Frequent Travelling

[caiti]

When I came back to my apartment last night, I learned my roommate's cat may have scratched one of Chloe's toes. My roommate informed me Chloe was barking for an hour on saturday and later she found out her cat was in my room for a good while. She didn't check on Chloe when she was barking repeatedly. When she first told me this I got mad. I thought about it for more than a second and decided not to say anything to her or let on I was irritated. She's doing me a favor by watching Chloe on weekends I go home. I have no right to be mad at her for something she is not responsible for.

It got me thinking that maybe I should start bringing Chloe home with me regularly. So I know she will be watched and I have an actual door to my room (not made of plywood). I did have issues with my parents wanting to keep their house at a temperature that is not optimal for a chin, but during the winter this would not be an issue. It's the age old child-trying-to-convince-their-parents-what-they-want-to-do-with-their-own-house debacle. They keep the AC off as much as they can to save money, and also keep the heat off as much as they can to save money so it works to Chloe's advantage in the fall and winter.

I pretty much go home every other weekend since the semester started. I used to go home once a month maybe. Basically, I am miserable where I live. I have completely given up on making friends or talking to people since last summer after everyone I knew here graduated. I am depressed and don't want to be here. I've been going through medication changes to find a good anti-depressant and my therapist "dumped" me because I am not reliable enough due to my lack of motivation to go. I have at least one year left of school and one thing that keeps me sane is knowing I can go home and see my friends there and my family (plus I have a boy there and I consider relationships a special form of mental illness on their own so I am that much crazier).

Blah blah, I'm sad and cry cry cry. Look at me--the ball of sunshine over here. I know things will change, at least in some way--for better or worse so I'm not looking for pity I'm trying to stress that it is important for me to go home as often as I practically can. But I also worry about Chloe the whole time I am gone. It seems my choices are to stay here more often and wallow in my inability to cope with life (woohoo!!), but be able to take care of Chloe and find some joy in that or start seeing if she will handle regular travelling and be a little less stressed.

I know a handful of members have frequent travelling experience with their chins, some daily I believe. I would like to set up her travel cage that is in my room at home so I won't have to transfer her tubes and hammocks every time. I have a few extras of things, and I would like to get some more shelves in there. I think this would make her more comfortable with more frequent moving. Does anyone have any more advice as to how to make regular travelling most comfortable for a chin--or thoughts on the situation as a whole, whether you agree, disagree or think an alternative is better? Thanks.

 

[tunes]

Take her home with you. She's not spun glass that will die from a little bit of travel. After a while, she'll get used to it. Better she's with you safe than risk her being mauled by a cat.

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

I would start taking her with you. Chinchillas travel well. How do you think they get to the shows all across the counry??? Dawn takes hers to and from work with her every day.

I think that having a cage at your parents with all the supplies always set up would be the easiest thing. Just load her into her carrier at your apartment and unload her at your parents.

Then you wouldn't have to worry about the roommate and the cat. :thumbsup:

 

[Sandi]

I absolutely agree to take her with you especially now that the cat knows how to get in to your room. Plus, you will be much more comfortable and somewhat less stressed at home knowing she's with you and she's ok. Plus we are all here for you if you need us if something does comes up. :thumbsup: I also think you'll find it easier to maybe have a temp cage set up at your parents house. She'll travel much more comfortably in a carrier with some chew toys and line the bottom of the carrier with however you line her cage now.

 

[mishellyshel]

i agree! not only will your chinnie be safer, you will be at ease. and with your "situation", i think that having her with you may just turn your frown upside down!

if you are able to get duplicates of most items, i also agree having a cage set up in both locations would be easiest. also for travel.....just line a pet carrier with some fleece, toss in a nice apple stick & maybe a hay cube and your chinnie will be just fine. in no time, choloe will get used to the travel and may even enjoy it. you can actually strap her carrier on the seat with the seatbelt. and remember to never put the carrier on the floor, it gets very hot down there. good luck. i hope everything works out for you.

 

[RDZCRanch]

What was said above. There's no miracle to make traveling less stressful, but I've yet to have a chinchilla die from the stress of traveling.

I moved 150 miles away from my friends and family for my boyfriend. I still have to drive down there to go to school to finish up my degree. Since I regularly travel down there to meet friends and family and go to school, I still do chinchilla "business" down there. Any chinchillas surrendered to me make the 150 mile drive back up here with me. When a chinchilla is ill or kits need hand feeding and I have to make a trip down there, they go with me. Heck, I've even taken chinchillas/kits with me to school if they need hand feeding! They all travel really well because chinchillas are not as delicate as a lot of people make them out to be. They are very social and adaptable creatures.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I agree - take the chin with you. The chin that I had to hand feed for 6 years went with me all the time. She was 'a seasoned travaler/camper'. I think she loved it - she got even more attention

 

[ticklechin]

Mine go to work every day, they have been all over the place from camping in yosemite to riding in a small boat to stay at a island cabin. I have traveled with fresh rescues and have not had one not adapt.

