What do you do with your beardie when you travel?

[ChiefsDaddy]

I know this topic has been discussed ad nauseum, trust me, I read every single thread on the subject, but I just wanted to ask around the forum and see what people do with their beardies when they have to travel or go on vacation. I know everyone does something different, so I just want to hear what you personally do.

I've noticed the general consensus is to use a pet carrier and hand warmer packs, and that sounds fine for a car ride, but what if you have to go on vacation for a week?

Do you take your beardie with you? What kind of setup do you use?
Do you leave your beardie with friends or family?
Do you leave your beardie at a pet shop or reptile 'kennel' of some sort?

So... What do you do with your beardie when you travel?

 

[MissT]

Lots of people will buy a 20 gallon rubbermaid tub (or smaller if your beardie is still little) and make a temporary set up if they are taking their beardie with them - you can get a clamp lamp to attach to the side and if your uvb is long enough it should rest across the top although a few days without uvb for an older dragon would be ok.

Personally, last time I went away, Phoebe and Huff went into boarding in the pet store and Kazi went to stay with my sister for the week!

 

[triumphtt]

I'm normally only gone for 2 days at most so he normally just stays home with some extra food and stuff. Puff only eat every other day for the most part so 1 day doesn't hurt. When we did go away for 5 day he went to a family friends though who used to work at petsmart so it wasn't a big deal. I also have a sister-in-law that also works at petsmart so I guess I'm pretty lucky.

It seems much easier to have someone watch a dragon then a dog really.

 

[Jamiedog]

I've fortunately got an animal-loving friend who takes wonderful care of Wave when we're away. It's worked out great for all concerned both times we've done it, and I can pay in ice cream. :lol:

 

[McSkweeky]

One of my biggest concern in getting a beardie is traveling. I don't want to get a younger beardie (adults seem so much harder to find) and then have to go on the vacations I have planned and expect someone else to put forth all the effort in feeding/caring for a subadult. I go for weekends at my parents' house where I could take him/her with me, but for longer trips I'd have to ask my scatterbrained roommate to watch it. I'm already having to take care of his 3 box turtles because he's so busy.

I'm dying to get a beardie though. This forum is definitely encouraging me to get one - everyone here is so nice and helpful!

Maggie

 

[Toyguy]

My local pet shop, not a chain shop but locally owned, offers boarding for $5 a day. I do that because it is so convenient and I needn't bother any of my friends, etc. They have an excellent selection of exotics so he gets good care there. I never looked into it, but I bet some exotic vets might offer the same type of service.

 

[ChiefsDaddy]

My local pet shop, not a chain shop but locally owned, offers boarding for $5 a day. I do that because it is so convenient and I needn't bother any of my friends, etc. They have an excellent selection of exotics so he gets good care there. I never looked into it, but I bet some exotic vets might offer the same type of service.

I believe my locally owned shop offers the same.

The reason I asked the question is because my wife and I will be away from home for a week for our anniversary in October. We will only be about an hour away from home. We don't know anyone in town that we would trust our beardie to. Of course, one option is boarding. This is actually the same shop I got my beardie from and I totally trust the owner to do a good job.

But, I'm sure everyone here understands that no matter how much I trust my shop, I would not be fully able to enjoy my vacation worrying about my little Chief. My other option is to take him with me. My mother-in-law has spare 10-gallon tanks and he will be about 3.5 months old at the time, so that should be fine. I can take my lights and timers with me and set him up in the hotel room.

I'm really torn between to two options. Taking him with me is kind of a pain in the butt, but I would be much happier having my little guy with me. On the other hand, I know the shop will do a great job and he would probably get more attention there than he would with me. What to do, what to do....

 

[MissT]

Do you have anyone who could call to the shop and check in on him once or twice through the week? Or even ask the owner if it would be possible for you to call and check how he is doing? When we were on honeymoon, I phoned my sister every day to check on how Kazi was doing and some other family checked in on Phoebe and Huff at the pet shop. I knew they were all being looked after but I still needed to check in!

 

[ChiefsDaddy]

Do you have anyone who could call to the shop and check in on him once or twice through the week? Or even ask the owner if it would be possible for you to call and check how he is doing? When we were on honeymoon, I phoned my sister every day to check on how Kazi was doing and some other family checked in on Phoebe and Huff at the pet shop. I knew they were all being looked after but I still needed to check in!

I suppose I could call the shop to check up on him. I don't really know anyone in this town. All my friends and family live about 5 hours away. Like I said, I totally trust the shop. The owner has been breeding reptiles for a long time and they seem to really care about all the animals they have there. I guess I just want my little Chiefy Man to go with me. I have some time to make a decision, but it's kinda stressing me out. I guess I'm just pretty attached to the little guy already.

 

[grendel9]

I drove across the country with Grendel when I moved, and while it wasn't super convenient, we set up a small tank with light, heater, etc. in motel rooms every night. We made sure to stop relatively early every day so she could get a bath (if necessary), eat, poop, bask, etc. In the car, she had a soft-sided carrier with a blanket, though she spent much of her time in a lap, looking out the window. She had definite music preferences - no show tunes!

I don't think anyone mentioned the idea of hiring a pet sitter. When I go on vacation next month, I'll be paying someone to come in and feed Grendel and the cats and loaches. They've been recommended and are insured and bonded. I checked with a couple of airlines, and they said no reptiles on their planes, though I've yet to find that in writing. I flew with a small corn snake about 20 years ago. He was in a pet carrier and did well, and my dad had a temporary tank set up for him. Times have changed, I guess. Damn you, Samuel L. Jackson!