Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can anyone tell me how this process generally works, describe experiences, recommendations and such? What companies have you had good success with? Thanks for the help!

Ok, I guess I can finally comment on this. I just received my very first snake via mail. The procedure usually goes like:
1. Find a snake you like from a reputable breeder/pet store (look in the classifieds).
2. Contact the breeder/snake via e-mail/phone. Phone contact gives you a sense of security cause you feel like you're actually buying something from a store.
3. Send payment via paypal (highly recommended), money orders, etc.
4. Wait 'til the seller gets the payment and confirmation e-mail.
5. Wait 'til it arrives through Fed-Ex or Delta. Most breeders only ship on M-W and will get there by the next day by 10:30am.
6. Enjoy your snake!

I did notice that my snake is actually 2 ft. instead of the advertised 13 inches. But I'm still very happy with the snake I got. It's a very pretty yellow pastel (grazilie?) line that's extremely active and very friendly I was able to handle it even though it was stressed from being cooped in a box.

It depends on the breeder/dealer and their experience. I have generally had decent experience. Talk to the dealer/breeder. You will very quickly figure out if they know what they are talking about.

That said, be aware that you cannot ship snakes by US mail. Some overnight shippers will carry them but have tight regulations. Because of this, many breeders/dealers will ship snakes without telling the company what is inside the box. This means you can't claim if you have a loss.
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Fed-Ex doesn't seem to have a problem shipping live animals. The box had "live reptile" written all over it. The delivery person was even weary of holding the box cause he didn't know exactly what type of reptile was in it. Very satisfied with their service. =)

UPS and Fedex will ship Reptiles. They do unfortunately both have a list of reptiles they will and will not ship. As UPS does not ship any snakes at all, but you can still ship them, as they never know what is in the box all they know is that it is a reptile. Fedex if you don't have an account will not ship and will only ship reptiles Business to Business, so the fedex women told me. So i use UPS for everything, although they are a bit pricey i wish the US postal service would just do it. But then again they are not that reliable. LOL....

Federal regulations require that all reptile shipments be labeled as to species including latin names. To ship snakes through UPS against that company’s policy does fall under Federal law and is illegal. There are people who have been caught doing this.

Yea well how the heck are you supposed to ship snakes legally then because here in pa no company excepts shipping of live snakes. Not fed ex or Ups, so you have to just say they are lizards as there is nothing else you can do, or just not sell reptiles, and i don't think that is even an option!

There needs to be a company for just herps to be shipped. Too bad noone is that smart.( as in making the company actually work or there would be one by now) LOL

>>Yea well how the heck are you supposed to ship snakes legally then because here in pa no company excepts shipping of live snakes. Not fed ex or Ups, so you have to just say they are lizards as there is nothing else you can do, or just not sell reptiles, and i don't think that is even an option!
>>
>>There needs to be a company for just herps to be shipped. Too bad noone is that smart.( as in making the company actually work or there would be one by now) LOL

That's why Delta Dash exists - they are the airline that ships but you gotta pick up at the airport. And FedEx DOES ship snakes for certain individuals, but you have to be certified in advance with them.
-----
_____

PHWyvern

USPS will ship lizards and I believe they also turtles and amphibians. I know they will not ship any snakes. I do not believe they will ship any crocodilians.

UPS does not ship snakes at all.

FedEx does ship reptiles including snakes. To use FedEx you must set up an account specific to shipping snakes. They will have you ship a test container prior to authorizing live shipments. You must set up a regular account and then have a representative contact you to line out the additional hoops you must hop through to ship snakes. FedEx does not ship hots (venomous). FedEx is the best option for most breeders.

Delta Dash will also ship snakes but they are a bit pricier. I believe they will also ship hots and are the best (only) option for those dealing with hots. There might be other airline carriers similar to Delta Dash.

In addition to all this you need to make sure whatever animal you are shipping can be legally shipped from your location and the destination it is shipped to.

Bottom line: Set up the appropriate FedEx account and you should not have any shipping woes. You do need to understand the laws in your state and locality, and double check the laws at the destinations you are shipping to. For example, you should not ship L zonata to California, crocodilians to Nevada, or any indigenous species from or to a location where their commercial traffic is prohibited. Claiming a regulated animal is a "gift" is also going to be considered a commercial transaction.

Yea i use UPS for everything, and always have! I don't have time to wait for fedex to setup my account. They told me it could take 2-3 weeks. I ship all the time, not just when they say i can. I am trying to have a business which you can't have with uncooperarative companies.

Delta Dash is WAY TOO expensive i looked into them, the airport is also 30-45min from my house and is not a good option for me, to go there almost everyday. I would rather stick with what i have been using for the last 3 years. Thanks

I do not understand what you mean by implying that FedEx is an uncooperative business. Once you set up your account you can ship on a daily bases if you want. You only need to set up the account once. If you are shipping snakes it is your only pragmatic legal option. You are being foolish with your business if you are trying to get around regulations. Here is the real deal with UPS as an example. It violates UPS policy to ship snakes with them. At this point it violates company policy and technically it is not a violation of federal law. Federal Law does state that a live animal package be clearly labeled as to what species, including Latin name, is enclosed. This is Federal law and all carriers are obligated to comply. The only way to ship a snake through UPS is to misrepresent the packages contents either by not labeling the packaging or through use of a fraudulent label. This is illegal and the shipper is liable, not the carrier. There are other laws about mail fraud that apply as well. Mail fraud covers other types of shipping and not just the United States Post Office. People do this all the time both intentionally and unintentionally. You may go a long time and never have any problems but individuals do get caught. Suspect packages can also be opened and checked and this has happened to people. You can lose your animals at the very least but other legal problems can also be incurred.

