General Care Discussion :: Transporting a turtle by car

[drummer queen]

I'm going to pick up a second turtle this weekend and will be bringing it home by car. It's a 7 hour drive and I read before that they don't need to be in the water while traveling but is 7 hours without water too long? I'll make sure I keep him warm but I'm just afraid he'll dry out. How long can they go without water? He's probably no bigger that an inch and a half (shell length).

[Tenodera]

I've read that turtles can survive 9 hours on land from another place on this forum...
You could put in some damp moss to make the trip for the turtle more confortable and moist

I'm not too sure, wait for a more experienced person to answer lol

[xsavingsaturdayx]

He will be fine, dont worry. When turtles are sick with fungus,vets recommend keeping them out of the water for 19-21 hours (you can look it up yourself at www.austinsturtlepage.com). Just focus on making the trip very un-stressful.

[yertle_the_girl_turtle]

Try a damp washcloth. Bring some bottled water, too, to re-wet the washcloth when need be.

[drummer queen]

Thanks! I hope he won't get too stresses out

[industrial_girl_2000]

Transport him dry in a plastic container (you can put a dry towel in there for him to crawl into). And when you stop at a rest stop or to get food, take the towel out, add some bottled water to his container (enough to cover his shell) so he can get a drink. Then after about 10 min. dump the water & dry him off & put the dry towel back in. He does not need to be "kept wet" for the trip. If anything, that may give him chills which could make him sick.

Turtles can be kept out of the water for up to 8 hours. Heck, many of the ones in my dad's pond will bask for 8 hours straight in the summer without going back in the water! They only jump in if they get scared or something.

[myrtle1123]

When I brought myrtle home from the petstore she was in a box with a wet paper towel at the bottom... like what yertle_the_girl_turtle said

[Rocky YBS]

i was in the same position as you. what i did is get a damp cloth, put the damp cloth in the box and bring a bottle of water.not cold. enjoy the new turtle. what type are you getting?

[drummer queen]

I'm getting another RES. I got the first one last August and he's doing really well.

I hope they get along but if not, I know someone who'd take the other one. I don't think I'd want to have two aquariums set up!