Planning a Move, Need Advice

[gaitedappy]

So in about a year I'm planning on moving from Southern California to Massachusetts, potentially with 4 snakes (at the moment it is only 3). I think I have the basics of it figured out, I'm going to put them all in bins, and keep my car's internal temp around 75-78 degrees each day of the four day adventure. I'm looking for suggestions about the size of the tubs I should use so as to keep the stress as low as possible. I'm going to have at least two ball pythons, one adult that hovers around 2000g, and one that will be about 2 years old, a two year old brb, and maybe either a year old bp or bci (depending on what happens in the next month or two).

My plan is to use the minimum size with basically blacked out sides since it's only a few days, but I'm still not sure what size I should plan for.

Any suggestions and tips are much appreciated. Thank you all in advance.


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[piedlover79]

When I drove across country I put my snakes each in their own pillow case so they wouldn't slide around in a bin. Each bag went in a box with shredded newspaper as though I was shipping them.

[gaitedappy]

When I drove across country I put my snakes each in their own pillow case so they wouldn't slide around in a bin. Each bag went in a box with shredded newspaper as though I was shipping them.

They didn't get dehydrated or anything that way?


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[piedlover79]

At night I gave them a quick soak in bin with about an inch of water to give them a chance to drink.

[dorydiver]

Did this (the other direction) recently. And I've moved a lot of reptiles and fish for work.

Put mine in a bin with air holes (the sterilite kind with the handles that latch, or a critter keeper, depending on the animal size). I try to keep the bins at a size that doesn't just pack them in, allows them to reposition themselves if needed to stay comfortable, but also lets them feel secure and that they won't bounce around in if I have to stop quickly. I get ones that allow just enough room for a water dish at night and that seems to work.
I use a cypress mulch substrate, so the humidity stays ok and they don't slide around in the bins in the car (they have more purchase on the substrate than if they were on paper towels, and they can dig into it a bit for security if they want).
If a hide fits in the bin, and it won't slide around, I put it in, otherwise I just cover the sides.
I prepare the bins a day ahead of time to make sure the mulch gets warm and the temp inside is ok.
I keep the car warm (but not too warm, it's easier than you think to overheat a reptile in a car while trying to keep them warm enough), check the temps inside every time we stop (remember your ambient car air may not always be the same as what's inside a plastic tub), put a water dish in every night, and watch for any soiling. I keep a bag of substrate in the car, so if I need to change any, it's already the same temperature.
Not a bad idea to just carry an easily accessible heat lamp in case you do need to help out any temperatures at night.
Watch the sun through the windows - it may not change the ambient temp near you much, but sunlight shining directly onto a plastic container for an hour can heat it up pretty quickly (those stick-on window shades are good for this, or anything to block light).
I also seat-belt them in. Overkill? Maybe, but not if it stops a tub from flying off the seat during a sudden stop. (I also know of people who put the tubs into a box with newspaper around the bottom and sides, then seatbelt in the boxes so that there is more impact protection AND help with insulation and preventing temp fluctuations - I don't do this, cause I like easy access to check on things, but it's not a bad plan.)

Never had an issue. They are pretty resilient critters, and you obviously care enough to be planning ahead of time (trust me, I understand, I'm a nervous wreck every time I transport any animal - and a big proponent of just because something may not "need" a step I'm taking in order to stay alive, doesn't mean I shouldn't do my best to minimize the stress level as much as possible), so if you just keep an eye on them and do the best you can to keep the temps decent, yours will be great. A few days of stress, even with a little dehydration, will be easy to recover from on the other end.

One note: Be careful about putting your bins on the floor of the vehicle. I'm not sure what you're driving, but there are horror stories of people transporting snakes, and the ones in contact with the floor of the truck ending up cooked due to the heat of the bottom of the car. I know in the last Uhaul we drove, the floor of the cab, while flat and dark and looking like a perfect snug spot for a snake bin, had to literally be over 120 degrees while driving - I couldn't even touch it with my feet the whole trip. If I'd had a reptile with me for that trip, it would have ridden on my lap the whole way!

[gaitedappy]

Did this (the other direction) recently. And I've moved a lot of reptiles and fish for work.

Put mine in a bin with air holes (the sterilite kind with the handles that latch, or a critter keeper, depending on the animal size). I try to keep the bins at a size that doesn't just pack them in, allows them to reposition themselves if needed to stay comfortable, but also lets them feel secure and that they won't bounce around in if I have to stop quickly. I get ones that allow just enough room for a water dish at night and that seems to work.
I use a cypress mulch substrate, so the humidity stays ok and they don't slide around in the bins in the car (they have more purchase on the substrate than if they were on paper towels, and they can dig into it a bit for security if they want).
If a hide fits in the bin, and it won't slide around, I put it in, otherwise I just cover the sides.
I prepare the bins a day ahead of time to make sure the mulch gets warm and the temp inside is ok.
I keep the car warm (but not too warm, it's easier than you think to overheat a reptile in a car while trying to keep them warm enough), check the temps inside every time we stop (remember your ambient car air may not always be the same as what's inside a plastic tub), put a water dish in every night, and watch for any soiling. I keep a bag of substrate in the car, so if I need to change any, it's already the same temperature.
Not a bad idea to just carry an easily accessible heat lamp in case you do need to help out any temperatures at night.
Watch the sun through the windows - it may not change the ambient temp near you much, but sunlight shining directly onto a plastic container for an hour can heat it up pretty quickly (those stick-on window shades are good for this, or anything to block light).
I also seat-belt them in. Overkill? Maybe, but not if it stops a tub from flying off the seat during a sudden stop. (I also know of people who put the tubs into a box with newspaper around the bottom and sides, then seatbelt in the boxes so that there is more impact protection AND help with insulation and preventing temp fluctuations - I don't do this, cause I like easy access to check on things, but it's not a bad plan.)

Never had an issue. They are pretty resilient critters, and you obviously care enough to be planning ahead of time (trust me, I understand, I'm a nervous wreck every time I transport any animal - and a big proponent of just because something may not "need" a step I'm taking in order to stay alive, doesn't mean I shouldn't do my best to minimize the stress level as much as possible), so if you just keep an eye on them and do the best you can to keep the temps decent, yours will be great. A few days of stress, even with a little dehydration, will be easy to recover from on the other end.

One note: Be careful about putting your bins on the floor of the vehicle. I'm not sure what you're driving, but there are horror stories of people transporting snakes, and the ones in contact with the floor of the truck ending up cooked due to the heat of the bottom of the car. I know in the last Uhaul we drove, the floor of the cab, while flat and dark and looking like a perfect snug spot for a snake bin, had to literally be over 120 degrees while driving - I couldn't even touch it with my feet the whole trip. If I'd had a reptile with me for that trip, it would have ridden on my lap the whole way!

I'm in a jeep Cherokee. Thanks you so much for the advice! I'm planning on running thermometers for each snake and sticking them somewhere I can check regularly (easy since they already have their own).


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