about 3 adult retics or something like that!)

LOL no they would be sub adult balls and that is pretty much what I was thinking about doing.. yay for marrying the military I was thinking of a heat pack on top of each tub .. I think I am going to make a test tub some time in the future lol

[TrpnBils]

If the move is this time of the year (I'm assuming so since you're talking heat packs) I'd be careful with that. If you heat your car up for your benefit, it's probably somewhere in the 70-80 degree range. That heat pack, which is the same kind you would use for shipping reptiles in winter weather, might heat up a small tub to the danger point. A little tub is not going to be large enough to give a thermal gradient anyway.

I've done winter educational programs before, and while it's not the same as a cross-country drive, I approach the transport similarly. To comfortably keep the snakes warm without cooking myself, I'll take my coat off while I drive so that a higher ambient temp will make us all relatively comfortable. With a heavy winter coat on, I might be alright driving with the heater off in a 60 degree car. Without that coat, I might need to leave the heater on until the car gets up to 75 to be comfortable...and that's closer to where the snakes should be.

If nothing else, put a thermometer probe in a tub so you can always keep an eye on it...it's easy to run the probe from your back seat to the display where you can set it up on your dash board or something for a constant readout.

[PghBall]

I'd get a few of the 12 hour feet warmer packs you can pick up at any place that sells hunting gear (the ones that have a sticky end). And put a couple on the bottom of your container. I would also take 3 heating pads that you could plug in at a motel if the travel requires overnight lodging.

[jsmorphs2]

Sterelite tubs in an appropriately heated car would work for a day or two drive. If you were staying in a hotel at some point along the way I'm sure you could probably sneak them into your room and into an appropriate setup for the night (that is, unless you're talking about 3 adult retics or something like that!)

That is what we did for our move from Chicago to Clorado Springs. I kept the car around 78* using a/c durring the day and heat at night (we moved in October ). I had a temp gun to check the temps periodically. We stopped half way at a friends house. I placed plug- in heat pads on the sides of the sterlite tubs at night. The temps stayed around 78-80. Also be sure to keep the sun off the tubs. I used a bed sheet to cover them since we have a hatchback. Also don't put the tubs directly on the floor of the car. Heat from the exahust can raise the temps and it can acctualy cause fatalities.

Sorry for the spelling...typing from my phone. :/

[mainbutter]

Overheating is a bigger problem in transportation than freezing. I'd rather have a ball python be 70-75*F for a day than 100*F.

[SlitherinSisters]

A friend of mine moved from Iowa to Virgina last year with his collection. I believe he had around 30 snakes, and a bater full of eggs. All the snakes made it safe and sound, as did the eggs. All you have to do is pack them up like you would if you were shipping them, monitor the temps and use heat/ice packs as necessary.