Traveling?

[Kilikina]

I obviously don't need to really worry about this for a while, but what is the best way to travel with a leo?

I have mine at school with me, but when I go home for the summer, I'm going to need to bring her with me. She'll be about 9 months old by then. I'll be driving a good 14 hours, possibly stopping for a night so it won't be straight through. Have any of you ever traveled with a leo? What is the safest and least stressful way for my leo to get home for the summer?

 

[laurlaur12]

i was wondering this too. i only have a 5 hour drive home from school, but i am still a little worried about her being jostled or anything

 

[LZRDGRL]

It works. The fewer leos you travel with, the easier. I carried three through Chicago in a backpack, they visited the Art Museum with me and spent a night in a hotel room. I had taken some wax worms with me, and water dishes, and a bigger cardboard box with air-holes than the deli cups you get at shows. They travelled the Amtrak with me for over six hours. Everything went fine!

If you go by car, you won't need to fear they are detected :main_laugh: Make sure your air-conditioning is on if it's a very hot day in summer (and your heat in winter), and put them in an adequately-sized deli cup with a moist paper towel so they won't get josteled around. Put the deli cup in a cardboard box, so it will be dark for them. What do you think how the big breeders transport their leos to shows... Your geckos did at least one trip already, before they came to you. So I wouldn't worry too much. It won't be any more stressful than shipping them to a customer, I'm sure. If you transport them in your backpack, don't bounce

Chrissy

 

[nats]

what is the best way to travel with a leo?

The best way to travel with a leo is to NOT let them drive!! :main_no: :main_laugh:

 

[BRANDY WYNE kENNELS]

I just drove down to Florida from MA with my 3 geckos. It took 2 1/2 days. I had them in little critter crates (approx 3X5) with wet paper towels. At night they wouldn't eat, but they did have water a few times a day and all night. A few times a day We stopped and I took them out and handled them and let them stretch. They handled it fine. We just brought them into the hotel room with us and in the car I watched the temperature. I was really worried before I did it, but they handled it quite well.

Donna

 

[thekooliest]

I just drove down to Florida from MA with my 3 geckos. It took 2 1/2 days. I had them in little critter crates (approx 3X5) with wet paper towels. At night they wouldn't eat, but they did have water a few times a day and all night. A few times a day We stopped and I took them out and handled them and let them stretch. They handled it fine. We just brought them into the hotel room with us and in the car I watched the temperature. I was really worried before I did it, but they handled it quite well.

Donna

I would've been scared to make that trip

 

[laurlaur12]

wow, carrying thme in a backpack is pretty intense!! mine just needs to make it from cincinnati to chicago adn back. i guess i don't need to be as worried. is it worth it to buy one of those hand heater things and put it in or near the cup she is in??

 

[Alusdra]

I've traveled with my leos all sorts of ways- I've done the backpack method, as well as the pocket method... neither I would recommend unless you are in danger of getting caught with them where you're not supposed to have them. Really that's a last resort sort of transport method, with a high likelihood of escape and/or poo in your pockets. A method that is similar but possibly more reliable is putting the geckos in pillowcases or similar cloth bags in a box, which used to be a really popular method of transport, though now the deli cup seems to have replaced it as really it's much safer. I would only use the pillowcase method or pocket method if the house were burning down and/or there was a fire drill (it's happened- have an emergency plan!)

My preferred method is to get a cage like one of these- I have 3 of the 'breeder' cages (I have doubts whether they would be useful as 'breeding' cages, but they make excellent travel cages).

For short periods of time, like maybe up to a week- you can keep 3 leos in one- they come with dividers, so you can even take leos that don't get along. If you do that there really is barely room for a hide and water, but if you're traveling somewhere that's all they really need. These are perfect for car trips- sit on the floor of the passenger side or between the seats of most cars stacked up to three high (two comes level with the seat on most cars). They are decent cages for up to one, maybe two geckos on the more long-term (months) range as well, as they are almost the size (floor space anyway) of a 10g.

Additionally they make great feeding boxes- I put the two dividers in and feed three geckos at a time (as opposed to free-choice mealies, which was giving me issues with 1 fat gecko, 1 thin gecko, and 1 healthy weight gecko). Perfect for dubias or crickets or even mealies, really.

When I travel somewhere for short periods I put 2-3 per one of these plastic cages, one heat pad per cage, at least one humid hide and water bowl per section and/or cage, though during the move itself usually I have the cages empty of all but paper towel so nothing falls on anybody. The geckos can be cool and unwatered for the duration of most car trips, I don't tend to worry too much if it's under 6 hours, if longer I keep the car warmer and possibly stop and give them a bit of water in a Gatorade top or similar. The problem with giving them water for the entire trip is it almost always spills, which will flood the cage and chill the geckos.

When I get where I'm going either I keep them in the plastic cages (up to 2 weeks) or bring along their big cages packed in the back and set that up when I get where I'm going. I wouldn't travel with the geckos in their big cages- too much could fall over or slide and injure them. The small space given by these plastic cages is pretty much perfect.

 

[Kilikina]

thank you all!

 

[tyler19]

I also have leos at school and when i go home they go into their "travel packs" they each have their own tupper wear container. they are about 9 inches long and 4 inches wide and 3 inches high. the covers are drilled with holes and they each get a hide (paper towel on the bottom) and they go right to sleep and dont really mind it much.

 

[laurlaur12]

thanks so much!!!