Cross Country Moving Advice Needed

[1lila1]

In 2 1/2 weeks we'll be moving back to S. CA.  We're driving with my dog and my 5 rattie boys.  I've purchased a travel cage from Martins and added it to the top of their 695 so they are used to the smell and the cage in general.  The dimensions are 30X18X18.  I plan to feed them their regular food by bringing a cooler to keep their fruits and veggies in.  I've purchased a Water Buddy water bottle that won't leak in the car while moving.  I'm going to use their hammocks, jumbo igloo, and maybe a fabric tube in their cage to keep them comfortable.  I'm trying to change as little as possible so they don't get stressed out.  I take them for outings sometimes in the car and they don't seem too nervous but do become like velcro rats to me when we're anywhere but home. 

We'll be staying in hotels for 2 nights during the drive.  It should take us about 3 days to get there.  Am I missing anything, or anything that I haven't thought of?  How hard would it be to find hotels that accept pets?  Or should we not even bother to tell them about the rats?  I'm not anticipating too many problems but I've never done this before so any advice or your experiences would be really appreciated.

[scout]

If you find a hotel that will take dogs, then you're going to be just fine. I never actually tell anyone I've got rats in my hotel room, and just hang the do not disturb sign out. At a show one time, my roomie and I quit counting at 100.... 

When I travel with my rats, I put a white towel over their cage to keep the sun out. If it's hot, I can also get the towel wet for a swamp cooler effect. It also helps them stay a little calmer. They probably won't sleep much in the car - mine never did. But they'll sleep hard at night! You can also get a little tiny bird dish that hooks onto the side of the cage to put under the water bottle, just in case it does leak a little (my water buddies never have unless they get litter caught in them). You can also give them a little yogurt or benebac to help their digestive systems out. Sometimes travel can give them loose stools.

I think you should be set for your trip. Rats actually travel pretty well!

[1lila1]

Thanks for the tips.  I didn't think about covering the cage.  I do think it would help keep them calmer.  My bf's Dad is getting AAA to make the route up in some sort of booklet for us.  It also will list all the hotels that take dogs in the areas that we plan to stop for the night in.  I guess there is no real reason to tell the hotel about the rats.  I did have a concern about letting them out at night in the room.  Do you think it would be safe to let them run around the bathroom?  I think they'd jump off the bed and wouldn't feel comfortable letting them run on the floor.  They're used to lots of time out running around a big bedroom so I imagine they'd be a little stir crazy after 3 days in a cage 1/3 the size of their normal cage.

[anniedjrfan8]

oh for sure I'  would just limmit thre play at the hotel to the bathroom.. or if they have one of them lil "changing" rooms off the bathroom that dubs as a closet like area.. give them that... so they dont go to nutz.. and lots of food and mabey a few toys.. or if someone is in the car with u. let one at a time come out and sit on their lap for a few ..  its what I did wheni brought my newer 3 ferrets home from a 4 hour drive.