Help with moving Beardie

[harmongt]

I got a 1.5 yr old who is about 20 inches long

I am planning move to Chicago from south of DC. This is going to be a 15 hour trip and possibly an overnight hotel stay.
I figure since he needs uv basking to digest it may be a good idea to skip food for a day- thoughts

also Chicago is cold as all get out right now. I need to be prepared for 10degrees F weather. How should I transport him and how long can he be in such conditions. Obviously the truck is heated

Do blankets and such work the same for a cold blooded animal?

Thanks for any help/thoughts guys

 

[cloudnine]

Hmmmm, Cat/small dog carrier (the plastic kind without wide spaced bars) might work nice. Keep him inside the cab ofcourse. No trunks/bed or bungying to hood (to state the obvious). if you get some decent weather on your trip you could take him out at rest stops for a break and let him get some natural sun. if you have never set him down in the grass before, dont try it now. I had a bad experience with that once. Just hold him. Im not a scientist or anything but theoretically glass tanks (10 gallon or what not) would be bad for the obvious reason (smash ) and because of the suns reflection making it hotter that haides. If you can't fork out cash (moving isnt always cheap) for carrier, a large plastic tote....maybe a cardboard box with the flaps open at the top.... put an old towel down...paper towels. As far as skipping meals that day, i see where your going. I honestly dont know if thats necessary or not if your keeping the vehicle warm... say 78 to 80. I wish I could be of more help. You could also see if the pet store would give you one of those cardboard carriers they give you for free when you buy a cat.

 

[cloudnine]

Sorry i totally missed the part about 10 degree. Warm weather deffinantly not likely, Blankets wont work the same way for them as they do for us but they might keep a breeze off. Will be interesting to see some experienced answers to this.

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi... Pet stores carry a round disc that you put in the microwave, then wrap it in a towel for them to lay on. It stays warm for about 10 hours. If you can't find it, fill a sock with raw rice & tie the end. Warm it in the microwave. You can usually rewarm it at a quick stop or restaurant that has a micromave. It doesn't last as long as the disc does tho. The disc is about $25.

A rubbermaid type tote with blankets & the disc or rice sock works good. Make airholes in the lid with a drill and leave the lid on, both to keep the warmth in and so he doesn't climb out. With the temps cooler, he will probably sleep the whole way. And yes, I would feed him all he wants the morning of the day BEFORE you leave. And give him a good soak the night before you leave. Take a change of blankets & some paper towels in case he poops!!

Whenever you get there, wait for a couple hours after he is in his new set up before trying to feed him so he is warm enough. He might not eat for a few days, so don't worry.
Let us know how it goes
Good luck
Patsy

 

[sara24354]

Try to find some heat packs,sporting goods dept probably. Diane,diamc keeps them in case the power goes out I believe. If I'm wrong Diane,please correctme. She lives in NY and had a bad power outage a while back. Please keep something between your beardie and any heat source as they can burn their bellies,they sense heat from overhead and can get badly burned.Of course also put towels in the box to help hold heat and catch any messes.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

You should not have any problems transporting your beardie. Yes it will be cold but as long as you keep him warm he will be fine.
I would not reccomend the rice sock,as the earlier poster stated they do not stay warm long enough. You can buy hand warmers at your local Walmart or sporting goods store. They are very inexpensive(a few dollars). They last up to 10 hrs, but I would changed them out sooner than that,due to them not being as warm at 10 hrs. Do put a towel in between your beardie and the heat pack.
Blankets alone will do nothing,but with the warmers it will retain some of the heat.

Your beardie can go without the uvb for the trip...he will be fine.

If you are planning an overnight stay at a hotel you might want to bring his basking bulb. You could plug it in at the hotel and find something in the room to hang it over the container he is in. You might want to either transport him in an open container or bring one with you, so that you can hang the basking bulb over it. As long as he has his basking light you can feed him. The heat is what he needs to properly digest his food.

I hope that helps.

Good Luck on your trip...

Dawn

 

[harmongt]

Thank you all for the great advice. Heatpacks and such had crossed my mind but I am thankful for your experience and now I feel like I can use them. Now I am confident I can get him there happy and healthy. I'll post here after the move and let you all know how it worked out

Thanks guys

 

[darkcirca]

Do take into consideration how hot heat packs can get. I generally warp them in a towel/blanket and put them in the cage when transporting.

Avoid putting anything hard in the tank, such as hides/logs. If you nail your brakes, they could hurt your dragon. Just use a few blankets to provide grip on the surface. I often just use cardboard boxes, to minimize stress during the trip.

They have hand warmers that will last 20+ hours, maybe look into the longer lasting ones just in case. Like others said, bring your heatlight when you go to the hotel. Also, either see if they allow animals, or figure a way to get him in your room without anyone noticing. Then put the "do not disturb" sign on the door, and you should be alright.

Goodluck with the move. I've had my share of 3-5 hour trips with leopard geckos and they are always fine.

 

[fresnowitte]

I also recommend the hand warmer heat packs wrapped in a small towel or beardie blanket. I've used these in the past an also keep them in the beardie survival kit they come in handy when the power goes out or during traveling in cold weather. The ones I have last 8 to 10 hours an are very inexpensive for a little peace of mind.


Have a save trip!