Yes, and many RESPECTABLE breeders do this everyday!
Good day to you.

I personally don't care. I only ship lizards 99% of the time anyways, and have never had a problem with UPS, fedex is unreliable and very rude! I would never use them to ship anything. Good luck & Good day!

I do not understand the apparent attitude here. My posting was written entirely from the perspective of being informative. I have already received several positive e-mails associated with this thread. You can of course do what ever you want. I would question though how intentionally breaking the law and misrepresenting oneself to another company could be considered a respectable or even pragmatic business practice. This is part of why regulations continue to get more and more conservative. I also wonder why an individual would post their willingness to do so in a public forum such as this. I have never heard of UPS monitoring them but I do know that various law enforcement agents do from Fish and Wildlife type agencies.

If you check my post above this one you will see a problem. If you talk to different clerks you get different responses. I was thinking of selling a snake long distance but after seeing all the complications I think I will only sell locally as I'm not in business only doing it as a hobby.

^_^
-----
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Rex- "normal" orange fire)
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Glutany- German Giant Mix)
0.1.0 Okeetee Corn (Okatee)
1.1.0 Spotted Python (Hotdog and Shoelace)

Maybe you can tell us their procedures for shipping snakes?

>>Maybe you can tell us their procedures for shipping snakes?

Easy. UPS doesn't allow it, but FedEx does if you get certified with them.
-----
_____

PHWyvern

ok thanks.

We don't knowingly ship snakes, but employees are NOT allowed to open any package for any reason. So if you were to ship a snake through UPS, make sure it's not gonna open easy with the snake coming out and what not.
Now we do take Lizards and turtles/tourtus as far as reptiles go. SO i guess your snake can be a legless lizard...
I've actually had a snake shipped though UPS with no problems.
-----
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Rex- "normal" orange fire)
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Glutany- German Giant Mix)
0.1.0 Okeetee Corn (Okatee)
1.1.0 Spotted Python (Hotdog and Shoelace)

How many people continue to advise others to break federal law and admit to doing such themselves on a public forum, as this topic has been covered here several times!

Shipping live Specimens without indicating, on the exterior of the package, the number, sex name (both common and scientific)of the species, flora or fauna, is a direct violation of the Lacey Act. Take five minutes and "Google" Lacey Act. For those with little time, here's a great starting place:

www.animallaw.info/articles/ovuslaceyact.htm

The above link contains much needed information for anyone conducting interstate commerce involving flora or fauna. It's not a game and something to be ignored, as getting caught doing such unlawfully can land huge fines, attorney's fees, probation or worse and the Feds do not play lightly.

There has been a few recent incidents lately, I'm not going to name anyone, of both buyers and shippers being charged with such violoations regarding the interstate sales and shipping of herpetofauna and at least one incident involved a very common and inexpensive specimen between two private parties, so it's not simply the "big suppliers" and "endangered species" they are targeting.

So far as I am aware, the only two shippers that will knowingly and readily allow reptiles are Delta and FedEx, both requiring an approval process.

Best regards,

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

Doesnt amaze me at all. People break laws all the time and dont care. I personally have no problem shipping ups and I've told them whats in the box and they didnt care either.
Its a federal crime to come into the country illegally but have to taken a look around???? The government doesnt even seem to care so what makes you think they are going to give a second look to somone shipping a corn snake ups.
-----
Jason

Breaking the law is breakling the law and I do not suggest you use the fact that illegal aliens are entering the country every day as a defense, should you happed to get caught violating the Lacey Act.
Personally, I do not subscribe to your "lemming" theory; it must be okay if someone else is doing it and I find your reply quite irresponsible. Also, I wonder why you do not post your full name to such posts? Then again, perhaps it's for your own protection?

Best regards,

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

I didnt use illegals as a defense I simply stated that the government doesnt care that they are here so why would they care about somone shipping a corn snake.
You also might want to pay a little more attention to learning down there at the university of arkansas because my full name is also my username which is pretty easy to find, it would seem somone as smart as yourself would have been able to figure that one out.
-----
Jason

The comparison was there and your thining is flawed. I suppose you do not keep up with the news, as illegal immigration is one reason the national Guard is being sent to assist with the security of our borders, wake up and keep up with recent events. Also, the government is watching out for those violating the Lacey act, as was indicated within my original post, three private hobbyist were recently charged with such.
Unlike you, I do not like to speculate reagrading the accurate name of an individual, as a screen name can be very misleading perhaps even used to defraud, as such are easily changed and discarded. This is why I include my signature and contact information within every post I make, unlike you.
Also, your willingness to admit you see no problem committing an illegal act and actually committing such, is testimony to your level of ethics...

Best regards,

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

I'll try not to loose any sleep over my crimes...
-----
Jason