Bringing Zim to Class

[Jay_Bunny]

My zoology class is learning about reptiles and I mentioned to my professor I have a snake and a gecko. She told me I could bring my snake in if I wanted to show the class. (So they can really see how the scales differ from aquatic animals and such. And also see how they breath in comparison to aquatic animals)

She wants me to bring Zim in next Thursday, since our exam on fishes is on Tuesday. What would be the best way of getting him there. Temps have been warm here in Virginia over the past few days, but I could check to see what next week has in store. What would be the best way of transporting, as far as actually getting him to the car, and the drive there. Should I put the heat on for him during the car ride, what kind of container, ect.

[PythonWallace]

I would put him in a snake bag in a small cooler with a heat pack for the ride, and a critter keeper with a small length of flexwatt to display him.

Edit: I thought it was a ball python when I replied. Maybe just run the car's heat for the ride, if the weather is warm there. The rest probably isn't needed.

[Jay_Bunny]

I have no flexwatt, and have no way of getting it, unless I order it online. I also don't have a snake bag.

I just checked what the high is thought to be on that day and the weather channel said 71 is the high. I will be transporting him at 10:30am and 1:45pm, so temps shouldn't be too low. I can get a Kritter Keeper though.

[tigerlily]

Try a pillowcase flipped inside out, for a snake bag. Then either knot it or use rubberbands to secure the bag.

A cooler and a hand warmer for a heat source are good ideas. I would also line the cooler with batting/cotton padding to help absorb the vibrations as well.

[Jay_Bunny]

We have tons of pillowcases, so I'll use one of those. Will he be able to breath ok in a bag?

Would some of those hand warmers you see at Walmart work? They heat up for a few hours after being exposed to air. I can get a small cooler and line it with towels.

[dalvers63]

Considering this is a cornsnake, I wouldn't worry about heating him. It will be more than warm enough (unless the school keeps the rooms really cold). I would make sure that he hasn't been fed in 4 or 5 days and then use a cotton pillowcase to transport him. If you aren't going to be able to hold him the complete time you're there, a Kritter keeper would be good to have...or you could just put him back in the pillowcase and keep him under your coat/shirt for warmth.

good luck! I will Zim the best in wowing the class :-)

[frankykeno]

We use these in various sizes to transport snakes, hold snakes while we clean enclosures or even some to transport live rats or mice from the rodent room to the snake room. You can pick them up pretty much anywhere, I get mine from a Dollar store, melt in a few ventilation holes and you are all set. They are very secure and have a handle. This size one in the picture is $2.00 and is the smaller one (perfect for a small colubrid).

[Jay_Bunny]

I could see about picking one of those up. It looks really handy and I have the whole day off tomorrow. I can hold him the entire time, and for at least part of class, he will be out and about. When he's being handled, he's pretty chill and only moves around a lot when there is something active going on.

The rooms are not cold, and are around 73 I would say. I'll move his feeding day to after the class, maybe Friday or Saturday. If I get the carrier and put ventilation holes in it, will he need to be in a bag, should I provide newspaper if the bag is not needed?

[Jay_Bunny]

I got one of those tubs. Great price. I also got a soldering iron to make the holes. Thanks for the suggestion. Should I put anything in there with him when I transport him?