Traveling With Chins

[The1nOnlyMatty]

I apologize if this is already somewhere, but I am most often on the forum on my phone, and nothing came up in a search. Would some people with experience be able to give some advice about traveling with you Chinnies? I am planning on attending a couple shows this year as their are a couple within a 6 hour drive, so not to terribly bad. What are some of the best ways to travel that long of a distance with chins? Like carriers and so forth. Also I know for a fact that for at least one I will be driving and staying to evenings in a hotel. Should I just have a large carrier and they spend the two nights in their? Or should I invest in a cage that I'd be able to travel with and set up in the room? (my three level FN is obviously not portable lol). Any and all advice is welcomes and appreciated! Thanks

 

[chinchillin2005]

My chinchilla has traveled quite a lot. First, he traveled 6 hours in the car from the ranch to his new home (he was in a box with hay, and he was fine), and in the car to the airport 3 hours away (twice), we used a huge dog carrier cage with a waterbottle and food in it, with the air conditioner turned on in the car. He's been on the airplane twice and he was under our seats. I was so worried of all the stress he probably endured but everything turned out fine. The only thing is that he chewed on the crate a lot during the airplane ride (it was a long time) and really would chew to get out. Also when we had to travel 4 hours to my aunts house for her to babysit my chinchilla when we were getting ready to move, we brought his wire 3 story cage with us that fit in the truck of our car. I definitely recommend you bring a huge dog carrier cage and a portable cage along with water, hay, treats, everything. They will get stressed if they stay in the carrier cage, they need to feel at home relaxed in a portable cage. Also, after a long ride, when we moved him to the portable cage, he was still stressed out, so we gave him a dust bath and he was quite happy and started drinking water, etc. Also give them a tiny raisin. The big thing is for the chinchilla not to get stressed. Also always turn the air conditioner in the car. Something similiar to this:

The funny thing is that it was originally for my dog, but for my dog on the airplane, we had to buy a dog airplane carrier *bag in the airport because they wouldn't let us use a crate, but my chinchilla got the dog carrier lol.

 

[ChinnyMom]

a large carrier is dangerous in a moving vehicle with a chin in it. if you had to stop suddenly, the space inside allows for the chin to travel further and have a harder impact on the carrier wall.

a small carrier is best, as it keeps your chin safer. thread the seat belt through the carrier handle (in a way that the chin can't get at it to chew it) for added safety. carrier on the seat in the back, in the middle is safest as far as potential vehicle accident, as well as optimal for cool air flow from the vehicle air conditioning. i look at it this way - where is my child safest in a vehicle? and then i ensure my chin(s) are in the same spot. putting a carrier on the car floor can make it too hot, and the front seat is directly in the flow from the a/c vents - too drafty.

the Ryerson carriers (all metal) are best, from what i've read and seen. they are small enough to be safe, and chins are not able to chew their way out of them. other all metal carriers work too, but ensure they are safe for chins - no wire grates to catch feet/legs on the carrier bottom, and bar spacing small enough to keep chin heads from getting stuck through.

chins sleep most of the time during car trips. don't hang a water bottle on the carrier during transit, as it will just drip and leak all over inside the carrier. a small handful of hay and a few chew sticks will be plenty enough. offer water during stops. have a decent size travel cage for hotel nights, and bring along a favourite hammock, fleece tube, cuddle buddy, etc for the chins comfort. also remember to bring filtered water from home!

 

[chechinchillas]

I use the larger bass equipment all metal carrying cages. They are large enough for the chinchilla to stay in for the weekend. Some people will use the toy dog size pet taxi that looks like the photo in the earlier post, but I had a male chinchilla chew out of that where the air holes are in the plastic part. It's nice to have a little tube or something they can hide in to feel safe once you get where you are going. I wouldn't put it in the carrier while traveling unless you can attached so it can't move or roll. I also put in a handful of loose hay and bring the water bottle for stops.

 

[Mookie]

I just use a small cat carrier when traveling with chins. I have traveled 12 hours in the car with them before and they were fine. Just make sure they have some hay an food to munch on and make sure the air conditioning is on to keep them cool! Also, put them in a clear space in the car so it won't get hot or stuffy. Also make sure they have access to their waters sometimes. Most of the time chins just sleep in the car or snack on hay. Good luck! Have fun at the shows!

 

[Directorthiang]

I use a small cat carrier for in the car, and make it cuddly by folding one of my old t-shirts on the bottom and placing a small dish of food and a couple of sticks in there. My chins have gotten so used to traveling, now, they fall asleep almost immediately once the car starts.

If I'm staying for a longer period of time, or overnight, I have a collapsible cage (I think it's one of those "My First Pet" ones, meant for rabbits) that is pretty easy to put up and take down. Lucky little boogers even have a second wheel that travels with them.

 

[Chinbutt]

I've been wondering the same. It looks like we might be moving to the Pacific Northwest in the near future, and that's a bit of a drive from where I'm currently located. I've been a bit stressed about how the chins will react to travel.

I'm glad you asked the question so I could get my answer as well!

 

[ticklechin]

Chins do fine traveling, most just pass out for the duration.