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I am moving from New York City to Seattle, WA at the end of May...and I am trying to figure out the BEST way to get my turtle across the country. I am driving a truck cross country - and I don't want to take him with me in a truck...it wouldnt make any sense. I was going to have my friend FLY him home on a plane...but the airline said "absolutely not." so, I have looked into turtle SHIPMENT - but is that safe??? any and all suggestions welcome please! i'm desperate!

Me personally, I wouldn't ship him. I know sometimes turtles are shipped and it turns out ok but sometimes it doesn't. You could take him in the truck, I believe. How long would the trip be? Here's a thread from someone who did it:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... light=trip

Here are some tips on the site on moving a turtle:

http://www.redearslider.com/transportation.html

I moved from NY to Colorado and brought my turtle in the car with me. She rode in a small plastic container with a damp towel and a small handcloth to hide under. It's best if they don't have a lot of room in the in-car carrier so that they can't hurt themselves. I simply brought her into restaurants when we stopped to eat( the car would get too hot), and at night I set up a 10 gallon tank in the hotel room to let her bask and eat. It wasn't difficult and Leo was a hatchling at the time and did great, the biggest problem was smuggling her into hotels along the way .

I think that shipping is too risky. It's really not much work to bring the turtle in the car, and it doesn't take up much space.

Thanks for all the info...that thread was very helpful. I agree that shipping is too risky...she'll totally be able to manage seven or so days in the car, she's a tough cookie.

he he, plus you'll have a great companion with you for the long trip!

Excellent , I'm glad she'll be co-piloting. I think she'll do fine. Leo got used to the daily routine of 10 hours in the car and then a night of swimming. By the second night she was actually basking. Just make sure you have a small box or container with all of the turtles immediate needs. I kept a small box with the basking platform, water conditioner, filter, light, thermometer, heater, and food right inside the 10 gallon tank (space is limited in a Jetta lol) so that when I got to the hotel I didn't have to search for everything I needed. Once she got to her new home it took a few for her to realize we weren't packing up again anytime soon, but then she was happy as a clam.

Good luck with the move!

Yea, make sure to bring water conditioner with you! Lot's of hotels have heavily chlorinated water.

Yeah it'll be fine..and I am relieved to have her with me. Besides, when we get to seattle we're upgrading to a much larger tank (new york city is so space limited!) - so it'll be a nice reward after her journey. thanks again ... and I'll let you know how the move goes.