Thoughts on Traveling with a Crested Gecko

[gillp15]

Hi! I'm new to the community and was planning to get a crested gecko within the next couple of months, after I get the bio-active enclosure set up and ready, but I currently go to college and was curious about the specifics of traveling back home with him (or her lol). I live about a 3 hour drive from home and was planning on transporting everything with me for the month long winter break and then coming back to school the following semester, before ultimately moving back home 4 months later for the summer more permanently (as I will be graduating and likely be living at home for a while) is that too much traveling to be doing with a crested gecko, especially that early on in owning one? Should I just wait until I'm back home to get one? As much as I would love to have one as early as I can get everything set up and ready, I don't want to put them through that much traveling if it would be detrimental to their health, or stress them out.
Also, if it wouldn't be too large of an issue to travel those distances, I would appreciate any advice people have on traveling with a gecko!

Thanks for any help

 

[acpart]

In my opinion these guys are hardier than most people give them credit for. I used to take juvenile geckos to a reptile expo where I had to drive 2 hours to my friend's house, spend the night and then drive about 1 1/2 hours to the show. After doing the show, I'd drive back home. Consider having a setup at school and one at home. If you get a juvenile gecko (try not to get a teeny hatchling), a 10 gallon tank or a 12"x12"x18" will be fine for school. The permanent enclosure should be at least 18x18x18 (24"high is even better). See if you can find someone to do the bioactive part with the home enclosure. Better yet, take your time finding a gecko, set up your permanent enclosure at home, and get your gecko when you get back to school. That way, you can keep it in a smaller enclosure from mid-Jan to May and then bring it home to its permanent home. When you travel with it, get a deli cup with holes punched in the side (check out shipyourreptiles.com for the deli cup, or use the deli cup the gecko comes in when you get it). Put the gecko in the deli cup, put the cup in a plastic bin so it doesn't roll around too much, and do the drive.

Aliza

 

[gillp15]

In my opinion these guys are hardier than most people give them credit for. I used to take juvenile geckos to a reptile expo where I had to drive 2 hours to my friend's house, spend the night and then drive about 1 1/2 hours to the show. After doing the show, I'd drive back home. Consider having a setup at school and one at home. If you get a juvenile gecko (try not to get a teeny hatchling), a 10 gallon tank or a 12"x12"x18" will be fine for school. The permanent enclosure should be at least 18x18x18 (24"high is even better). See if you can find someone to do the bioactive part with the home enclosure. Better yet, take your time finding a gecko, set up your permanent enclosure at home, and get your gecko when you get back to school. That way, you can keep it in a smaller enclosure from mid-Jan to May and then bring it home to its permanent home. When you travel with it, get a deli cup with holes punched in the side (check out shipyourreptiles.com for the deli cup, or use the deli cup the gecko comes in when you get it). Put the gecko in the deli cup, put the cup in a plastic bin so it doesn't roll around too much, and do the drive.

Aliza

Thanks for the input! I'm definitely gonna look into having two enclosures and getting the bioactive setup started at home. And I appreciate the info on traveling, It makes sense they'd be relatively hardy as they're often transported back and forth for expos but I wasn't sure.

 

[akhtar]

Hi! I'm new to the community and was planning to get a crested gecko within the next couple of months, after I get the bio-active enclosure set up and ready, but I currently go to college and was curious about the specifics of traveling back home with him (or her lol). I live about a 3 hour drive from home and was planning on transporting everything with me for the month long winter break and then coming back to school the following semester, before ultimately moving back home 4 months later for the summer more permanently (as I will be graduating and likely be living at home for a while) is that too much traveling to be doing with a crested gecko, especially that early on in owning one? Should I just wait until I'm back home to get one? As much as I would love to have one as early as I can get everything set up and ready, I don't want to put them through that much traveling if it would be detrimental to their health, or stress them out.
Also, if it wouldn't be too large of an issue to travel those distances, I would appreciate any advice people have on traveling with a gecko link!

Thanks for any help

A 3-hour drive itself isn't usually the biggest concern for a healthy crested gecko; the bigger issue is how frequently you're moving it and how well you can maintain stable temperatures and housing at both locations. Since you'd be moving it several times within its first year, I'd personally wait until you're back home permanently if that's only a few months away. That would also save you from repeatedly setting up and taking down the enclosure.


If you do decide to travel with one, use a secure ventilated travel container with soft paper towels, keep the temperature stable, avoid loose objects inside the container, and don't feed immediately before the drive. For a three-hour trip, you generally don't need anything elaborate. Never leave the gecko unattended in a parked car, especially in extreme temperatures.