How to transport a chameleon 2 hours to a new home

[EarlMT]

Hi I am moving a couple of hours away and was wondering what the best way to get him there would be?
Thanks in advance!

 

[jajeanpierre]

@EarlMT This is what I use. The tote is about 7" x 7" x 9" and costs less than $5. I drill holes in it and line it with crumpled damp paper towels. I have some with a stick firmly attached. Other times I just twist up a rope of paper towels to give them something to grab onto. Then I put the box in a dark cloth paper or cloth (not plastic) bag. If I don't have a dark enough bag, I will drape a dark towel over the box to block all light. I put the box on the floor of the car or secure it on a seat. I make sure the box is kept cool and never leave them in the car for fear of the temperatures getting too high. I'm not worried about temps getting too low--anything above about 40F is fine. Heat kills, cold generally does not unless frozen solid. I leave them alone. Don't even check on them until your cage is all set up. I do not recommend you allow them to travel in a cage that is set up. Having the scenery flash by at 60 mph is stressful for most if not all chameleons. Also, depending on which way your car is traveling, sunlight might flood into the cage causing dramatic heat spikes. Good luck with your move.

 

[Zephalia]

When I moved, I used shoeboxes with a couple small holes poked in the sides for all my adults. Younger ones were placed in deli cups. Worked great. If you keep them in the dark, they will sleep for the duration of the trip which will be less stressful than having them looking around and trying to escape the entire time.

Good luck with the move.

 

[EarlMT]

@EarlMT This is what I use. The tote is about 7" x 7" x 9" and costs less than $5. I drill holes in it and line it with crumpled damp paper towels. I have some with a stick firmly attached. Other times I just twist up a rope of paper towels to give them something to grab onto. Then I put the box in a dark cloth paper or cloth (not plastic) bag. If I don't have a dark enough bag, I will drape a dark towel over the box to block all light. I put the box on the floor of the car or secure it on a seat. I make sure the box is kept cool and never leave them in the car for fear of the temperatures getting too high. I'm not worried about temps getting too low--anything above about 40F is fine. Heat kills, cold generally does not unless frozen solid. I leave them alone. Don't even check on them until your cage is all set up. I do not recommend you allow them to travel in a cage that is set up. Having the scenery flash by at 60 mph is stressful for most if not all chameleons. Also, depending on which way your car is traveling, sunlight might flood into the cage causing dramatic heat spikes. Good luck with your move.

View attachment 188433

Thankyou! How do you secure sticks on thr bottom for them?

 

[EarlMT]

When I moved, I used shoeboxes with a couple small holes poked in the sides for all my adults. Younger ones were placed in deli cups. Worked great. If you keep them in the dark, they will sleep for the duration of the trip which will be less stressful than having them looking around and trying to escape the entire time.

Good luck with the move.

Thankyou!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Thankyou! How do you secure sticks on thr bottom for them?

Drilled holes in the plastic and put them through on the diagonal so high on one side and low on the other. Used a glue gun. When I ship babies, I put a tiny stick--I always use a natural stick with bark--through the sides and then use tape to secure it so it won't turn and it won't push through.

By the way, you don't need holes in a cardboard box. They have very low oxygen requirements and a cardboard box lets a lot of air circulation.