 

[caiti]

Yes, I probably am a little paranoid when it comes to what chins are sensitive to, like a lot of newbs. Although I think the chances of her getting mauled by the cat are small, because of the wire spacing and the locks on the cage doors, I wouldn't put it in the realm of impossibilities. Also, I obviously thought the door I built was sturdy and I would hate to fix it only to have the cat prove me wrong again. An experienced door builder I am not.

I have her old cage at my parents house, which is that purple super pet cage with all those crazy plastic neon-colored tubes and ramps which aren't being used. The cage she originally came to me in is the cage I use to transport her from my apartment-->car-->parent's house. I also use it to hold all her stuff in my room. Michelle--yea I actually do put the seatbelt over the cage when she's in the car, hehe. I've done that with all my cats in their carriers too, when I take them to the vets. Her cage is on the passenger's seat, never on the floor and I put a thin jacket over the cage so she can have some darkness. And I definitely think I will feel much less stressed having her with me.

Before it was a mainly matter of what Chloe would most likely prefer and the convenience of having her vet and the emergency vet closer (I think Tufts in Grafton is the closest e-vet at home) but now with the whole cat fiasco, I have to consider her safety as well which isn't really a negotiable thing obviously.

I'm actually kind of getting nerdily excited about getting and making stuff to put in her temp cage at my folks' house.

Thanks everyone for saying such nice things. I'm just a cranky emo 20-something kid, bah.

 

[Sugarised]

I have a similar problem- my solution, i seriously bought 2 of everything. So i have (currently) 5 cages. At my home in liverpool i have a massive 4 storey cage for starrkey and a good 4ft+ sq cage for my ratties. At home i have smaller cages due to the cost of doubling up, but this is because they are only in them for the weekend and my parents are kind enough to let them have runs around the house, so the cage size isn't an issue as they sleep then run in a huge room.

I come home on average once every two weeks but sometimes its more and all my boys travel impecably. Starrkey (chin) sleeps the whole journey. Getting him into the carrier is like playing with a jack in the box, but he sleeps, he never squeaks, moans or barks. Some chins can clearly handle the car ride, and for how often mine happens they are all just used to it now.

If anything my chin is more of a brat because of it- he has sooo much territory from the runs in my liverpool flat to those in stoke, and then there's the different cages with different toys- SPOILT!

More than anything, you're chin will be more relaxed with you than someone else especially with a cat lurking about. Travelling is a small cost for it to feel 'at home' with you

As for the depression thing- i sooo know the feeling. I get itchy feet and at 2am will suddenly decide i have to go from one city to the next. Load up the rodents and off i go! But a good distraction is always focussing on the animals. My sister has just moved house and has TONNES of cardboard: tubes, sheets everything. I wanna build a playground to set up for when its run time, maybe a castle...an obstacle course....possibilities are endless!

 

[DevnChip]

I will also chime in with the "take your chin with you" cry. They travel better and easier than birds do. I travel with both at the worst time of the year for birds - winter. Chipper sleeps in his carrier all the way across 4 states and I sleep better on vacation just having him with me. All the daily-care critters in my house get packed and taken with. My poor mother-in-law is so tolerant of the feather invasion. It helps that my niece and nephew look forward to seeing them all.

As for the cat, I was told several times (by several different sources) to never underestimate a determined cat. I don't know your friend's cat so I can't judge, but I'd fix the door anyway.

 

[Sugarised]

As for the cat, I was told several times (by several different sources) to never underestimate a determined cat.

Quality quote and sooo true! Avoid chinny panic, cat will be like the boogie monster to chinny wondering when its going to get them, poor things....though sounds like a plot to a disney film where the comedic chins have to keep out the way of the cat (im picturing lucifer from cinderella)

 

[kdr13]

I recently moved to MD for graduate school from PA and have brought my 2 chins and dwarf rabbit. The chins go home in their carrier (they both fit in one but its made for 2) and the rabbit goes in his own carrier. I have a FN at home and a FN at my apartment....I have 4 of everything (2 at home and 2 at the apartment). It works out just fine, the animals have no problem with it. Before I put my babies in their carrier for the trips though, I would put them in the carrier, walk them around the apartment or take them out for playtime in it just so they didn't get scared and be shocked the first time for a ride. The trip is like 3 hours and I've never had a problem. I just always am sure that I take home the medicine that I have on hand just in case they would get sick or something by chance. It works out fine and I go home regularly (not every weekend but probably like 1 or 2 times a month).

 

[kogia]

Again, another vote for travel- my two little dudes made it 2,200 miles with me over 4 days when I moved to TX in August with no problem. Prior to that, several times a year I would trek home with them from my college- 4.5hr trip one way. I found that the quality cage temp travel cages (the super-easy collapsable ones) did fine for temporary overnight housing. I love their carriers too.