It's been a while!

[Bogertophis]

I’m going to have to move pretty soon, hopefully at the end of this semester. I’m expecting to have to move pretty far away which has me concerned. The move up here was around 4 hours and that was difficult, I can only imagine moving cross country with all my pets (7 atm). Do you have any tips as far as moving animals or moving in general? How did you keep your enclosures safe from damage? How did you fit everything in a moving van and not damage anything? When I moved up here my stuff BARELY fit and I’ve acquired more crap since then lol Also, I’ll have to tow my car with me which should be a blast. Someone should make a moving with reptiles thread on here.


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There have been threads about moving with reptiles here. I can't speak to moving your enclosures, but snakes travel very well with minimal preparation.

1. Make sure they haven't eaten for at least a week or two, so you don't have them defecating in their travel bags.

2. Bag each snake separately in a cloth snake bag or pillow case & close securely. (I hate trying to untie cloth bags & have never had any escapes with my method: first I seal with a wire twist-tie, then fold that part of the bag over on itself & wrap with a strong rubber band. Take a few extra twist-ties & rubber bands along in case.)

3. Use thick styro-foam shipping containers or "ice chests" to transport the bagged snakes, & keep their temperatures from wild fluctuations enroute; don't crowd or overlap the bags inside, & put only snakes of similar size & weight (bagged) together in the same 'ice chest'- otherwise you run the remote risk of a heavy snake sliding on top of a small one & causing harm. Remember that both cold & sun/heat can kill exposed snakes: I never travel even a short local distance without packing my snakes this way.

4. If you might not remember (or have a chance) to open the ice chest every 8 hours for fresh air, either poke a few small air holes in the styrofoam, or put a small wad of tape (or chewing gum, lol) in the opening of the lid so it doesn't quite seal tight.

5. Personally, I felt better checking on my snakes when I stopped for the evenings, & I found all were calm & sleepy, & most took a drink of water when I offered. I had NO issues (illness or injury) during or after my 3 day move with any of my snakes.

6. Keep in mind that when you carry an ice chest/styro-foam box into a hotel room for the night, no one ever thinks it's anything but food & beverages for your trip.

7. I never left them in the car for the night, always took inside my rooms. If you need more warmth, heat packs used in shipping can be used, or just a water bottle full of hot water will keep them comfy for 8 hours or so. Modify as needed for temperatures where & when you're moving, but prepare just in case for delays too...never know when you might have traffic or a flat tire or other vehicle trouble. Overheating kills snakes if you're stuck without cooling-think ahead.