Travelling and Being Away: Pet Sitters and Transport

Exotics have one clear advantage over cats and dogs here: most species can be left alone far longer.

But some cannot be left at all. Work out which kind you have.

1. How long can it be left?

Two hard constraints, regardless of duration:

1. Summer — if you keep a chinchilla or an axolotl, the cooling stays on the entire time. There is no way around this
2. Power cuts — for trips longer than two or three days, someone should be able to come and check the equipment

2. Briefing a sitter

A sitter is better than boarding. Exotic boarding is scarce, and a change of environment is itself a stressor. Have someone come to the animal instead.

Write it down (tape it beside the enclosure and send a copy):

Species: Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
─────────────────────────────
Every day:
  □ Check the water dish, replace if fouled
  □ Look in: any odd posture, any injury?
  □ Note the temperature readings (warm/cool)

Every other day:
  □ 5-6 crickets, dusted with calcium (white tub)
  □ Remove any uneaten ones the next day

Do NOT:
  □ Handle it or open the enclosure for photos
  □ Touch the thermostat dial
  □ Worry if it doesn't eat — that's normal, don't change food

If something's wrong:
  My number: xxx
  Vet: xxx (treats reptiles)
  Thermostat failure: unplug the heat mat, call me
─────────────────────────────

Also prepare:

• Pre-portion the food by day, so nobody has to estimate
• Walk them through it once in person before you leave — far more effective than written notes
• Leave a photo of the animal looking normal as a reference point
• Tape the thermostat dial down so it cannot be nudged

Tell them explicitly that not eating is fine. It is the thing sitters panic about most, and panic is what leads them to start changing the setup.

3. When the animal must travel

For a house move or a trip to a distant vet, the central issue is temperature.

General approach:

• A lidded container with small vents, lined with paper towel
• Winter: heat pack on the outside with several towels between, whole thing inside an insulated bag or polystyrene box
• Summer: reverse it — avoid direct sun and hot cars; a towel-wrapped frozen bottle outside the container
• Keep it dark, minimise jolting, and resist opening the lid en route
• Do not feed for 24-48 hours before travelling — this avoids waste and regurgitation in transit

Species specifics:

• Snakes: a breathable cloth snake bag tied shut, then placed in the transport box — more secure than the box alone
• Amphibians: damp sphagnum for humidity, no standing water (sloshing risks aspiration)
• Axolotls: transport in water in a sealed bag or container, one-third water and plenty of air, with a towel-wrapped ice pack in hot weather
• Birds: a small travel cage with paper on the floor, no water dish (it spills) — offer pieces of fruit for moisture instead
• Small mammals: put a handful of their existing bedding in the carrier; the familiar scent reduces stress

For long journeys (more than a few hours), ask a vet — some species need specific preparation.

4. Never do these

• ❌ Ship an animal by ordinary courier — outside legitimate specialist live-animal transport, this is both against the rules and almost certain to go badly
• ❌ Leave it unattended in a car — summer car interiors reach lethal temperatures within minutes
• ❌ Put it in the boot or hold luggage — poor air, jolting, uncontrolled temperature
• ❌ Start preparing the day before — a sitter needs time to get familiar with the routine

5. A test worth applying

If you travel for more than a week several times a year and keep a species needing daily care, that species may not fit your life.

This is not scaremongering — repeatedly arranging cover and re-briefing someone each time is an ongoing burden for you and the animal both.

Better fits for frequent travellers: corn snakes and ball pythons (long feeding intervals), leopard geckos and crested geckos (simple maintenance).

Related

• Summer cooling and winter heating
• Where to take a sick exotic pet