Relocating with Turtles?

My daughter is moving from CA to MD to go to college and wants to take her 3 small turtles. What is the best way to get them there? -Cathi

Moving turtles always seems easy - put them in a little box, or a bag, and off you go!  However, most people quickly discover that pet airlines will not allow turtles to travel in cabin, which means your crawly-creature won't be able to fly in the carry on.

At this point, reptile and turtle owners have a few options:

1) Road trip - Yes, it may be a long drive, but the cheapest and sometimes easiest option can be to move the turtles, in the habitat they're used to, int he back of a car and drive them by ground.  You don't say whether they're aquatic or land tortoises, but if they are aquatic, this could be the best option.

2) Hire a pet transport company - we can certainly assist your daughter with her turtle move across the country.  However, our door-to-door domestic pricing typically starts off at around $1100 USD, which may be out of an average college-bound student's budget.

Whatever your daughter decides to do, it would be a good idea to check with the local US Fish & Wildlife department in Maryland to ensure that the type of turtle she wants to bring into the state are allowed.  Every state has different regulations with regards to what types of wildlife and exotic species are legal and anyone considering driving across country with an exotic pet should be sure that their route stays within the limits of the law.  A listing of the US Fish & Wildlife offices can be found here.