Pet question for skoolie newbie!

[BlueisallIneed]

Hello all,
My husband and I have 5 turtles (one is about 20lbs) a frog and a cat.
Can anyone give advice on how to build a bus with then in it?

Its not an option for us to leave them with family. Any help would be great!

[Sleddgracer]

[QUOTE=BlueisallIneed;340177]Hello all,
My husband and I have 5 turtles (one is about 20lbs) a frog and a cat.
Can anyone give advice on how to build a bus with then in it?

Its not an option for us to leave them with family. Any help would be great! [/QUOTE


might be hard to build a bus with 5 turtles, a frog and a cat in it, but if you had a place to keep them while you are doing the reno, allowances for them shouldn't be too hard - it's your bus, you can make it what you want it to be

[BlueisallIneed]

Having a place while building a bus isn't a problem, its having a place for them in the bus! We are just not sure of a layout or if someone has done one with exotic pets how they did it. Thank you though!

[HazMatt]

"Reptiles, Amphibian, and Cat. Oh my!"
Howdy from Grimes County neighbors, and welcome to the asylum!
I've a pile of chit to do before the heat really comes on, but after reading your post, I'm intrigued. Enough so that my head'd implode if I left it unaddressed.
Hope it works out to be mutually beneficial, but if I were you, I wouldn't count my tortoises until they hatch...
Insulation, and LOTS of it, with reliable climate control are critical to your critters' health and survival in a Skoolie.
At it's most basic, a bus is a mobile greenhouse. Interior temps rapidly outstrip ambient temperature. Think the heat indexes are bad here? You ain't seen nothin' yet!
The turtles are best suited to contend with higher temps (within reason), the others will wilt pretty fast. Cold climates will present different challenges, so lets Tupperware that issue, and huck it into the fridge.
Reflective covers over all that glass is of a considerable help, but you'll still need to learn how to keep the temperatures within an acceptable range.
By the sound of it, I presume all y'all are looking to full-time it. Access to shore power will simplify the problem considerably.
If you intend to boondock, wa'al... That can be several orders of magnitude more difficult to acheive; unless you find yourselves tiring of mock turtle soup & faux frog's legs. (I'd also address the gato, but this is a family-friendly forum...) [emoji57]
You will need to delve deeply and peruse assiduously this awesome forum for the threads that will guide you in all aspects of your conversion, most notably A/C, and methods of insulating the ceiling and floor.
And never forget that rust doesn't sleep, and that cold descends...
iBuena suerte!

[BlueisallIneed]

Originally Posted by HazMatt

"Reptiles, Amphibian, and Cat. Oh my!"
Howdy from Grimes County neighbors, and welcome to the asylum!
I've a pile of chit to do before the heat really comes on, but after reading your post, I'm intrigued. Enough so that my head'd implode if I left it unaddressed.
Hope it works out to be mutually beneficial, but if I were you, I wouldn't count my tortoises until they hatch...
Insulation, and LOTS of it, with reliable climate control are critical to your critters' health and survival in a Skoolie.
At it's most basic, a bus is a mobile greenhouse. Interior temps rapidly outstrip ambient temperature. Think the heat indexes are bad here? You ain't seen nothin' yet!
The turtles are best suited to contend with higher temps (within reason), the others will wilt pretty fast. Cold climates will present different challenges, so lets Tupperware that issue, and huck it into the fridge.
Reflective covers over all that glass is of a considerable help, but you'll still need to learn how to keep the temperatures within an acceptable range.
By the sound of it, I presume all y'all are looking to full-time it. Access to shore power will simplify the problem considerably.
If you intend to boondock, wa'al... That can be several orders of magnitude more difficult to acheive; unless you find yourselves tiring of mock turtle soup & faux frog's legs. (I'd also address the gato, but this is a family-friendly forum...) [emoji57]
You will need to delve deeply and peruse assiduously this awesome forum for the threads that will guide you in all aspects of your conversion, most notably A/C, and methods of insulating the ceiling and floor.
And never forget that rust doesn't sleep, and that cold descends...
iBuena suerte!

Hello! Thank you for your information, these turtles are older. One is 20 years old and the others are about 15 plus years. None are in eggs
They are use to indoor ac and outdoor heat. We are planning on fulling insulating the bus and add an AC/Heating unit. We would never put them in a situation where its too hot or cold for them. They are our babies! We are just trying to see how others set up the tanks and what not. We are going to do our best to make sure they are taken care of properly.

[gs1949]

Welcome to the forum! I really appreciate people who are dedicated to their pets, but still try to challenge boundaries.

Buster, my 13-month-old Staffie X Pit, and I will start full-timing fairly soon, in a bus that will be a construction zone for months.

I'm not ready to recommend full-timing in a construction zone to someone with turtles, but I'm sure you can make them a nice place for when the build is done. It might have to be a bit smaller than what they have now, but you can probably make it better.

[peteg59]

Not sure how well a glass fish tank would hold up to road vibes over time.
Maybe a metal tank, or tanks? Assuming the frog has its own tank?
The cat should be easy, as it can roam freely inside.

Definitely want to check each state you transit as some states have restrictive laws on exotic reptile pets.

[HazMatt]

Anti-fatigue foam mats under the aquariums would be alright, tho the tanks'd need to be cinched down in transit. Panic braking resulting in airborn turtles couldn't be pretty...
Good call on the USDA inspections! They're turtles, so not likely to make a successful break for it!

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by HazMatt

Anti-fatigue foam mats under the aquariums would be alright, tho the tanks'd need to be cinched down in transit. Panic braking resulting in airborn turtles couldn't be pretty...
Good call on the USDA inspections! They're turtles, so not likely to make a successful break for it!

don't count on it - turtles may be slow, but they can be very determined

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdjVXesvpCQ

[BlueisallIneed]

Thank you all for the input! We are thinking of a different set up for my frog. Might not be a glass tank, we are not sure yet. We saw some custom enclosures for dogs that could possibly work for our turtle tribe. Thank you for the info about the reptile laws too. So much to think about and consider!!