General Care Discussion :: Plan B?

[megcornell]

I was planning on flying Leo to Denver with me next weekend but USAir just called me today to tell me that although he'd be fine for the pitts->denver flight he's not allowed on the shorter connecting flight. Although I've read the various turtle smuggling tales on the site I'm not sure I'm comfortable trying to pull something over on airport security post 9/11... so I'm thinking of having Leo drive out with my boyfriend.
I've read up on the techniques and advice you guys have posted and have already found a small traveling box and am working on a suitable night time set up for him. I just wanted some honest opinions on how hard the journey would be for Leo. I'm trying to make it as comfortable as possible but this whole travelling thing is not working out well and I'm discouraged by it, so I'm just trying to get a sense of reality on what I'm trying to put my turtle through.... thanks!

[missibsu]

How many days is your bf planning on spending to get to Colorado? I will say that I think it is going to be stressful, but there are lots of things that you can do to reduce that stress. A lot of the information would be the same as when you were planning on flying with him. A small(ish) container...the one you already had picked out and keep him covered so he can sleep. If you are dealing with stops at night though, you might want to consider something that can be set up as a temporary set up in a hotel room. Don't forget to think about the water quality along the way...hotels in larger cities are going to have chlorine and other chemicals in the water, so you might want to send along some water conditioner. Once we know how many days we are looking at, it might help with additonal concerns and suggestions.

[megcornell]

he's planning on 2.5days to travel... i'm going to get him a 5-10 gal tank to set up at night so leo can rehydrate and eat if he wants although i feel he probably won't eat... as far as water, we've already discussed the need to buy bottled water along the way because hotel water just isn't good. And Leo will be getting water along the way to stay hydrated, I'm thinking heat is the main issue we're facing so i'm trying to keep that to a minimum...

[cam722]

Another thing is to remember the air conditioning.. and not to have the air temp in the car too hot or too cold. Might be a real pain for your boyfriend..

[missibsu]

You're going to have to find a place in the car that isn't in any direct sunlight and not in any drafts. That means he might have to be moved depending on location and time of day.

[marisa]

Glad you're not going to chance flying without airline approval for the whole flight (I actually deleted my post about what I did because I didn't want to encourage anyone to do it.)

Brace the container so it doesn't tip and if you put it on the floor, pad it underneath to minimize bumps and vibrations. If you keep the top covered, you shouldn't have to worry about drafts, but be careful with the airconditioning and the temp. Some other info (I think you know a lot of it) is here: http://www.turtlecare.net/fly.htm (for driving as well as flying)

[KellyP]

I bought my RES in florida on vacation and transported them 1500 miles back to CT with me by car. What we did was we had a small container to keep them in while we were in the car driving. Then at night we stoped at a hotel and filled a rubermade container with water, and set it up for them for the night. They did fine that way. So it can be done.

[megcornell]

if I use a rubbermaid container at night is it still ok to use the suction cup heater ebcause i've read that the suction cups don't stick well to those containers and I don't want to melt the container, blow my heater, or start a fire haha...