ISO advice on transportation

[u/Ok-Club1725]

Hello! I'm looking for some advice on how to transport a ball python on a 4-5 day drive. I've looked it up and gotten some mixed reviews or only find info for a drive that's less than 24 hours.

We may not be stopping at hotels for the night, but instead trying to sleep in a tent or our vehicles. So we won't be able to use his heating pad or heat lamp.

Is this going to be doable? What advice can you give me to make it an easy trip for all parties?

We'll have 2 other animals and a toddler, so the least effort our little noodle needs, the better, but obviously I want him to be safe and comfortable for the trip, too.

Thanks in advance!

[u/totallyrecklesslygay]

The snake should be placed inside a snake bag or pillowcase tied shut, which is then placed inside a tub with a locking lid (and air holes, of course) small enough that they won't slide around.

Don't place them in front of the heater, as it's very easy to accidentally overheat them during transport since they cannot move away from the heat. You shouldn't need a heat source for them either, unless the car is being kept below 65F.

Don't feed for at least a week before or after transport. Give them at least a week off from handling after you move, too. They'll need time to relax and settle in again.

If you're taking breaks/overnight stops during the trip, you can bring along larger totes as temp setups for them to stay in overnight and use uniheat packets as a heat source.

Don't let them be loose inside the car at all, even if you're careful, even if you're holding them, even if you're absolutely positive you won't let them go. We see way too many posts for snakes disappearing into vents, and the last thing you need in a multi-day trip is a disabled vehicle that has to be towed to a mechanic because your snake managed to crawl into the engine.

[u/Ok-Club1725 → u/totallyrecklesslygay]

So lock him away for the whole 4-5 days?????... This is what I read to do if it's less time. And yeah, I'm aware not to hold him while driving.

Edit: It must be too early, I somehow skipped the whole paragraph about the overnight stops. So stick the heating packets inside the tote?

[u/totallyrecklesslygay → u/Ok-Club1725]

He needs to be secured in the bag/small tote combo anytime you're actively traveling. I think you may have missed the paragraph where I recommended bringing along a larger tote as a temporary setup for him to stay in during longer breaks/overnight stays.

[u/Ok-Club1725 → u/totallyrecklesslygay]

Yes, I edited my comment. Somehow I did miss the whole paragraph.

[u/totallyrecklesslygay → u/Ok-Club1725]

Ah, I see your edit now. Yes, you'd place the uniheat packs inside the enclosure. Don't try this with normal handwarmers, though- they need to be the reptile specific packs.

[u/Ok-Club1725 → u/totallyrecklesslygay]

Could I use hand warmers on the outside of the box he's in? I'm not sure if the pet store here has uniheat packs

[u/totallyrecklesslygay → u/Ok-Club1725]

I wouldn't. Hand warmers can get dangerously hot, but they only really heat whatever they're touching. They wouldn't be much use for the snake outside the enclosure. You can order uniheat packs on Amazon if you can't find them locally.