Moving with my babies....Needing opinions!

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kdr13

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
180
Location
Greensburg, PA & Ellicott City, MD
Hello Everyone! So, I'm going down to the University of Maryland for graduate school. I start on June 14th. Anyways, I will be taking my 2 chinchillas Sidney (girl) and Fleury (boy) as well as my dwarf rabbit Lil John. So, my apartment is AMAZING and in a fantastic area but it says no pets, but I'm taking mine anyways. So, I have a small cat carrier to bring my rabbit back and forth and I am putting it in a box so i can carry it to my car w/out anyone seeing it. Well, I saw on ryerson a 2 hold chinchilla carrier, and i figure that would be the easiest way to put that in a box and carry that to the car (i will take the carriers out of the box for the car ride home). My only problem is, is the 2 hold carrier too small to keep my chins in for the car ride of 3 hours? I already checked w/my vet about the ride and she said my babies should be fine for the ride but I just want to make sure the chins will be ok in such a small space for that amount of time? Let me know! Thanks in advance for your assistance!
 
they will be fine in a small carrier. breeders and such put their chins in small carriers all the time for shows and travel.
my only concern is that your apartment doesnt allow pets & you are bringing pets. i would be nervous that they would do some type of pesticide spraying, specifally for rodents that may be harmful to your pets. in addition to other concerns i would have.
 
I asked all about that, implying that I was very "green" and wanted environmentally friendly options and they said that they do not use any kind of toxic pesticides for bugs, rodents, etc anywhere in the apartment. this apartment complex is EXTREMELY expensive per month and honestly most of the residents are older people....so I'm thinking it will be fine, but thank you very much for the idea and concern!
 
Is it really worth lying and taking animals to a place where it has been expressed they are NOT allowed? Is it worth getting kicked out and thus both you and your pets being homeless? I'm sorry but I feel that is very selfish. How are you going to hide their cages when maintenance has to come? They can inspect your apartment at any time.

Surely they use some sort of means for exterminating animals. It may be "green" but it still could prove toxic to your pets. They could inspect- find chin poop..think oh, rats? mice? and take measures.

I would ask how they feel about caged animals. Some apartments say no pets but are more lenient toward caged animals. I have seen this happen all too often- people move into a no pet apartment, take pets anyway, then get rid of pets and dump them on a rescue when they are caught.
 
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Honestly, I would NEVER "dump" my pets at a rescue and I think it is very ignorant of you to imply that I would. You don't know me or my situation, and the issue im asking about is not the apartment, its the carriers itself. If people can't get over the issue of me doing what I think is best for my pets as well as myself, then please close this thread.
 
I'm not implying anything. I'm just saying I've seen it happen. What WOULD you do if you got caught, though? It's definitely something you need to think about since you are taking it upon yourself to break the rules of the apartment complex.

When I see an underlying issue in ANY thread that could concern the chinchillas, I (and others) are going to say something about it. I don't see how bringing chinchillas somewhere where they are forbidden is best for them. Finding an apartment that is pet friendly and not ignoring and breaking rules is what would be best.
 
There should be *plenty* of pet friendly apartments in that area. I know a friend of mine went there a few years ago and got a reasonable, pet friendly place near campus so she could take her cat. The most responsible option would be to try to find an apartment where there's no danger (real or potential) to your chins b/c they're welcome there in the first place.

And yes, a 2 hole carrier is fine for a short ride. It's done all the time with no ill effects to the animals.
 
It is a big risk to still take your pets with you but what I would do that would make me have a clear conscience is that I would just be honest with them and explain that I have two chinchillas and a rabbit that are my responsibility and there is no one else to take care of them and they have their own playpen so they won't be running around and they wouldn't be able to destroy anything. They are in their cages when I am attending class or not home. I don't like bending the rules and I wouldn't feel good about it. It doesn't hurt to ask.
 
Well, when my father and I looked, we found apartments that were pet friendly, and they were in the ghetto, and had roaches. In my opinion, that isn't good for my chins either. And unless you have been down to the baltimore area and have found an apartment for yourself, please don't tell me that there are other options that are safe for both me AND my pets. Ofcorse I have though about what i would do if they were found out. I'm not an idiot. And honestly, these are my pets and I am responsible for them and the apartments I have seen thus far down there that did accept pets were disgusting and i would NEVER take them there to live. As I said before, I asked for opinions on the carriers, not the apartment. I could careless what anyone says about where I'm living, so please just keep those remarks to yourselves b/c you are wasting your time.
 
