1) i crumble up two paper towels and put them in an 8 oz deli cup along with the snake. It fills the void pretty thoroughly, is dust-free, and i would think is less likely to interfere with airflow thru the airholes in the cup.

2) the hammock idea only works, it seems to me, if the cup stays level, and the idea that a 10 x 10 x 10 cube is going to remain "right side up" as it's tossed around by multiple handlers en route, who have no idea it contains a live animal, is unlikely at best.

3) I use 17 x 17 x 9 boxes. It seems logical they're much more likely to be maintained in their proper orientation than a cube, equal on all sides. Sure, we all put "this side up" stickers on the boxes (or should) but you know human nature....

still, i applaud the effort everyone's putting into showing their concern for the animals. which leads me to one last question: if the shipper's gonna put that much effort in, and place that priority on the animal's welfare, why not just ship air freight--which is

1) allowable
2) permits the package to be honestly marked with the contents
3) is handled--in Delta's case, at least--by people who move thousands of cartons of live animals each year, have special live animal holding rooms at almost all freight terminals, etc.
4) permits insuring of the animals
5) often permits same day arrival--a nonstop flight from Tampa to Boston, for example, has to be dropped off two hours before departure, the flight takes 2 hrs 43 mins, and the box is picked up usually in an hour or so--providing a packing-to-unpacking experience of around six hours. Sure, lots of flights have connections but using DASH still limits transit to a same-day activity in most instances (though DASH limits insurance to $750).

I can't see any arguments that the other methods are safer for the animal. So is it just a choice of shipper convenience at the risk of the animal's safety? (I know people ship lots of times without incident, but i've also gotten a box from one of the overnight couriers with an inside temp over 100 degrees upon arrival--couldn't blame the driver, he had no idea what he had in his truck. And in fairness and full disclosure, I'm still wrestling myself with temp regulation on my airline shipments--i'll start a separate thread on that with my questions.

peace
terry

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