Traveling With A Snake

Denise Loving, recording secretary of the Bay Area Amphibian and Reptile Society and a resident of Livermore, California, who has ten pet snakes and breeds Kenyan sand boas, offers the following tips on travelling with snakes. Put the snakes in bags inside a Styrofoam ice chest, padded with towels to avoid jostling. Leave the lid off-except when you stop. Keep the temperature range in the car in the upper 70s to lower 80s Fahrenheit. This is okay for almost any snake and comfortable for a lightly clad person who isn't moving about. Get a probe thermometer, so you can monitor the temperature of your snakes without stopping or disturbing them. Try to park in the shade. If you're going to be stopped for a long time put the thermometer where you can read it from outside the car and check it occasionally. Others who have traveled with their babies offer the following additional ideas: If you're travelling in cold weather, use heat packs or hand warmers taped to the inside lid of the box, so they don't come in contact with the snakes and burn them. Withhold food for a week before the trip, and for a few days afterward. Be prepared. Carry a large tarp to create shade if your car breaks break down. The sun beating down on your car could quickly cook your snakes.