Transporting multiple snakes?

[Starbuck]

Hi all; i have 6 snakes and do a lot of outreach with the herpetology club at my school, and i was wondering if anyone had some ideas on transporting multiple snakes to venues etc? My main concern is that i have nearly full-grown kingsnakes, and juvenile corns that are just under 24 inches, as well as a rosy boa.... and both of my kings have made it clear that both the corns and rosy are FOOD as far as they care (interestingly enough, they havent ever bitten people while on a program, even though people handle corns then kings, even after i warn them :P ). On one event where i had just my kings, the smaller female bit the male through both HIS and HER pillowcase, enough to leave a bruise for a week or so You can see why i'm nervous to put them all in their respective pillowcases in my backpack. I was thinking something like a divided camera bag, but dont want them to be all squished and cramped in those little compartments.
Any ideas would greatly be appreciated!

[Zoo Nanny]

At the zoo we transported all of our snakes in coolers. Some of them in the smaller lunch coolers and others in the large coolers. If we were taking multiple smaller animals we would use small plastic bins and stack them in the larger cooler. Each snake, reptile or invert was packed in it's own cooler/bin. Snakes and reptiles we placed in pillowcases and then into the coolers. We also used those clear plastic critter keepers.

[Squirtle]

I was thinking that using small bins for individual snakes and then putting them into one of those big rubber maid bins was a good idea, but I'm not sure.

[Terranaut]

I have used bins with aspen in the bottom. In the winter I toss in a Hot Paws heat pack. Never had any issues. Snakea can spend a few hrs in the tubs with no issues at all.

[Starbuck]

thanks for the input all! Im in agreement, i definitely need something hard-sided... it was just so convienient to transport via the backpack :P Though i suppose when everyone is fully-grown i would need something larger anyways. Im going to look into a hard sided tote with wheels, that could then be filled with plastic bins of snakes. I use a large juice jug filled with warm water and it keeps my backpack nice and toasty, though i think a tote may need some additional measures :P Thanks everyone for the help!

[Aaron_S]

Pillowcases for bigger animals.
Deli cups for smaller animals.
Inside a styrofoam cooler with lid.

Don't use any kind of bin that the snake has a lot of open space to be tossed around in. Not only is it a waste of space but the tight, confined space of pillowcases(or snake bags) and deli cups make them feel secure for their trip. Less stress.

[Starbuck]

Aaron, i currently use pillowcases; and I've found that the pillowcases work great even when not transporting, to calm some of my juvies dow before a handling sessions. I really like a lot about them (darkness, tight space, each snake has his/her own pillowcase...), but am pretty torn about the biting thing :/ I like the idea of pillowcases within a small tupperware, that way they cant get at each other but remain confined and unable to jostle around like mad.
Has anyone run into issues with corns being fearful due to kingsnake smell/kingsnakes being aggressive and hungry due to corn snake smell? I think the novelty of the education setting gets them out of 'food-mode' but i would rather not stress my corns/kings if possible.
As a note, most of our education events are within 15 minutes of my house, and the snakes are only in transport containers for about 30 minutes. During especially rowdy/excitable programs, i will give them breaks back into their pillowcases for a bit.

[Aaron_S]

No, from when I did educational shows I had no issues with snakes and other snake smells.

[Bloedig]

Small bins for each, then an old rolling suitcase to transport all together. Couple heat packs in the suitcase pockets also can help on cooler days.