General Care Discussion :: YBS Going Home for Christmas! Travel Question...

[DrConradTurtle]

I have a very healthy and active Yellow-Belly Slider named "Doc". He is very small as he is a late 2007 summer hatchling. Right now he lives in a large aquarium in my dorm room.

I am taking Doc home for Christmas break and I have a clarification question about how I should move him. The transport instructions say that I should use a cardboard box with shredded towel or newspaper. My question is; should the towels and newspaper in the box be wet? I know turtles can dry out when in open sun and don't have access to water...but do I have to worry about this for a 5 hour car ride home in a warm car?

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer!

-Doc's Dad

[N4784N R4613]

IMO, you should keep everything dry. The water will evaporate, and cause everything to become colder. He should be fine for 5 hours, but if you can find a warm place to re-hydrate him about half way though your drive, that wouldn't hurt anything.

Good luck, and have a Merry Christmas!!!

Nathan.

[DrConradTurtle]

thank you! that sounds reasonable to me. merry christmas to you too! i appreciate you taking the time to respond.

[megcornell]

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

[DrConradTurtle]

Yes, you clearly did not read my question. With all that information in mind, it was still a mystery as to whether or not the towels in the box should be wet or dry, since turtles can dry out and die when they have no access to water.

[Vivi]

well like N4784N said the towels should be dry because you dont want anything wet in there with your lil guy. im sure s/he will be fine for 5 hours. but if you can stop by and rehydrate him then that would be awesome.

the link that meg provided basically should answer all yours questions.

and i doubt that a turtle is going to dry out and die because it was out of the water for 5 hours. that only can happen if you leave the turt in the sun and its very very hot or live him out for a couple of days.

[mikee]

Dr C T -- When I have taken mine cross country I put them in the bottom of a plastic bucket with damp/wet paper towels. When I stopped I took them into the hotel and put them in the my room with a small aquarium heater and water. It was a two day trip and they did just fine. You will need to take care to not let them get cold while riding in the car.

[marisa]

DrConradTurtle, you don't say where you are or what kind of weather you'll be driving in...If it's really cold, I'd wrap a heat pack in a towel (if the container is small, those packs to heat hands that you shake could be used) and put it on the bottom of the container for some warmth---you don't want your turtle to be able to touch it and get burned. You could dampen it slightly to provide added humidity if the air is dry, but don't make it really wet. If you do this, check the towel to see how warm the heat pack makes it before you put the turtle on it. Give him another cloth to burrow under. Check on him along the way, but make sure he doesn't get exposed to any drafts or breezes. Have the interior car temp at a comfortable temp. You don't say whether you'll be stopping along the way, but I think he should be OK for a 5-hour trip. If you keep him in the dark, he'll probably sleep.

I've traveled this way with my RES and didn't have a problem.

[DIANTE]

critter ceeper with 1 inch of water

[SpotsMama]

DIANTE, are you saying someone should transport their turtle in a container with an inch of water in it? That would not be a good idea. Especially in winter it would be difficult to keep the water from getting chilly and it would get very dirty too. The sloshing of the water in the container from the movement of the car would keep the turtle from relaxing and going to sleep. Turtles can tolerate being dry for an afternoon and it's much easier to keep them warm if they are in a dry container. If the air is very dry or the trip with be long, then some moist towels to provide humidity would be fine.