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Thread: Traveling with Tegu

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Tampa, FL
    Posts
    160

    Default Traveling with Tegu

    In 2 weeks, I'm moving out of state with my tegu, Desmond.
    I've been told to keep him in a container with well ventilated air ways for the car trip (it is an 8 hour drive). Is it possible to tranquilize your tegu?
    Our vet told us that Benadryl is ok to give to dogs and cats for travel, but I'm not sure if the same goes for lizards - and idk how happy Desmond will be after being stuck in a tupperware container with holes in it for 8 hours...

    any advice?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    San Diego, CA
    Posts
    50

    Default

    8 hours is nothing, think about those being imported! A simple rubbermaid container, and a towel should do, most likly your tegu will just take a nap! If you feel the need, when you stop for a bathroom break, let him out and pour some water over him... I strongly urge you NOT to give any drugs, your tegu will be just fine without them! =) Hope this helps.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Posts
    1,362

    Default

    i totally agree i wouldn't drug him, just let him out when you stop, but most likely he'll just sleep
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    1,210

    Default

    We have a 20-gal Rubbermaid bin that we use for many purposes: bath, sunshine time, trips to the kennel, etc. I used a drill with a 1/4" bit to put a few dozen holes in the lid. Up until his very last trip to the kennel, this worked great.

    You don't need to drug a reptile and should not. Reptile metabolism and the way they break down and absorb chemicals is very different from mammals. Also, they are very tiny by weight even compared to a toddler, so it is very easy to administer a toxic dose. If you want a quieter lizard, just remove its heat sources. You can keep the temperature safe (not below the low 70's for extended periods) without letting it get to the point of making the animal active. Put a few old towels in the bin and cover him up; he'll probably sleep most of the way.

    The last time I took Hernando home from the kennel, however, I had a little disaster. It was about an hour's drive in rush hour traffic. He was in his bin on the front passenger seat with the seat back folded back nearly flat. The lid was snapped on. He was nice and warm from basking at his spa and it was a pretty warm afternoon, so instead of sleeping he was pacing and watching out the bin and looking at me to let him come out. He started pushing the lid up with his nose and pretty soon I had to drive with one hand to hold the lid down. This is on the freeway. Then he figured out he could go to the corner and push up and poke his snout out and flick his tongue into freedom. I had to time it so his tongue was back in his mouth then squeeze down on that corner. But he is a little genius and now that he had figured and the weak part of the lid lock and noted that I was driving a stick shift, he waited until I was downshifting on an offramp and pushed with all his might at the far corner and squeezed out! There's nothing I can do -- I'm merging onto another highway going 50. So Hernando gets up on the dashboard and walks along pushing at the windshield and waving at the other drivers. As soon as I could I pried the lid off, grabbed him kicking and clawing at the dashboard and tail whipping and pushed him back into the bin. I just left the lid off and kept knocking him back down all the way home. When I finally got him into the house and told HernandosPapa how he had almost caused a major accident, his papa just told him Good Boy!, which is pretty much what we say in response to everything he does and all his bodily functions.

    The moral of this story is, if you aren't driving with another human to watch, you need to be sure to keep the temps down and maybe put a suitcase on top of the carrying bin -- tegus can be VERY strong when they want to be. They only pretend to be weak and delicate when you try to get them to run the shop vac and clean up after themselves.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    107

    Default

    Omg, you had me cracking up with that story. It reminds me of a time I walked to the petshop with Cruz. Big mistake, every once in a while she would do a death roll to get down from shoulder so I ended up just carrying her big butt in my arms like a baby so she would calm down.
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