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We are moving to Cedar Rapids IA. The packers come tomorrow so I will be off the air for a few weeks after tonight. It will be a 1200 mile drive there from here in South Carolina. I got the turtle a 45 gallon rubbermaid container to put our big girl in for the trip. I read on another forum where somebody suggested using those glove warmer packets to keep the turtle warm. I built a 3-4 inch raised platform in the container for her to sit on with a slate tile and i'll put some of the warmers there to heat it up and keep her warm in the car. Then in the hotel i'll put water in and set up her basking lamp so she can 3-4 hours of UV light before we go to bed.

Any other tips or suggestions from people that have driven cross country with their turtles?

Why dont you get a power inverter for the car and run the heater off of that?

retard wrote:Why dont you get a power inverter for the car and run the heater off of that?

Transporting the turtle in water in the car is not a good idea.

Sounds like a good idea and have a good trip! I'll have to add some of your details on this page http://www.redearslider.com/transportation.html

Thanks Steve. I decided to put the handwarmers in a sock and I also added some dry towels on one side so she can burrow if she wants. I'll probably put the hand warmers in there so provide warmth when she wants it.

Ok the packers will be here shortly so I have to go empty the tank and mover her into her temp home. The movers are sending a specialist here to build a custom crate to move the tank so it doesn't get broken.

Hope your move went well and that your big girl didn't stress too much.

I've used those handwarmers for transporting in cool weather and they worked well. I did, however, put them under a damp cloth to provide some humidity along with some added warmth.

marisa wrote:I've used those handwarmers for transporting in cool weather and they worked well. I did, however, put them under a damp cloth to provide some humidity along with some added warmth.

I put them in a sock and layed it inside some towels and she snuggled up on top of it. We are in the first hotel now. In the hotel I put some water in the tub and have the slate tile sitting at an angle so it creates a ramp down to the water and have the UV basking light over it. I originally created a slightly elevated basking area with the top of a crate but she had trouble climbing up so I took that out. The tilted slate tile is working well though as she can easily climb out of the water and sit under the lamp.

I was worried about putting anything damp in the tub in the car as I thought it would make her cold.

I also tried putting the top of the tub on in the and leave it cracked to make her think it is nighttime and she would sleep but when she poops the fumes from it build up inside and get really strong.

I keep trying different things to see what works best.

She will be back in her tank again on Monday when we get to Iowa and the movers unload the truck.

Ok we are in Kentucky and she is still doing well. I put some more towels in her tub so she can burrow more while riding in the car. The last hotel was kind enough to "donate" a couple of towels.

Ok we are in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We are in a hotel until Monday when we get the keys to our house and the movers get here. She still seems to be doing okay although she won't eat. I suppose she won't starve herself to death. Eventually she will have to eat.

Good to hear it's going well so far!
I like the day by day updates, I think it will be really helpful for anyone else who needs to move their turt!

Thanks Spookster! I will be in a similar situation when I visit mybrosteve Sunday to pick up one of the RES babies. Of course, my trip won't be as long as yours is....mine's about 8-9 hours (Detroit to Philly & I am taking one of my friends with me who used to live out near Atlantic City, NJ). Ought to be a fun trip!

I live close to Philly also,(about 20 min. drive) and would love to get a baby from mybrosteve, but my set-up is already too small, and I don't have the money right know(no work till spring ).

Well I gave her some grapes and she is eating those so at least she is eating now. She is doing pretty good overall. I took some photos of how we have her setup in the hotel which i'll add to my turtle gallery eventually. As for the car ride definitely add many towels for them to burrow in. It makes for a cushioned ride and helps keep the warmth in and protects them from cold drafts of air. The hand warmers in a sock worked great. She would crawl on top of the sock and sit there and keep herself warm. In the hotel we only put about 2 inches of water in the tub but that is because she is a 10 inch RES and we can't put enough in for her to swim without her being able to get out. Since this is just for a few days though just a couple of inches of water allows her to drink and eat and wet herself down when she needs it. And with the slate tile on one end propped up at an angle out of the water allows her to get out and dry off under the clamp lamp UV light we have. All of this seems to work well for an adult RES on week long trip out of her regular tank.

Sounds like great progress. I'm sure she's looking forward to a deep swim