moving across the country with a chameleon

[poppototamus]

Hi folks, I'm moving across the country at the end of June, literally California to Georgia. I have a couple of options for my chameleon. I can leave him with my father until I get to Georgia and then have my father mail him to me, or I can bring him with me in the car. I am more inclined to try the second option because my dad has this problem where he isn't real attentive. I am planning to put the chameleon in a smaller cage (his normal cage is five feet tall and won't fit in my car), with a familiar plant and perches and seat belt the cage into the car. I can bring crickets and super worms with me pretty easily, and I keep him hydrated with a spray bottle. we'll be staying in pet friendly hotels along the way so he won't ever have to stay in a closed car in the heat or cold.

I'm sure there are folks on this forum who've moved with chameleons before and any advice/guidance/criticism you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ladybones]

I have read on here people moving and traveling with Chams. and what I read is to put them in a shoe box with a towel on the bottom in case he falls and a stick through the middle for them to hold onto because it will be dark and he will just go to sleep during the trip and less stress on them. I believe you feed them as much as they want before the trip as Chameleons can go day's without eating. When you get to the hotel let him out of the box to wake up and hydrate him. Good luck on your trip.

 

[jannb]

I think the travel cage is a good idea. You might try taking him/her on a few rides ahead of time just to make sure that they enjoy the ride. I guess it's possible some chams might freak out and need the box method. Every cham I've ever had loves to ride. When I travel a long way with my chams I stop at rest stops and mist and sun them for 30 minutes or so every now and then. Just make sure they dry out before putting them back in an air conditioned car and I also make sure the AC isn't blowing right on them. Also make sure they aren't in the direct sun in the car. I take my temp gun to keep an eye on their temps.

 

[poppototamus]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I have read about the box method, but since the trip will take four days at the absolute minimum, that just seems like a very long time for him to be in a closed box and not eating, even with heavy feeding before leaving. Perhaps the benefits of reducing his stress level override the possible dangers of him getting a little bit thin?

If I do end up using a smaller cage in the car, I would definitely bring a blanket or a towel or something for a cover in case he seemed to be getting really stressed.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Here is how I moved my chams across country on a three day trip. They did great!
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/ferretinmyshoes/733-traveling-chameleons.html
4 days of not eating will not cause any weight loss or ill effect if your chameleon is healthy before the trip.

 

[djfishygillz]

Hi folks, I'm moving across the country at the end of June, literally California to Georgia. I have a couple of options for my chameleon. I can leave him with my father until I get to Georgia and then have my father mail him to me, or I can bring him with me in the car. I am more inclined to try the second option because my dad has this problem where he isn't real attentive. I am planning to put the chameleon in a smaller cage (his normal cage is five feet tall and won't fit in my car), with a familiar plant and perches and seat belt the cage into the car. I can bring crickets and super worms with me pretty easily, and I keep him hydrated with a spray bottle. we'll be staying in pet friendly hotels along the way so he won't ever have to stay in a closed car in the heat or cold.

I'm sure there are folks on this forum who've moved with chameleons before and any advice/guidance/criticism you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

This is a little off topic, but I am in sac also! Post a picture of your cham please!

Also good luck on the long move.

 

[poppototamus]

Ok Ok, the box method is looking more and more appealing. The laundry hamper also sounds like a good idea for the days before we leave when all my cages and terrariums have already left in the shipping pod.

 

[poppototamus]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/making-big-display-100667/ here's a link to a post from a while ago with the best picture i've got of Creature.

 

[Coded]

I don't travel long distances with mine(20-30 miles is the farthest so far), but I do have a laundry hamper travel cage($15 for the cage, $20 in fake vines, $5 for dowel rods - prices are approximate). NOTE: there is only one silk vine in the picture shown, I have since added a second one which is why it was about $20

Luckily my passenger seat goes forward quite a bit, so I just put the cage in the floor of the back seat so that it is pinned between the front and back seats.

Bucky seems to do fine, he crawls around quite a bit in his travel enclosure when driving. This is also his outside enclosure for when I am cleaning his cage or letting him enjoy the sun. The only thing I have noticed is that he usually doesn't eat as much in this cage(for some reason he likes his meals inside).

 

[poppototamus]

Oooo! I really like the dowel tree, that's awesome!

 

[Coded]

A bottle of wood glue and a few screws was all it took. I bought 2 1" dowels and 4 1/2 dowels all were 48" long(but I only used 3 of the 1/2" ones).

 

[poppototamus]

Yeah, that's sounds pretty simple. I was gonna try to put regular branches in there but I wasn't sure how to get them to not just be a pile of sticks in the bottom of the cage. I am gonna have to work on something like what you made!

 

[Thegreatfonz]

I've only traveled an hour and a half with my cham and the only thing that I wasnt comfortable with was leaving him on the seat in his cage. My car is only a coupe and it bounces and shakes a hell of a lot and I thought I was going to scramble my little guys brains if I left him on the seat. So I just put him on my lap and drove like that and it was muchh better.Just wanted to throw that out there cause it was something I wasnt expecting. But if you have a car with a nice smooth drive I wouldnt be worried

 

[poppototamus]

my car isn't too bouncy, plus we'll be on major freeways most of the way so bouncing likely won't be too much of a problem, i'll keep that in mind though!