First vet visit - advice please!

[maryanne27]

It was all going so well... then Rory stopped eating. I switched up his cage set-up (I think I went too big too soon, and he was having trouble hunting), and he stopped eating. He has only eaten maybe 8 bugs over the past week, despite the fact that his environment is as close to perfect as I can get it - and I check it obsessively because I worry!
Anyways, two days ago, I noticed a small lump on his neck. After researching it, I think it looks like gullar edema. Not sure, so time for a vet!!! The closest reptile vet to me is about an hour and a half away. Does anyone have any advice for making the trip and the check-up go a little more comfortably for my little guy? I am planning on putting him in the plastic container he came in with a wet paper towel for moisture; probably put that in a box with blankets or something to keep him warm without suffocating him. Yes, no, maybe?

 

[Olimpia]

The best way to move chameleons is to put them somewhere dark. I usually use a cardboard box with a dowel or branch stabbed through the sides, so it's solidly in place, and maybe a towel on the ground. I will move the chameleon into the box and put them in a quiet place for 20-30 minutes, usually as I get ready. In the darkness of the box they will usually scratch at the sides for a few minutes and then fall asleep. At that point I can take them on a 20 minute or 3 hour car ride and they'll stay asleep (or at least still) and comfortable.

The less they see happening the more oblivious they are and the less stressed they become.

 

[maryanne27]

The best way to move chameleons is to put them somewhere dark. I usually use a cardboard box with a dowel or branch stabbed through the sides, so it's solidly in place, and maybe a towel on the ground. I will move the chameleon into the box and put them in a quiet place for 20-30 minutes, usually as I get ready. In the darkness of the box they will usually scratch at the sides for a few minutes and then fall asleep. At that point I can take them on a 20 minute or 3 hour car ride and they'll stay asleep (or at least still) and comfortable.

The less they see happening the more oblivious they are and the less stressed they become.

Thanks for the advice!