You can enjoy many of the same comforts of home while living in your RV, including bringing your pet along for the ride in your vehicle! As an RVer and pet owner, you should make sure that travel with your companion animal won’t cause them anxiety in your vehicle and, if they’re in a crate or cage, make sure they’re secure as you move down the road. RV Trader is sharing five of the best low-maintenance pets that can join you on an open-road adventure!
Quick Tips for Safe Travel with Your Pet
The main safety concern for RVing with pets is the bumps and jostling that happens while driving, so you need to make sure everything is secure before you hit the road. This also means making adjustments to your driving, ensuring you’re taking corners slowly, following the speed limit, driving slowly over speedbumps, and avoiding potholes.
If you’re traveling with a pet that has a tank, aquarium, cage, or crate, use straps or bungee cords to secure the habitat to a wall or other large stationary object before driving. Or, for a more permanent solution, secure it to the surface it sits on using putty, which grips both the tank and the surface and keeps the tank from sliding around. Objects inside a tank or aquarium need to be secured as well so they don’t spill or tip over; fasten food bowls, water bottles, wheels/toys, and other items with clips, cords, suction cups, or non-toxic adhesives.
5 of the Best Low-Maintenance Pets That Can RV
1. Asian Painted Bullfrog
The Asian painted bullfrog, or chubby frog, is one the best pet frogs for beginners, and is hardy, friendly, and cute. Because they’re only 7–8 cm long, two adults can live happily in a 15–gallon tank, so it’s not difficult to bring them along in your RV. These frogs are crepuscular, which means they become active in the evenings, eating the live insects you feed them and burrowing in their loose substrate. Following the aforementioned advice for safety, make sure this critter’s habitat is secure when on the move with your RV.
2. Leopard Gecko
Leopard geckos are one of the most popular pet reptiles of any kind, largely because they are so easy to care for, along with being very cute. While a 20–gallon tank is probably preferable, a single small leopard gecko can be perfectly happy and healthy in a 10–gallon tank while joining for your adventure, even if you’re traveling in a small RV. Whatever size you choose, your tank should have a warm side—between 80–90 degrees Fahrenheit—and a cool side, between 75–80 degrees. Make sure their tank has a thermometer gauge you can easily read to maintain the right temperature for your pet while bringing them along in your RV.
3. Hamster
For people who want the convenience of RVing with an animal in a tank or enclosure and the cuddle factor of a warm, fuzzy mammal, hamsters are a great choice! Unlike many rodent pets, they don’t need a companion in their habitat, and can be housed alone in a 15–20-gallon tank or cage. So whether you’re driving a Sprinter van camper, or a larger RV class, your hamster’s home won’t take too much room. When your vehicle is stationary, put a hamster wheel in their tank or cage so they can exercise and work out their energy. You can also install tubing so you can watch them freely scamper around, or give them a hamster ball so they can safely move around a designated area in your stationary vehicle under your supervision.
4. Pygmy Chameleon
Pygmy chameleons have two major advantages over other reptiles when it comes to keeping them in your RV. They can thrive in a small tank and they don’t require a temperature gradient or UVB lighting. Pygmy chameleons are, as their name suggests, small—most are only slightly larger than a fingernail. Because of this, these East African lizards can live their whole lives in a 10– or even 5–gallon tank. In an RV, where space is at a premium, this is obviously ideal. As an added bonus, pygmy chameleons are remarkably versatile and hardy little creatures that are content with a single-temperature tank anywhere between 70–80 degrees Fahrenheit. They can also handle a wide range of humidity, between 60–80%, and don’t require UVB lighting. All of this makes them a great choice for the RVer that doesn’t want to fiddle with the temperature inside their RV living space.
5. Cat
Yes, you can RV with a cat! In some ways, cats are even lower maintenance than the other animals listed here, as you don’t have to worry about securing a tank or cage for them, or maintaining a higher temperature in their habitat. Of course, cats have their own list of needs, like finding a way to secure their litter box and at least partially contain the smell. The key is to get a litter box with a lid, and also to rely on odor-control methods that eliminate scents with pet-friendly products. Some cats are also notorious for motion sickness and hating car rides, so it’s best to take a few short trips with your cat to see how they handle the open road before you commit them to life on the highway. In fact, that’s a good policy to follow for any pet you might want to keep in an RV.
Bringing a pet along for your next adventure in your vehicle is one more thing to love about RVing. Before you hit the road, know tips and tricks for traveling with pets and take into consideration your pet’s various needs to ensure they’re safe and healthy. If you’re ready to find your next new or used vehicle, be sure to see all the nationwide listings on RVTrader.com.
By Nigel Robert
