Advice for long road trip with Ts?

[emc37]

I'll be moving from San Diego to Sacramento in late June (about a 9-10 hr drive) and of course will be taking my Ts with me! I have 14 Ts and they can all fit inside a large styrofoam box (the box will be in the front seat, wedged firmly between the seat and dashboard). I figured it would be best to leave them in their enclosures to minimize stress, and I plan to take out their hides or any decorations that could possibly injure them. I heard that filling the enclosures at least halfway with substrate would provide some cushioning...is there anything else I can do to make the ride less stressful for them? Thanks!

 

[JadeWilliamson]

Just bite the bullet and pack them up as if you were shipping. Saves room and basically eliminates the possibility of them getting hurt. My $0.02.

 

[paassatt]

I think you can get away with not packing them up as if you were shipping them, provided you remove any movable objects from their enclosures, and ensure that they absorb as few bumps along the way as possible. Perhaps putting them in a big plastic container with some newspaper or other packing material wedged firmly in between the enclosures, with a lid firmly secured on top of it. Packing each individual spider seems a bit like overkill for a 9 hour drive that'll be mostly on an straight interstate.

 

[JadeWilliamson]

That's an interesting perspective. I checked a map of where you're going to catch up on what was going on and I definitely see no need to pack them up. I moved my Ts about an hour away while my house was bombed to kill fleas and I packed up all forty something of them. It was just too much of a risk in my opinion. That wasn't all interstate though.

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

 

[jayefbe]

I'll be moving from San Diego to Sacramento in late June (about a 9-10 hr drive) and of course will be taking my Ts with me! I have 14 Ts and they can all fit inside a large styrofoam box (the box will be in the front seat, wedged firmly between the seat and dashboard). I figured it would be best to leave them in their enclosures to minimize stress, and I plan to take out their hides or any decorations that could possibly injure them. I heard that filling the enclosures at least halfway with substrate would provide some cushioning...is there anything else I can do to make the ride less stressful for them? Thanks!

I have driven 9+ hours with my entire tarantula collection multiple times. THIS IS ALL I DO. I make sure the enclosures won't move during a sudden stop. I make sure there's nothing that can crush them. AND THAT IS IT. You could prepare for a catastrophic car crash (which is really the only added security packing them provides) but I don't think tarantulas will be your primary concern in that situation.

 

[emc37]

Thanks for the replies! I will definitely be taking interstate the whole way (no off-roading for me! ) Most of my Ts are slings/juvies and are already in fairly small containers, luckily. I think I'll just try to fill up the containers with substrate & stuff plenty of newspaper/packing peanuts in the box because the thought of trying to move all my NWs & dealing with all those #!@& itchy u-hairs is a bit daunting...

 

[scar is my t]

You will be fine, as long as they aren't bouncing around they should be fine. Just check them every once in a while.

 

[Ahmet29992]

You could prepare for a catastrophic car crash (which is really the only added security packing them provides) but I don't think tarantulas will be your primary concern in that situation.

Then you don't know me