4 Hour road trip with bearded dragon.

Discussion in 'Bearded Dragons' started by rebecca moore, Dec 19, 2011.

  1. rebecca moore

    rebecca moore New Member

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    I searched up (My best) on the boards to find stuff about road trips with beardies and couldn't come up with anything.. I also have googled it but found somewhat conflicting information..
    Now, i live in canada. Right now the temperature is about -10 average. This friday i am bringing my bearded dragon with me because the woman that watches my cats is not comfortable watching over my beardie... Plus i feel safer and more secure having him with me so i know how he is doing!!

    I have a small little car. So it is easy to keep the heat up but i don't want to have to CRANK the heat for him.. So i guess that leaves me with a few questions.

    1. What can i keep him in while he is traveling with me? - I have a puppy carrier (metal crate - was thinking of putting up cardboard or something so he can't climb through the holes)
    2. Does he need his lights? or will he be ok without them for the 4 hours...
    3. Is a small heat pad under a repti carpet okay for the trip? - Any suggestions on heating pads? or how can i keep him warm?
    4. Will he be okay without food/water for the 4 hours?
    5. Should i keep it dark for him so he isn't stressed out but the movement/change?
    6. Will he be okay in a bit smaller of a terrarium then he is in right now for 4 days? (My mother has a 30 gallon tank - the one he is in is WAY too heavy to haul)
    7. What signs should i watch for if he is beginning to get sick/stressed??

    Thanks so much!! Happy holidays to you all.
    and sorry for posting so many threads - Got a looooot of questions i guess!!!
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    Ah road trips.... I've done many of those in my college days... lol. A 4 hour trip is not too bad when you think about the trips he possibly took to get to you! If you'd like to go the safest route, it would be to package him up as if he's being shipped (see this link) but for just 4 hours I don't think you have to go to that extreme. I know of a number of people who take their beardies out for walks in the summer time for a couple hours outside and they do fine without food, water, or their lights for that amount of time. As far as spending 4 days elsewhere... he will obviously need his lights, food, and water. If you'd like to just feed him salad in that time instead of his normal insect diet I don't think it would be a bad thing.

    When having him in the car, if you're not going to package him up fully, it might be the least stressful to place him in the dog carrier securely, wrapped in a blanket, and possibly with one of those hand warmers under the blanket. I wouldn't put it directly under him, but under the same blanket that he's in would be a good idea. You also don't have to worry about purchasing any long lasting ones like you would have for shipping since he will only be in it for 4 hours.

    Hope that helps! And if you can, to make it a bit less stressful 4 days it would be helpful if you brought some of his normal cage furniture with you to put in the other tank for those 4 days - and don't forget his thermometer! Definitely need to know the temps in the 30gal tank! Good luck, hope that helps!
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. rebecca moore

    rebecca moore New Member

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    Great!! Thank you so much, ill take his hammock and feed dish with him. i feel bad having him in such a smaller tank but theres nothing i can do, i can't afford to buy another huge tank for a one time thing.

    And when you say wrap him up in a blanket. do you mean like so he's unable to walk?
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. supernova

    supernova Member

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    When I transport my Ball Pythons I have a 12v heating blanket that I wrap around the tub. It covers the entire tub and keeps it warm inside. You can get the 12v Cig lighter plug blankets at most truck stops, I got mine at a Pilot truck stop for around $25.
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. electrofelt

    electrofelt Member

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    When you wrap him up, you will almost be tucking him in as if he is a little kid : ) Not too tight that he can't move, though. When I travel with my friends beardie, I usually put him in a card board box with holes in the top for air, and then I put the heat pack on the bottom of the box, cover that with a small blanket or towel, put the beardie on top of that, and then cover him up with another small blanket (without covering his face). Yours should be fine if you do some variation of that. I also stick the probe of my thermometer right under his belly so I can check the temps while I am driving, but that may be over doing it : ) You can also make it dark for him during the drive, I think it does help to lessen the stress and they may even sleep through the entire ride. Hope that helps and have fun on your road trip : )
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. rebecca moore

    rebecca moore New Member

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    Great thank you guys so much - Is normal hand warmers okay? (The ones that heat from air that you use in the winter?) How big of a box should it be?? (If i use one)
     
  12. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    Yes, normal hand warmers are good for you because you don't need especially long lasting ones (like you would for shipping). And the box should be big enough that he can lay in it comfortably.
     
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  13. rebecca moore

    rebecca moore New Member

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    Okay, so. The trip went okay but now he isn't eating. hasn't ate all day. I have crickets in there cause he doesn't really like his salad normally anyway.

    His temperature in his cage is 92.. and i have only a MVB bulb in because thats all i brought. i don't know what to look for regarding "stress bars" so i don't know whats wrong. I'm hoping he's just stressed out and will be okay tomorrow or so.
     
  14. WingedWolf

    WingedWolf Member

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    Not unusual for a reptile to go off feed for a few days after a stressful event.
     
  15. rebecca moore

    rebecca moore New Member

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    Hi all - just an update!! everything went good he is home and well!!
     
    StikyPaws312 likes this.
  16. Cherin

    Cherin New Member

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    When I moved from colorado to nebraska I tried to make it as normal as possible, I moved her in her cage (20 gallon long) with the heat light still on and daylight on. I was too worried about her getting stressed but she handled it quite well. But after reading this wrapping her up seems like it would have been alot easier!!
     

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