Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
and that's why I didn't go with PODs, freaking ridiculous! I paid probably 3k but I went from NH to CA-
CycleTrack and SDN are teaming up to make medical school admissions more transparent and accessible! Read the announcement to learn how we’re supporting the future of CycleTrack’s free application-tracking tools .
Cross country moving
Started by hygebeorht
Get help with your application
Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.
and that's why I didn't go with PODs, freaking ridiculous! I paid probably 3k but I went from NH to CA
Jeeeeeeeeesus. I called to get a quote and they said they are fully booked in my area up until Sept. No love lost knowing that cost!
Gotcha. I compared U-Box to U-Pack and Pack is about $100 more expensive, but I'll do it if it's better.
Im kinda torn on what to do. My original plan was to get rent the 15 foot Uhaul and have my car towed on it, which will be about $1100 + gas.
But when I met with my dad for Father’s Day he offered to pay for a Uhaul trailer and bring my stuff up with him when he gets to Colorado 2 weeks after me. He has a pick up truck so he can do it. I really appreciate saving the money but that means A.) I won’t have my stuff, except for what I can fit in my teeny tiny 2 seater convertable for 2 weeks. Like no furniture, sleeping on an air mattress nothing, and B.) I’ll have to drive to Fort Collins in my teeny tiny convertible which has no AC. And it’s $1600 to fix my AC.
Part of me just wants to just suck it up and deal with it but it’s 100+ degrees here in August’s and it’s a 2 day drive sitting in a hot car. And once I get to Colorado I really won’t need AC in my car anyways. Ugh.
But when I met with my dad for Father’s Day he offered to pay for a Uhaul trailer and bring my stuff up with him when he gets to Colorado 2 weeks after me. He has a pick up truck so he can do it. I really appreciate saving the money but that means A.) I won’t have my stuff, except for what I can fit in my teeny tiny 2 seater convertable for 2 weeks. Like no furniture, sleeping on an air mattress nothing, and B.) I’ll have to drive to Fort Collins in my teeny tiny convertible which has no AC. And it’s $1600 to fix my AC.
Part of me just wants to just suck it up and deal with it but it’s 100+ degrees here in August’s and it’s a 2 day drive sitting in a hot car. And once I get to Colorado I really won’t need AC in my car anyways. Ugh.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Oh you'll still probably want AC with 100+ degree days. CO isn't super cooler just not as humid as TX.
I second Coopah, recommend U-pack. I used them for my move from CA to NC for 6ft of the trailer cost me $2100, but that was all I had to pay minus the movers to haul my crap up three flights of stairs because no way was I doing that! It took about 5 days for it to arrive. The company was very nice and let me hold it at the transit facility an extra day no charge.
Yup they're super flexible and I liked their service. The truck got there before I did and they let it sit there for like 3 business days for free. If I didn't have so much crap it would have been way cheaper but towards the end I wasn't even packing I was just throwing crap in because I didn't have the time to sort through it all.
Yeahhh you are gonna want A/C here too. I've been here for a year and have definitely used my AC in my car more times than I can count!
I've used UBOX and before and am using it again. We were happy enough with it last time to use it again, but haven't used PODS or UPACK so can't really compare.
Sent from my SM-G892U using SDN mobile
Sent from my SM-G892U using SDN mobile
Save your $1100 and use it to cover most of the cost to fix your AC?
You can definitely live out of a suitcase for two weeks - all you need to is a couple of outfits, some basic toiletries, and a computer. Think of it like an indoor camping trip. [emoji6]
If you don't want to sleep on an air mattress you can drop $129 and get a twin sized Ikea one to hold you over.
Sent from my SM-G892U using SDN mobile
Soooo. My plans have changed and will be taking my cat with me on my 16 hour drive.
Does anyone have experience doing long road trips with a cat? I’ve found a hotel that is cat friendly (La Quinta if anyone is curious) and I just ordered this carrier online. Does anyone have experience using this kind of carrier before? I’m kinda worried he will claw through it but I think the meds we have from the vet will help chill him out a lot.
Another thing I am worried about is his water bowl. What kind of water bowl did you use to make sure it didn’t all slosh out when driving?
Does anyone have experience doing long road trips with a cat? I’ve found a hotel that is cat friendly (La Quinta if anyone is curious) and I just ordered this carrier online. Does anyone have experience using this kind of carrier before? I’m kinda worried he will claw through it but I think the meds we have from the vet will help chill him out a lot.