Whatever you decide to do remember when traveling with the cages to never put them on the floor. And if you can use the seatbelt thru the cage that would be best.
i find a nice piece of fleece in their carrier, a hay cube & a huge piece of apple wood makes the trip easier on them.
 
listen, I have to say I go the other way on this argument. I have gone through **** to keep my chins. If you are dedicated, you find a way. I smuggled my chins in college and figured out ways to bend the rules as well. I was able to put them in a large walk in pantry closet with the open door and close it during the hour of the inspection appointment. I dont regret this for a moment.

My apartment now doesnt "allow" pets but if you tell them you have small caged animals they usually dont mind. They mostly intend it for dogs and poop in the yard and such. So I would just call again and pretend to be someone interested in the property and ask

If she is anything like me, the moment they told her they found out she had pets she would find a way to move or bring them home until she found a better place. I dont think we can assume that the only good pet owners are ones in stable homes with big yards and flexible landlords. Everyones situation is different and I would MUCH rather her keep her chins in a healthy atmosphere where they "arent allowed" than leave them to a new person they dont know.
 
Usually when rental properties state 'no pets allowed' they are in fact referring to cats and dogs... usually.

We rented a place for many years and that's where we found Pip (chinchilla) outside and we brought him in and built a nice big cage for him. We also found a guinea pig in our back yard and kept her as well in a pen and had two gerbils in an aquarium as well.

We often had inspections and no one said a word about the caged pets b/c I made sure we kept the place nice and clean, paid our rent on time and tried our best to get along with neighbours. It can be done. Now if they were strongly opposed to caged pets then I guess we would have either found new homes for them or moved elsewhere. It is a gamble but sometimes it does pay off but you have to be a MODEL tenant to pull it off.
 
I agree. We have two buns in x pens and 5 chins in a no pet apartment which was okayed informally when we moved in. ALL of our neighbors also have dogs and when I called to check on it they said we arent supposed to but it is sort of a secret. Our lease is up in September so we got adopted a dog and will see how it goes and move if needed. I have saved many pets in my life and have had to do things like this to care for them and I am proud to have done it
 
I've never really had a problem either, most of them worry about cats and dogs. I lived in a place with a one pet rule and had the dog that was legal, two cats, a hamster, guinea pig, and a cage full of sugar gliders. Since they were quiet I never worried, when they came over to do work they all went in one room and I turned the radio on. Caged animals seem to not be that big of a deal. I also had mice in college and stuck them in my closet. I still remember the one day I had them out and we made pancakes in the kitchen and my RA helped me carry my plate back and put them right on the cage...oops. She never said a word. I've always made it work too.
 
Thank you all who are trying to be understanding. In this apartment, I have a HUGE walk in closet. Also, the lease woman said that they are not allowed to enter the apartment unless the tenant is inside. So, if they want to come in, I will move the chins and rabbit to the walk in closet. If they said i had to move, I would either move them to my parents until I found another place, or keep them there with me till i find a person to stay else where. I would never "get rid" of my pets....they are more like my children than animals! Thats why I'm even taking the risk to begin with. And to those of you who did offer good advice about transport, thanks!
 
You may already know this but, something else to think about is the heat. You will need to let the AC run to cool the car before you "pack" the chins. I recommend buying a digital thermometer if you don't already have one to make sure you maintain a safe temperature.
I have to wonder, how are you going to smuggle in their cages?
 
I just want to say to be very careful on the no pets allowed. My former landlord knew I had the chins and the cats and he was okay with both. After 14 years of my living there he came by and told me I had to get out because of the animals. I moved and now he's charging me $4000 in chinchilla damage. He claims all the woodwork and cabinets are ruined from chinchilla feces and urine. While my chins are caged, occassionally they did get out. I would hate to see something like this happen to you as they aren't allowed.
 
When I moved into apartments my experience has always been that there isnt so much a central office with a window looking out to people who are outside but that you do your own thing and your only bothered if your a bother or if you need something. Usually, no one was around when I was moving in so it wasnt smuggling so much as just moving it in.
 
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