Best way to transport?

[windy]

Hi all I'm new to this forum and unfortunately am after some advice.
I have my 2 yr old male Veiled booked in at the vets tomorrow - what's the best way to get him there? I mean, I'm driving him in the car but do I put him in a box?Should I put anything else in there with him to keep him warm? It's about a half hour drive and it's pretty cold here at the moment. I've never moved him before and he's very reluctant to let me touch him at the best of times, so I'm not looking forward to trying to catch him

 

[Carlton]

Use a box with a perch wedged between the sides so he has something to grip. Wad up newspaper in the bottom. Fill a small plastic water bottle with hot water and wrap it up in a towel so he can't touch it. Most chams will sleep in a dark enclosed box for the trip. Check how warm the box gets while the water is hot to make sure it isn't overly hot. All you really need is to keep the box at your cham's sleeping temp. Then, warm up your car before you bring him out.

You could coax him onto a branch to get him out of the cage. If you can't, shut off his lights and wait a little while until he cools down and is lett reactive. Then just drop a washcloth or small towel over him and gently loosen his toes from the branch.

 

[jannb]

Warm up the car before you put him in. I have small travel cages for my chams but they are use to going on rides and looking around. A dark box with a soft towel in it might be better for your cham. Is he sick? Hope all goes well at the vets. Jann

 

[windy]

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated and most informative

I have a wheat bag dry hot water bottle thing that you warm up in the microwave...do you think that would be suitable to put in the box to keep him warm?? Just thinking it's probably easier to transport

Jann I'm soo hoping he's not sick....he's the love of my life. Fingers crossed I'm just being super cautious He's developed a funny patch on his casque....he's eating, hunting and scratching to get out for his stroll round the lounge but I'm still worried about him I'm hoping it's something and nothing (if anyone suspects it's anything really bad please don't let me know! Ignorance is bliss-well for tonight anyway )

 

[jannb]

Post a pic....but still keep your vet appt.

 

[windy]

Okay here goes...sorry not the best pic in the world but you can sort of see what I mean....

 

[Clifford]

I have a wheat bag dry hot water bottle thing that you warm up in the microwave...do you think that would be suitable to put in the box to keep him warm?? Just thinking it's probably easier to transport

I use one of those - wrapped in a face towel, put in the box and taped down (so it doesnt slide into him).

 

[windy]

Excellent!! Well I think I've got everything I need to get him there now. He's not going to like it though, he probably wont be my friend for weeks afterwards. Like when he fell off the curtain pole once - he wouldnt let me hand feed him for weeks and every time I went near him he reared and hissed at me! It wasn't my fault..I tried to catch him

 

[PardalisGirl]

Where do you live?

Where do you live? The water bottle idea sounds like a good one. It's cold here in the winter. I use the heat packs that people ship chams in to keep them warm. Putting them in something dark makes them go to sleep. It's stressful if they can see out and see strange things happen. I actually use a small beverage cooler. I put in a hand towel with the heat pack. It has a small drainage spout that I keep open for air flow. It has a handle for ease in carrying. And it is very dark inside. They are always asleep when I open it at the vet office. I've used the cooler for years.

The spot on your boy's casque looks like a series of blisters. Along the ridge I can actually see one. Is there any way that he came too close to something hot? Cage lighting/heating or something in a room he was allowed to roam? Please let us know what the vet says and please spend more time on the forum and share your boy with us. From the little I can see of him he looks like he must be a beautiful monster. There are a lot of Veiled fanatics here and we like to share our beauties. Best wishes for your boy!

 

[windy]

Awww thank you!! I must say I stumbled across this forum by accident but it's great and everyone's so friendly
I'm in the south of the UK and we've had some terrible weather the last few weeks, but today the Gods are shining on me and we're thawing!!
I'm sooo glad you said the heat lamp thing, because although trying to play it cool, I'm worried sick and have barely slept a wink It had crossed my mind because of how suddenly it appeared and the fact that he's eating fine and doesn't seem any more grumpy than usual. His branches had moved (I guess he's getting kind of heavy) so he could well have burnt it on his heat lamp.
I've been standing like a numpty holding me spray bottle for ages in an attempt to get him to drink more but he just looks at me with one eye while looking for a waxworm on me finger with the other
I'm thinking I need to make him a bigger space, although he does like to come out and have a roam around the lounge, he's currently in a sort of 2ft x 2.5ft x 4.5ft tall glass and wood viv but he's getting a big boy.
Jeez i hope he's okay...I love him sooooo much

 

[PardalisGirl]

Good Mommy!

I can tell you love him and are a good Mommy. The vet can set you up with an antibiotic ointment. It will keep it soft for healing and keep it from becoming infected. Burns take a long time to heal. You just have to be patient. It may take several sheds to look fully healed. More than a few people here have experienced a burn situation after having their cham for a long time. Good luck at the vet!

 

[windy]

Oh thank you thank you thank you!! I feel so much better now I came here after a guy on a general reptile forum said he had MBD and started havin a rant about how people shouldnt keep such complex creatures. I was heartbroken and still have puffy eyes

Plans for a new bigger and better viv are afoot

 

[jannb]

Keep us update on the vet visit and how he's doing. Jann

 

[windy]

Just got back from the Vets and it's okay!!! I'm ecstatic Vet thinks it is most likely a burn, there's no infection there and it was looking a bit better when I tried to get him in his box/towel/branch/wheat bag contraption I'm feeling very reassured that I'm doing the right things with him, the vet said he was the best lookin Veiled he'd seen in a long time - phew!!
He soooo didnt like the vet though..he was hissing and puffing himself up and trying his best to savage his fingers Got him home and put him back in his viv and he's had a good long drink...which is much the same as to what I'm about to do, although mine will come out of a bottle not a dripper

Thank you all soooo much for the advice, he transported far easier than I'd anticipated and doesnt seem too freaked out by his ordeal. As soon as I've worked out how to post piccies that arent giant sized I'll bore you all to death with him

 

[jannb]

Glad to hear that he's ok. Did the vet give you something to put on the burn?

 

[windy]

No he didnt put anything on it but it is looking better today then it was yesterday and a lot of the flakiness on the edge has gone, the patch also seems to be shrinking and you can see the tessellations on his skin again now. I'm keeping a mega-close eye on it though and have moved and shortened his basking branch so he cant get too close to the lamp now. Fingers crossed he'll be okay - if not I'll have him straight back to the vets. He's now registered there ( as 'The Lizard' and my surname ) so I can fast track him in if needs be. Hopefully I wont need to. He's eating and drinking fine - still turning his nose up at all veg apart from savoy cabbage and he looks great apart from that funny patch.

 

[PardalisGirl]

Great!

That's the kind of outcome we love to hear. Glad you monster was healthy enough to cause some trouble at the vet. That's what I love about monster male Veileds. I'm also glad you found us. We would all love to see pictures of the rest of him. His casque was such a tease!

 

[windy]

Well his 'burn' is looking a lot better this evening....and the best thing is he's still friends with me. Think he directed all his anger towards the vet! He's still not looking his ravishing best, but I have pics of him (probably far more than I have of my kids ) Just gotta work out how to put em on here without them bein super-sized
This forum is bad though - now I'm thinking perhaps building him a better viv and then getting another one and housing it in his old viv. You lot are leading me astray

 

[PardalisGirl]

Good News!

That's great news! Yes, this is a dangerous place to hang out. I've gotten hooked on Melleri and a bunch of small Montanes after spending a lot of time here