Another thing I am worried about is his water bowl. What kind of water bowl did you use to make sure it didn’t all slosh out when driving?
WildZoo
Noble Dubz Dictator, Unyeetable Phasing Wolf
Administrator
Volunteer Staff
Lifetime Donor
10+ Year Member
I have a similar one to that and have done 9-10 hour drives with my kitties! I didn't have issues with them trying to claw through, though YMMV. I have a metal water bowl that has a lid with a lip that is supposed to make it spill proof. I just keep it filled pretty low and refill when I stop, but they don't typically drink anything anyway.
Thank you! I didn’t even know spill proof bowls were a thing. Ordering one now 🙂
I drive from Iowa to Maryland and back about once every 2 years, and take my fattest cat with me. It's a 2 day trip. She usually rides in a small dog kennel, sometimes on top of the kennel on a blanket if she's being good, usually after the second hour when she's settled down. I always give her a litterbox, food, and water, but she never uses any of it until we get to the hotel. Puppy pads under the water bowl help with spills, and I use one of those non-slip sloped metal bowls. I've never sedated her for travel because she usually quiets down after an hour of driving.
Thanks, puppy pads are a good idea. I didn’t think of that. I was thinking of getting a hard carrier but the dimensions of my car will make it really difficult since I have a 2 seater convertible with no back seat. I’m hoping this one is malleable enough to make it work in my passenger seat
@vetmedhead makes a long (probably v similar) drive with her kitty kitty too.
And my sister has the same/similar carrier too for her long trips with her cat plus the matching litter box.
And my sister has the same/similar carrier too for her long trips with her cat plus the matching litter box.
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I don't typically give Cheese much water when we drive because he doesn't drink it anyway (usually give him some at rest stops or when I stop to eat and spill it out when we get going again). I keep him in a smaller soft carrier and he sleeps the whole time with very little complaint.
Also, they make disposable litter trays that are pre-filled with litter and just have a seal you peel off before you use them, and I like them a lot because then I don't have the extra hassle of transporting containers of litter or setting up the tray when I get to the hotel
I have made several trips with my kitties from Indiana to Florida and I had them in a soft dog kennel in the backseat (I understand this will not work in your case) and provided them a litter box within the kennel. The litter box was used on multiple occasions so I was happy they had it. I decided not to provide them with any water in the car as I was not sure how to do it without making a mess. Once in the hotel, I kept them in the kennel as I did not want them getting into anything (who knows what is lurking under the hotel bed??) and then I set them up with water and food inside the kennel.
Also these are a great alternative to puppy pads and towels. They come in many sizes and are reusable. I like placing them under the kennel in lieu of towels as the last thing I want is cat urine on my car's interior.
Overall my cats have traveled well - I only gave them a supplement that contained tryptophan that seemed to take the edge off.
Best luck with your move and travels and the start of vet school!
Also these are a great alternative to puppy pads and towels. They come in many sizes and are reusable. I like placing them under the kennel in lieu of towels as the last thing I want is cat urine on my car's interior.
Overall my cats have traveled well - I only gave them a supplement that contained tryptophan that seemed to take the edge off.
Best luck with your move and travels and the start of vet school!
I once lost my cat when she crawled inside the box spring at a hotel. Lucky for me, she is very food motivated and hadn’t had her breakfast yet, so I was able to coax her out again. But now I always check under the bed before letting her out for the night!
Alright y’all. Getting ready for a 40 hour ride in the hottest time of the year with three cats, a uhaul, a trailer, my car and my sisters car. We’re driving from RI to AZ. My biggest untied end right now is my concern for my rabbit. He is very very attached to my cats and we want to make it as comfortable as possible for him. Any ideas?
Can you put him in like a dog travel crate and have him in the same back seat as the cats? I do that for my guinea pigs and using a hard crate keeps them safe from being squished with my dogs in the back seat.
We are heading back to AZ right now too lol
That face
Don't worry!!! Your kitty will be fine 🙂
Thank you! I just love him SO MUCH and want to do everything in my power to make this as least stressful as possible. But hey we are 50% done for today yayyy
Keep going 😀 My cat didn't poop for 2 days after we moved into this house lol. Cats won't do **** when they're stressed sometimes 😛
Hi Guys! I figured I’d update since we all safely arrived in Arizona. Here are some things that did/didn’t work.
