Moving 6 Hours Away

[cantgetagoodsn]

I am moving this Sunday and wanted to ask again if anyone has a better way of moving my panther chameleon for 6 hours in the car. I've read to put some moist towels in a box with holes and add some stuff for them to stand on and they simply fall asleep. Should I truly not be worried?

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

6 hours is not that long, your chams should be fine. When I moved, I just got a styrofoam cooler and stuck some branches in it. I left the top off so my cham could see out. He is very laid back but if your chams scare easy, I would put them in an enclosure where they cannot see out.

 

[nick barta]

If you are not breaking the screen cage down to move it, leave him in there.

Nick

 

[Olimpia]

If I take apart my cages (which I usually have to, because the 4' cages will not go in my car) I will put them in a dark box with a dowel stuck through the sides, maybe a towel on the floor, and leave it at that. The chameleon will either fall asleep or sit quietly on the dowel until the box is opened.

I will leave them in their box until their cages are up in the new house, that way they come out and go straight into a proper home.

If they are in a small screen cage and I don't have to take them out I will drape a sheet around the cage instead, to keep it dark. Make sure everything is secure, so no loose branches/vines or hanging plants that can swing around.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

He is free-ranged, so keeping him in the cage is not an option. I don't think he would stay in the box if I kept the top off. I'll just secure some stuff for him to hang on. I think he will be okay.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

He will be fine. I use a small box, place a dowel across it and put a towel on the bottom. Once the flaps are closed, I use a small piece of tape to keep it closed, and they just go to sleep. When I open the box they will wake up, go in their cages and it is as if nothing has happened. ferretinmyshoes (moderator and my vet) actually wrote a blog about this very method. She uses it and recommends it as one of the least stressful ways of moving chameleons.

 

[Olimpia]

Mine are full-time free rangers as well and they do really well in the dark box method, like LPSouth described. A chameleon in a dark place just seems to assume it's night and usually goes right to sleep.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

I guess it was the road vibration and bumps that I was worried about.

 

[Rottsko]

when i moved last summer, i just put every single of my chams in a snake bag or deli cup depending on their size. then i put all the snake bags and deli cups in a big box and shut it so it's dark for the chams.

my move was only 30 minutes but i would do the same thing for a move that is as long as yours. i wouldn't leave them in the cage bc of the moving/rocking from the car/truck. i think it will reduce the stress of the move for them. it also gives you time to setup their cage, misters, lights, etc when you arrive and they're still nicely packed away and probably sleeping.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

Well, he got here safely alright. Crawled right out on my hand out of the box then onto his enclosure. It was too late for me to go buy plants, and I had to move my stuff right then so he just had his brown vines until the next day.

I've only seen him eat one cricket, and he's definitely more cautious when I come in the room than he was before. There has been a dog added to our family too and he's nervous around her. He seems to be a little better with her though.

 

[cantgetagoodsn]

moving on up.