General Care Discussion :: Feeding a Traveling Turt

[Rush]

I'll be moving soon, and was just wondering what's the best way to travel with a turtle? I'm not sure if we will be going by plane or car, not even sure where we're moving.

Second questuon
I have never fed my turtle live prey before. I'm hesitant about feeding him fish. I usually just feed him carrots, romaine lettuce, ReptoMin floatie sticks coated in ReptoCal, ReptoMed turtle food, Krill, shrimp, and the occasional grape. Of course I know the propotion limit: Meals the size of the head, every otherday. Is this a healthy enough diet?
Thanks for everyones help!

[missibsu]

Do a search on travel and you will come up with some recent posts. We can give you some more specific ideas once you know how you will be traveling. Just be sure to check with airlines up front, a lot of them don't allow reptiles to travel.

As for the diet. The krill, and shrimp should be on the occassional list with the grape. Try more varieties of greens...different types of lettuce, like red leaf, dandelions are very good, and green peppers, red peppers, tomatos(occassionally), etc are all good. The key is to provide variety.

[reptilegrrl]

What is ReptoMed? How is it different from the ReptoMin?

I feed my guy two different types of pellet food, along with fresh veggies, and occasional live food. Now that he is in a pond he always has fresh vegetation to snack on.

I agree with Missibsu about variety- it is good to offer lots of variety, to keep them interested and insure good nutrition.

less than three inches seems VERY small for being 3 years old. Has he seen a vet to be checked for parasites? Does he have proper lighting?

With regard to travel: It is best to take him by car. You can keep him in a bucket as you drive, and mist him with water occasionally. In the evenings, when you make a stop, you can add more water so he can soak and get fully hydrated. In the mornings, feed him first thing, then empty out the extra water before getting back on the road.

[megcornell]

I moved my turtle across the country (NY to CO) and back for a summer internship. We kept him on a moist cloth in a tiny carrier during the day, out of direct sunlight and with a fake leaf to hide under while we drove. In the hotels at night we set up a small tank (10gal) with water and a basking spot and gave him light for a few hours while we went out to eat or whatever and fed him that night. In the AM we'd just pack up and go on the road again...it worked pretty well for Leo so perhaps your turt can travel this way too.
As far as plane travel, no major airlines accept pet turtles, and with the new heightened airline security I wouldn't risk trying to smuggle a turtle on. I talked to USAIr, delta, continental, all major cross country ones... so flying doesn't seem to be a good option, especially if you have a hatchling because they stress so easily, in my opinion,
hope this helps!