1) We had one single vehicle just for the cats (Which I realize isn’t always feasible). My sister drove her WV with the back seats and hatchback filled with a huge mesh/net playpen we got off Amazon. That was probably the best purchase of the trip because the cats can still use it and it was big enough to carry all of them. All three cats and the bunny were kept together which I think really helped because they’re all so bonded.
2) I had all of my pets looked at by a vet before we left, and had all of their records in a binder. This was super helpful when my cardiac cat starting yowling, open mouth panting and having resp issues when we hit 5,000+ft elevation in New Mexico. That being said, I wish we had looked a little bit better into the trip in that sense. The elevation messed with all of us and we probably could have avoided a $700 emergency vet trip if we just avoided Albuquerque. Lesson learned.
3) I asked my vet if I could give SQ fluids before the start of each day and I think that really helped, if nothing else, alleviate my stress about that cats getting dehydrated. I obviously couldn’t give it to my heart cat but even the bunny loved it.
4) We used VetriScience ComposurePro calming chews, Gabapentin (for all of the cats) and window shades on the car to help calm things down. We also had a power inverter with a Feliway diffuser plugged in.
5) Surprisingly, all of the cats used the litter box. But the bunny wanted to lay in it because he’s used to having a box of some sort and the cats were all on top of each other in the bed - so even if it’s a small thing - we put an extra, empty litter box in the playpen so he had his own spot.
6) When shopping for a moving truck, we basically did what other people on here did and made the moving companies compete with each other. I don’t know how, but Penske quoted us ~$1,800 for a 16’ truck and car trailer, while U-haul quoted us ~$3,100. So definitely look early and if you get a great price - commit to it!
Thank you guys SO much for all of your help and advice. This forum really made it so much less stressful and let me tell you - it was probably one of the most chaotic/emotional things I’ve done. 🙂!
1) We had one single vehicle just for the cats (Which I realize isn’t always feasible). My sister drove her WV with the back seats and hatchback filled with a huge mesh/net playpen we got off Amazon. That was probably the best purchase of the trip because the cats can still use it and it was big enough to carry all of them. All three cats and the bunny were kept together which I think really helped because they’re all so bonded.
2) I had all of my pets looked at by a vet before we left, and had all of their records in a binder. This was super helpful when my cardiac cat starting yowling, open mouth panting and having resp issues when we hit 5,000+ft elevation in New Mexico. That being said, I wish we had looked a little bit better into the trip in that sense. The elevation messed with all of us and we probably could have avoided a $700 emergency vet trip if we just avoided Albuquerque. Lesson learned.
3) I asked my vet if I could give SQ fluids before the start of each day and I think that really helped, if nothing else, alleviate my stress about that cats getting dehydrated. I obviously couldn’t give it to my heart cat but even the bunny loved it.
4) We used VetriScience ComposurePro calming chews, Gabapentin (for all of the cats) and window shades on the car to help calm things down. We also had a power inverter with a Feliway diffuser plugged in.
5) Surprisingly, all of the cats used the litter box. But the bunny wanted to lay in it because he’s used to having a box of some sort and the cats were all on top of each other in the bed - so even if it’s a small thing - we put an extra, empty litter box in the playpen so he had his own spot.
6) When shopping for a moving truck, we basically did what other people on here did and made the moving companies compete with each other. I don’t know how, but Penske quoted us ~$1,800 for a 16’ truck and car trailer, while U-haul quoted us ~$3,100. So definitely look early and if you get a great price - commit to it!
Thank you guys SO much for all of your help and advice. This forum really made it so much less stressful and let me tell you - it was probably one of the most chaotic/emotional things I’ve done. 🙂!
Attachments
Uhhhhhh bump
I have a ~1,300 mile move coming up, this is the first time I have ever done something like this so bear with me Bc I’m about to probably sound really dumb. I’ll have way more logistic questions to come once I figure out what’s coming and what isn’t but for the meantime I need to figure out how to safely travel with my beardie. I’d prefer for her to stay in her vivarium, but the problem is I also have my cat and two dogs. My one big dog needs his XL crate or he will freak out, even with heavy meds on board. Small dog has a car seat and of course cat will have a carrier. With this in mind I don’t think her viv will exactly fit... on top of all of this, how they heck do I keep her warm? I’m willing to not blast the a/c as much as that will not be fun to the rest of us. Maybe someone else has done this and has some ideas lol I’m stumped!
