Animal Transporting

If animals are to be sent by public transport, the containers in which they are sent must comply with all sorts of requirements. If your animal is the size of a cat, or larger, by far the best way of transporting it is to buy a commercial container for it. These are usually either of wicker, or fiberglass. Moving a cat in cardboard pet carrier is fine if the cat is content to be in it,but if it sets its mind on getting out you will have problems. And never, ever transport any animal loose in a car, however tame it might be. Keep it instead behind a grid at the back of the vehicle.

It is simple to make carrying cases for birds and small mammals,and it is a good idea to make three or four as they are always useful. The smallest handy size is about 25 X 12 X 12 cm (10 X5 X 5 in).

You will need two sides of 12 mm (1/2 in) plywood and a top and bottom of 6 mm (1/4 in) plywood. The top should be 15 mm(5/8 in) shorter than the other three pieces. Two vertical grooves need to be cut in the sides at one end so that slides can be dropped in, and a few air-holes drilled through the sides about 2 cm (3/8 in) from the bottom. When this has been done and everything sandpapered smooth, glue and nail the roof, the side sand the floor together after making sure that one end of the roof is flush with the other pieces. On that end fix a panel of 4mm (1/5 in)ply as an end wall. Cut a similar piece, but a bit taller to drop into one of the grooves at the other end and then cut a piece doweled of the same size to drop into the other groove. Carefully file off any sharp bits. It is also a good idea to cut a third panel of this size from perspex but it is not essential. When you want to examine an animal in the box you slide in the weld mesh, but to keep the animal warmer and fairly dark so that it does not go dashing about, add the plywood panel as well. So that these two end panels do not slip out, make a hole in the plywood and screw up hook through it and into the roof of the cage. Two small screw eyes should be fixed to the top to take a bent wire handle and your carrying box is about ready. If it is used for a bird, pus ha twig of suitable diameter through the centre air hole as a perch and the bird will travel much more quietly if it can hold onto this.The reason that the air holes are near the bottom is so that the light from them enables the animal to see any food you put in for the journey, but provided the journey is a short one it is best not to include water which tends to get spilt.

Many animals will need to be kept warm while they are in such traveling box. All sorts of ideas have been tried but to be honest none is very successful, although there are two that work better than the others. First, insulate the box (expanded polystyrene panels are ideal for this), and then either put an angler's hand warmer beneath a false floor in the box, or one of those plastic sachets that you crumple to cause an exothermic chemical reaction which makes it hot for a few hours. Failing that, you can resort to a hot water bottle which everyone has used at some time to keep animals warm.

Snakes and lizards are generally carried in cloth bags, and these should be a good 2.5 times as long as they are wide so that a knot can be tied in the neck. Seams should be on the outside so that fraying edges do not entangle feet. The bags can then be laid in cardboard box. To make an even better bag for lizards, fold some very strong wire into a box-like frame that can be inserted inside the bag first.

Amphibians are best moved around in plastic boxes, such as margarine tubs with a piece of nylon mesh over the top. The container has to be waterproof since amphibians must be kept damp and to this end it is a good idea to put a piece of damp moss in with them, or failing that a lump of foam rubber, which must not be able to flop about or it may squash your toad.

For carrying invertebrates, a good stout cardboard box should be used. A short length of cardboard tube such as is used for posters is ideal with a plastic push on lid at each end, but whatever is used Indo like to enclose some crumpled up newspaper to give the animals something to hang onto. Some animals are not too go odin company, so it is a good idea to pack these individually.

While fish are invariably sold in plastic bags, a small flexible polythene container is better and can be easily kept in an insulated box.