6 Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) When Moving Homes With Reptiles

SpareFoot
May 12, 2020
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After you’ve sold your house, unlike with dogs, you can’t just tell your reptile to jump in the car for a ride to your new home.

Reptiles need more planning and preparation before attempting to move with them. Several things can go wrong during a move and we want to prevent this.

Moving is a hectic time for anyone, especially your pet; it’s easy to look over certain things. A lot goes into moving a reptile and although you may think you have everything covered, but mistakes can always be made.

One thing that you don’t want to miss is safely transporting your beloved reptile to its new home. Here are five common mistakes that people tend to make time and again when moving with their reptiles:

Mistake #1: Not Getting Proper Temporary Housing

It may seem easier to just get a brown box and poke some holes in it, but you should definitely get a proper carrier for your pet. Reptiles can chew through the box which will not only affect their health, but they’ll also get loose and you could lose them forever.

Reptiles need not only the proper housing, but also the proper temperature and humidity which tends to change based on what kind of reptile you own. Reptiles each need a specific environment, so a basic brown box just won’t cut it.

Depending on what kind of reptile you own, will determine what type you need.

Mistake #2: Grouping Reptiles Together

Although it may seem like a good idea at the time to just put your reptiles together, save money, transporting them a little easier, but this is a terrible idea for several reasons.

Few reptiles can stand living with other reptiles and even so it may only be okay to put all females together or one male and one female. Placing different species of reptiles together is a DEFINITE no-no.

The safest thing you can do is put them in individual carriers. If you don’t, you could end up with unwanted offspring or, more likely, they will fight and could potentially hurt each other. 

Mistake #3: Handling Reptiles Improperly

Reptiles, as you probably know, aren’t the affectionate, cuddly type of pet. Some prefer not to be touched at all while others can be freely taken out of their enclosure regularly.

Improper handling can lead to even more stress for your pet. There are other ways of getting your pet to climb into its carrier, like food. Not only this, but you can also get sick from touching your pet.

Make sure you know if your pet is okay with being picked up, and if you choose to use a pet shipper, let them know as well.

Mistake #4: Pushing Back Feeding Time

I know, moving is already time-consuming, but make sure you’re feeding your pets and you keep a consistent feeding schedule.

Your animal doesn’t need to be any more stressed as it is, and changing its feeding times, whether it’s early or later, could have negative consequences. Especially if you’re on the road with your pet, make sure to stop and feed them and that they have plenty of clean water.

In order to keep your pets feeding schedule, set timers to remind you. With all the commotion going around, it’s easy for something as simple as feeding your pet to slip your mind.

Mistake #5: Not Finding A Veterinarian Ahead of Time

Expect the unexpected! When you’re on the road, anything can happen, so be sure to know where your new vet is if you’re moving far from your last home.

Sure, you can probably get away with this if you have a cat or dog, but for your exotic pet, it may be more of a challenge to find a vet than you think.

When looking at homes to buy, keep a lookout for vets in the area. Maybe there won’t be any in your area and you’ll have to go to the next town over.

It’s important to take good care of our pets, especially when moving so that they can live long and healthy lives. They bring us happiness and deserve nothing but the best treatment. Turtles, lizards, and snakes are all classified as reptiles but as you can see from just these three examples, they each require different care. If you have any questions on whether or not you should be doing something when moving your pet, you should always ask your veterinarian or a professional as they will be able to tell you what’s best for your pet.

Mistake #6: Never Keep Reptiles in a Self-Storage Unit

Keeping reptiles, or any kind of pet for that matter, in a self-storage unit for any amount of time isn’t only against policies—it is also animal cruelty. If you are unable to care for your reptiles for any amount of time while you are between homes, it is your responsibility to find a suitable sitter or to re-home them promptly.

Contributed by Johnathan David. Johnathan leads the editorial team at Everything Reptiles as our Editor in Chief. He brings decades worth of publishing experience. A reptile hobbyist since childhood, he has years’ of experience in herpetoculture

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About the SpareFoot Blog

The SpareFoot Blog offers tips about self-storage, information about storage auctions, advice about home organization, news about SpareFoot and much more.
Contact the editor: [email protected]




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