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[Ceilingaquarium]

Hello, everyone!
I found out recently that I will be moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan!
My family is going to help me move all my furniture up there from South Texas, but it will be by truck...
San Antonio to Ann Arbor is a very long ride...

I'm wondering if you guys have any suggestions on how I can make my two chins comfortable or if you have experience with driving with chinchillas for long distances over what will definitely be several days (with hotel stops of course.)

If there's already a topic about this just give me a link.

[GrayRodent]

When transporting chinchillas your biggest concern is going to be heat. Do not put the cages on the floor or the heat of the exhaust and drivetrain can bring the temperature up in the cage. Chinchillas should never be exposed to anything over 80F. Try to keep the car a max of 75F inside. They should be transported in small travel cages. Make sure they have water at night.

The second issue will be the fact that chinchillas typically don't eat when traveling. If it will be more than three days you may need to syringe feed to prevent complications from gastrointestinal stasis and starvation. This is not really an orthodox way to do it but it is playing it safe. Weigh your chinchillas each day. If the weight drops below 10% of their original weight you are facing trouble.

Covering the sides of the cages during the trip to prevent them from seeing motion may make them more comfortable as well. ALWAYS keep them out of direct sunlight as the heat can KILL them.

The fact is your pets will be very stressed and will lose weight rapidly. Do not feed treats until they are established in their new home and adjusted. Offer hay and pellets only for food.

[Ceilingaquarium]

When transporting chinchillas your biggest concern is going to be heat. Do not put the cages on the floor or the heat of the exhaust and drivetrain can bring the temperature up in the cage. Chinchillas should never be exposed to anything over 80F. Try to keep the car a max of 75F inside. They should be transported in small travel cages. Make sure they have water at night.

The second issue will be the fact that chinchillas typically don't eat when traveling. If it will be more than three days you may need to syringe feed to prevent complications from gastrointestinal stasis and starvation. This is not really an orthodox way to do it but it is playing it safe. Weigh your chinchillas each day. If the weight drops below 10% of their original weight you are facing trouble.

Covering the sides of the cages during the trip to prevent them from seeing motion may make them more comfortable as well. ALWAYS keep them out of direct sunlight as the heat can KILL them.

The fact is your pets will be very stressed and will lose weight rapidly. Do not feed treats until they are established in their new home and adjusted. Offer hay and pellets only for food.

Alright! I'll keep these all in mind! Thank you very much for your suggestions.

[Ceilingaquarium]

Update:
The trip was a success! My chins did not seem to bothered by the trip at all, thankfully!
I ended up borrowing two medium size wire dog kennels that were large enough to fit their wheel, house, food bowl, and their water bottles attached with some walking space... Of course, I made sure the vehicle stayed cool and they sat in the backseat of my SUV. I used towels to block out any strong sunlight coming in through the windows, but kept any area where the sun wasn't coming in open so they could stay cool. They slept peacefully through the trip.

[GrayRodent]

Wow, most people transport chinchillas in a carrier about the size of a shoebox. I'm glad everything worked out.