Moving During Winter

[Mael]

So I'm going to be moving come the first of January, and I live in TORONTO! I don't know if everyone else knows, but Toronto is crazy full of snow at the moment and I have to figure out how to get my little guy from point a to point b.

He's a 1.5year old veiled in a large 4x4x6 cage. The enclosure has a benjamini ficus and a pothos inside.

Ideas?

 

[beeze]

How far are you moving? Do you have heat in you car?

 

[chameleon97]

So I'm going to be moving come the first of January, and I live in TORONTO! I don't know if everyone else knows, but Toronto is crazy full of snow at the moment and I have to figure out how to get my little guy from point a to point b.

He's a 1.5year old veiled in a large 4x4x6 cage. The enclosure has a benjamini ficus and a pothos inside.

Ideas?

how far are you moving? your cham will be freaked out, but will be fine. if you have a power inverter/car outlet-normal plug converter you could plug in a heat lamp, if you have heated seats you should put the cage over it, with warm air blowing inside.

hope this helps,
-steven

 

[Mael]

I was thinking I'd warm the car up first and move his whole enclosure out to the back seat. Outside is pretty cold, right now it's -11 C. I am not moving too far, about a half-hour drive or less by car.

 

[BocaJan]

I would not drive him to the new place in the enclosure, but in a cardboard shoe box or a little larger, so he can't rattle around. Put in some newspaper and close the top. He will settle down and sleep in the dark. It will help him from maybe flying off his perch when you go around a corner or over a pot hole. I think it will also help him stay warmer cause you can keep him in the front seat with you.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I would not drive him to the new place in the enclosure, but in a cardboard shoe box or a little larger, so he can't rattle around. Put in some newspaper and close the top. He will settle down and sleep in the dark. It will help him from maybe flying off his perch when you go around a corner or over a pot hole. I think it will also help him stay warmer cause you can keep him in the front seat with you.

I agree. I take mine to the vet in shoe-box like carriers, and that's a couple hours away (longer the other day cuz of snow conditions). Warm the car. Wrap the box with a towel if your outside long, along with a hot water bottle or one of those chemical heat packs (not touching the cham) if needs be.

 

[kinyonga]

Don't put the heat source under the box either...put it beside the box.

 

[Lancecham]

Warm up the car beforehand so it is comfortable for you. If it is comfortable for you (70degees), it will be comfortable for him. Focus more on keeping him stress free. Like BocaJan said, a box or a cloth bag with shredded newspaper will be perfect. As long as he can't see what is going on, his stress will be reduced. Also, with him in a box or cloth bag, he will sleep during the trip.

 

[Mael]

I just wanted to let everyone know my little guy is all setup in his home and is really enjoying it! I think he likes to have his world shook up a little bit as his colours are brighter than ever!

I moved him in the shoe box with his enclosure in the back of the car. There was one unfortunate mishap however - I forgot a part of the enclosure and therefore couldn't set it up. So, instead of being sensible and leaving him in the box I took him out and put him on top of the potted Ivy usually in his enclosure that had also been moved. I hung the ivy with a heat lamp overtop thinking that he'd be a good boy and stay in the ivy while I finished the move.

Boy was I wrong. When I got back to the apartment and had a good look through the ivy i realized he was nowhere to be found. I make everyone in the apartment freeze, and we all carefully look everywhere for him. We end up finding him in the corner of my empty bedroom just sitting on the wall like so - i think the little guy had a nap in the dark.

Of course I had to pick him up to get him back in his enclosure and he put on his war colours for me!

Needless to say my little guy is happy and healthy now and back in his cage. Sorry about the bad quality, it was an iPhone!