I have a ~1,300 mile move coming up, this is the first time I have ever done something like this so bear with me Bc I’m about to probably sound really dumb. I’ll have way more logistic questions to come once I figure out what’s coming and what isn’t but for the meantime I need to figure out how to safely travel with my beardie. I’d prefer for her to stay in her vivarium, but the problem is I also have my cat and two dogs. My one big dog needs his XL crate or he will freak out, even with heavy meds on board. Small dog has a car seat and of course cat will have a carrier. With this in mind I don’t think her viv will exactly fit... on top of all of this, how they heck do I keep her warm? I’m willing to not blast the a/c as much as that will not be fun to the rest of us. Maybe someone else has done this and has some ideas lol I’m stumped!
Do you know how many days your trip will take? If I recall correctly you're moving from the South to the desert Southwest, right?
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Use hand warmers?
that’s correct! I’m thinking 3 days in the least
I had thought about that but I’m weird about anything that burn them by contact
Yeah, definitely would want to place them so there isn’t any direct contact!
If you know anyone even remotely capable with electronics you could rig a heat lamp with a car outlet plug thing. I don’t think it would be very difficult but you’d sacrifice a heat lamp.
It's challenging. I have moved leopard geckos over a two day period when I was a kid (like, literally 11-12 when my family was moving lol), but we were able to fit them in their full terrarium into one of the two cars we took and when we stopped at a hotel overnight I could plug in some things like undertank heaters for them that at least tided them over until I could get them to a complete set up at the new place. We sort of took the philosophy that while it wasn't ideal, since it was summer and we were moving through warm states they wouldn't die hideously if they went without for a day or two, and we didn't have to worry about accidentally burning them with things shoved in their tank.
However, even a generous tank for two leos is almost certainly smaller than a tank for one beardie, so fitting that in a car and heating it enough is a tall order. You might consider placing him in a smaller travel tank for the drive (maybe similar to what you'd take him to the vet in?), placing that in a larger cardboard box, and putting hand warmers between the cardboard and the outside of his tank so he couldn't get burned, but would have his tank temperature increased. You would need enough handwarmers to last for your trip, but doable if you can get them.
I also personally didn't feed my leos for a few days before the trip - I was worried they would get stressed or upset by the drive and throw up during it and get even more stressed by that. I also didn't fill water dishes until we were stopped for a bit (say at a gas station) or at the hotel for the night. However, obviously the feeding ecology of leopard geckos and bearded dragons is different so I'd go with your best judgement there.
It would be easier with hotel stops, but I'm not sure what your driving plan is.
However, even a generous tank for two leos is almost certainly smaller than a tank for one beardie, so fitting that in a car and heating it enough is a tall order. You might consider placing him in a smaller travel tank for the drive (maybe similar to what you'd take him to the vet in?), placing that in a larger cardboard box, and putting hand warmers between the cardboard and the outside of his tank so he couldn't get burned, but would have his tank temperature increased. You would need enough handwarmers to last for your trip, but doable if you can get them.
I also personally didn't feed my leos for a few days before the trip - I was worried they would get stressed or upset by the drive and throw up during it and get even more stressed by that. I also didn't fill water dishes until we were stopped for a bit (say at a gas station) or at the hotel for the night. However, obviously the feeding ecology of leopard geckos and bearded dragons is different so I'd go with your best judgement there.
It would be easier with hotel stops, but I'm not sure what your driving plan is.
I’ll thankfully have family helping me move and so we are planning hotel stays for sure. She loves veggies thankfully so maybe I’ll prep some salads to snack on ahead of time and just not worry about bugs until a week or so after settling haha
I know they do make converters for car outlet to regular plug. They also make small heating pads that plug into a car, but idk if that’d be warm enough for your beardie or not.
I looked up "beardie" and a bunch of results were for bearded border collie, which didn't make sense in the context of your post with "vivarium" and your other dogs, but UD came up with bearded dragon lizard, which makes more sense. What are her temperature requirements btw? What kind of heater are you currently using in her vivarium? What kind of vehicle do you have (year, make, model if you're willing to say that publicly)?
