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[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 temperatures over 80F. Try to keep the car a maximum of 75F inside. For chinchillas used to cooler temperatures even this may be pushing it. They should be transported in small travel cages with nothing inside that can cause injury if the cages gets tossed around during the trip. Make sure they have water at night and that you have a way to attach your watering system to the cage.

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 in a very short time. Know how to perform first aid on a chinchilla with heat stroke before going on a long trip during a warm time of year. You are better off transporting them in the winter if you can help it.

When transporting them for several days at a time your next biggest concern will be the fact that chinchillas typically don't eat when traveling. Traveling by air is safer for that reason. If it will be more than three days you may need to syringe feed to prevent complications from gastrointestinal stasis, dehydration and starvation. Ask your veterinarian for instructions and obtain supplies if you don't have them. 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 serious consequences. If your road trip is more than 3 days you are far better off trying to make arrangements to move them by air as chinchillas can die from stress.

The fact is your pets will be very stressed and will lose weight rapidly. They will be stressed for several days after they are put into their home as well but they should start eating by the next day after they are relocated. Do not feed treats until they are established in their new home and adjusted to their new surroundings. Feeding treats is not needed for you pets' diet and can make them very sick if they are under stress. Offer hay and pellets only for food until their fecal output is back to normal.

Also note typical vacuum type water bottles which are typical of watering systems may fail to dispense with changes in temperature and altitude. Always check to make sure the water bottle is dispensing before you put them up for the night.

The level of stress will be different depending on the animal. Some will take it harder than others.

[RAF Chinchillas]

In addition, I personally travel most during early morning and late evening during spring/summer/early fall. Let's face it, for most of us it is cooler during those times of day making it somewhat safer. It's still wise to prepare for worst case scenario. Plain and simple, this time of year...any time you leave the house with your chinchilla could mean their death if you are not properly prepared. Please be responsible, be prepared, your chinchilla's life depends on it!