Transporting Firebellies by Car

[nusarikaya]

There's a good chance that I'll be moving soon from Alberta to BC, and I am out of my mind with worry about how to get my boys from Point A to Point B safely. As I can't bring animals onto a Greyhound and I have seven pets altogether so taking a plane with them all would be ridiculous, my only real option is taking them all by car. Most of them will be fine, even my python, but how am I to move two tiny aquatic newts 620 km in the middle of a Canadian winter? If I put them in a container of water they'd get knocked around and probably be killed, I don't know how long they could survive on just a bit of damp cloth or moss, and even if I made frequent stops to let them swim around in a separate container they'd probably die of stress and man, there are way too many dangerous possibilities here. I won't do anything that might bring my newts harm, but I don't know how to protect them either.
Help me, Obi-Wan Caudata.org, you're my only hope.

 

[mizzerman]

They will be fine on damp moss. I get newts shipped in the mail and they are fine for a couple of days in the mail and we all know how the mail is treated. I also transport them all the time as I live 6 hours from the nearest pet store. They are aquatic newts, but they breath air and go on land for long periods of time. Most have a terrestrial phase after they leave the water as larva and that can last for years. Just make sure they don't freeze or dry out.

 

[FrogEyes]

As said, just pack them in damp moss or paper, and away you go. All my salamanders went 1200 miles from Alberta to Minnesota, exactly a year ago. I have also transported animals on Greyhound as carry-on baggage from Ontario to Alberta and within Alberta, and salamanders by air, packed in moss as carry-on [moss and salamanders aren't on any of the security checklists]. Just don't pack anything on water for airline carry-on, and don't do any of this internationally without proper paperwork first.

Be aware that BC has recent legal changes. All Ambystoma are illegal to have in BC, although the emphasis is on the truly native forms. Most Ambystoma are legal in Alberta, including the native tiger salamander which is federally protected in BC.

 

[Pop Alexandra]

If anyone's still interested, Cargolution has a very reliable transport service for pets.