A bit more information on the size of the vehicle, the temp range requirements, and the capability of the alternator helps with the decision on whether to go with a DC-based heater of some type or if it's even worth using an AC-based heater with an inverter (doubt it highly) or with a chemical-based heat source.
To be honest, I'd be worried about overheating (since it's May) with the greenhouse effect and all that. My vehicle cabin easily gets to 130 *F.
Last edited:
My biggest concern with plugging in a heat lamp on the road is your other pets getting burned on it or packed stuff like blankets falling on it and catching fire
I have a car seat warmer that I use in the winter that plugs into the car outlet. It actually gets quite warm and was inexpensive ($30?). That might be a way to keep the beardie warm if placed under his vivarium? If you go that route definitely remember to unplug it when you're not moving because I've had it drain my car battery before.
Yeah a full on heat lamp concerns me too. We use heating pads for our reptiles(ball python, eastern box turtle, and a blue tongued skink) when we bring them to PR events, especially if it’s chillier out. Regular ones get hot enough for the snek for a couple hours in her small PR tank which could potentially work for rocky, but would need the converter haha
I'd definitely go with a DC heating pad over an AC one with an inverter. Still, it's already hot as balls, so maybe it's only needed overnight? The vivarium has a thermometer right? I'd be so paranoid about overheating or underheating, especially if I'm focused on driving a huge moving truck/trailer safely.
Put in dumb speak pls
12V DC heating pad that can plug directly into most vehicles and sips electricity...
vs. 120V AC heating pad that is used at home and needs an inverter to go from 12 VDC to 120VAC which is so inefficient it's hard on everything involved...
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Does your car really get that hot when you’re running the air conditioner? If her car didn’t have air conditioner or she was stopping for long periods and leaving the animals in the car, I could see your concerns of it actually being too hot being valid (and would certainly get too hot for the cat and dogs), but the problem is that a cabin temp comfortable for all the mammals won’t work for the reptile. If she’s planning on moving with all those animals it seems like she’ll be driving her own car +/- a trailer, shipping her things, or having someone else drive a diy moving truck...I can’t imagine you’d be able to fit even the animals alone without crates and supplies in the cab of those trucks. I guess I just don’t understand your comments about how you wouldn’t need heat because the car is hot.
I don’t have any real practical solutions to offer. I think the chemical hothands style warmers could Maybe work if you’re diligent and just line the outside Of the vivarium? The heating pad seems much safer than an actual lamp.
My original post is mostly asking questions on vehicles and animals to get more information since I don't know the logistics yet. I'm curious about the temp range that's acceptable. Everything else is speculation based off little information.
When I moved, my car was on its own trailer behind the trailer behind the big truck. Once we all get more info on vehicles there should be more to go off of. I'm having a hard time picturing lots of family in just one vehicle, so there may be a lot more flexibility. I've never been in a vehicle where the air conditioning actually helped cool it down that much. I guess a brand new rental car, but that doesn't apply to moving. I rented a 26' Penske, and I moved in July and the A/C was pretty meh.
I guess since you're here: what's the temp range for such a reptile? 80-110 F? I'd be concerned if the range is narrow that it may present a health hazard if not monitored (e.g. maybe an Arduino system that sends an alert to your phone or something cool like that).
For hotel overnight stays, I'd imagine the vivarium would need an AC heat source, so maybe DC heating pad for the day trip (with A/C cabin) and an AC heating pad for the hotel.
Beardies are a desert species from Australia 🙂 the numbers vary a bit by source but generally during the daytime temps are kept around 80-85 with a basking spot around 90-100, and at night they're kept cooler, closer to 70-75. Beardies like it hot so lots of people tend to keep to the warmer end of those ranges. You also keep one side of the enclosure cooler than the other so they can thermoregulate on their own.
Obviously being too cold or too hot are issues, especially for prolonged periods of time, but for it to be immediately life threatening I'd think you'd have to be well outside of the temperature range. There are lots of unfortunate reptiles out there who have cranked along at room temperature or lower for months to years (which is horrible for them btw, they get very sick when not given proper care that fits their unique needs). I would be pretty concerned about immediately life threatening temperatures below 40-50 degrees and above about 120 for the average bearded dragon, but that's just speculation. It's worse if they can't escape to somewhere warmer/cooler to at least try to get their temp to a better place
Yikes...cold blooded moving = tricky
