Reptile & Amphibian Forums

get really nervous after shipping a snake until you hear back that they got there okay? I always hate shipping

The first snake we ever bought on the internet was DOA, which I think contributes the the anxiousness when I send my own out.
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1.1 96, 04 Het Albino - "Suzie" & "Lumpy"
0.1 04 Anery Het Snow- "Squelchy"
1.0 06 TH-Moonglow - "Gargamel"
1.2 01 BRBs- "Gobball", "Larva" & "Tofu"

I've never personally been involved in shipping a reptile, but I know it'll make me nervous when/if I am. There's always going to be some worry, but at least the techniques for minimizing the risk are pretty well-known at this point.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

I've now shipped out hundreds of snakes and still worry every time. I'm typically quite anal about checking temps, address and published transit times. I also only ship out on Monday - Wednesday, that leaves me an "extra" weekday just in case the package gets delayed. Not often but does happen.

So far (knock on wood) every baby I've shipped has arrived safe and sound!!! I do dread the day when I break that perfect streak.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I forgot to mention only shipping monday thru wednesday. A thursday ship for friday delivery that gets lost for a few hours can stay lost for the entire weekend. The shippers are pretty good at making deliveries close to on time to the right location but they are terrible at finding a lost or late package and getting it redirected in a timely manner. If the weather is okay a little snake can live many days in an insulated box if it has small airholes.

>>I've now shipped out hundreds of snakes and still worry every time. I'm typically quite anal about checking temps, address and published transit times. I also only ship out on Monday - Wednesday, that leaves me an "extra" weekday just in case the package gets delayed. Not often but does happen.
>>
>>So far (knock on wood) every baby I've shipped has arrived safe and sound!!! I do dread the day when I break that perfect streak.
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>>Thanks,
>>
>>
>>Dave Colling
>>
>>www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com
>>
>>
>>
>>0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
>>0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)
>>
>>LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
>>26.49 BRB
>>20.21 BCI
>>And those are only the breeders
>>
>>lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

maybe you'll never break the streak.
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1.1 96, 04 Het Albino - "Suzie" & "Lumpy"
1.0 06 TH-Moonglow - "Gargamel"
1.2 01 BRBs- "Gobball", "Larva" & "Tofu"
2.7 08 BRBs

I am a realist and although I am careful I do make mistakes.

Most notable one was this year, sent a small group to a buyer that I also had sent some to last year. Same address, same phone number, cool. Just checked weather and it was good so I shipped. The following day I was checking tracking like I always do (I typically know it's arrived befor ethe phone call or email arrives) and it's the only one not delivered. Also the tracking looked a little off but that's not exactly out of the norm. So I contacted the shipping co and oh crap, they'd changed their routes and now that same address that was next day delivery last year was now a 5 day transit. Tried a few things but to no avail, had to sit back and wait, nothing else I could do. I did ship on Monday but 5 days is 5 workdays so they were actually "scheduled" to arrive on the following Monday - expletive deleted - they were gonna be in shipping for an entire week. Temps were not bad but no water..........aaarrrggghhhhh!!!

They ended up arriving on Thursday, only three days later and they were just fine, I was a wreck though.

One good thing came out of all this, I know a healthy baby BRB can survive at least three days in shipping assuming temps are not bad.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I would have had a heart attack! When we were getting our male triple het he got 'lost' along the way. I tried tracking him down to no avail, luckily the seller had better luck. They just never picked him up from the hub, he sat there 24 hours and went out the next day.

That was 2 days too many. It was November, and luckily he sat in California the whole first day instead of cold Illinois.
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1.1 96, 04 Het Albino - "Suzie" & "Lumpy"
1.0 06 TH-Moonglow - "Gargamel"
1.2 01 BRBs- "Gobball", "Larva" & "Tofu"
2.7 08 BRBs

Shipping always makes me nervous even though I have not lost a snake in shipping in years. Shipping should always be priority overnight and the buyer should always be home to sign for the box when it arrives. Shipping to large apartment complexes seem to get screwed up fairly often so I recommend "hold for pickup" at the nearest Fedex Kinkos in those cases. Shipping should always be in insulated boxes. Heat packs should be used when overnight temperature at shippers hub airport or destination is forecast to be below 45. Shipping when temperature is below 40 probably should not be attempted in most cases. Heat packs are great but they do produce fumes and so boxes should have some small airholes. Here in Savannah our temperaturees are often too high to use heat packs even when destinations are very cold so I have to sometimes delay shipments. Shipping in high temperatures can be more dangerous than shipping in cold temperatures. Sellers who are not careful about this stuff just piss me off. Just a few of my random thoughts on the subject.

>>get really nervous after shipping a snake until you hear back that they got there okay? I always hate shipping
>>
>>The first snake we ever bought on the internet was DOA, which I think contributes the the anxiousness when I send my own out.
>>-----
>>1.1 96, 04 Het Albino - "Suzie" & "Lumpy"
>>0.1 04 Anery Het Snow- "Squelchy"
>>1.0 06 TH-Moonglow - "Gargamel"
>>1.2 01 BRBs- "Gobball", "Larva" & "Tofu"

We had to put in heat packs because of the weather here, i'm keeping my fingers crossed that they hold up. Styrofoam lined, full of newspaper, a small airhole on either side of the heat pack.. I'll be nervous until I get the call tomorrow. It was an adult BCI, and they're pretty hardy, but I still worry...

The one we got DOA regurged in his snake bag, and I believe suffocated due to that. It was a pretty traumatizing first experience.
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1.1 96, 04 Het Albino - "Suzie" & "Lumpy"
1.0 06 TH-Moonglow - "Gargamel"
1.2 01 BRBs- "Gobball", "Larva" & "Tofu"
2.7 08 BRBs

It got much colder here than it was supposed to. It actually started snowing, and that just made the temperature plummet, so its 39 degrees right now, rather than the high 40's I was expecting.
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1.1 96, 04 Het Albino - "Suzie" & "Lumpy"
1.0 06 TH-Moonglow - "Gargamel"
1.2 01 BRBs- "Gobball", "Larva" & "Tofu"
2.7 08 BRBs

One thing about temps.....

You have to think where is the package going to be when.... for example last week it was in the 80's here in CA in the late afternoon (when I ship) so 80's at departure. High and on the edge but OK

The sort facility where most packages go was forecasted in the low 40's. Again by itself on the edge but workable with a heat pack.

But wait, if it has to have a heat pack for the 40 degree night time weather that means it'd have a heat pack in the 80 degree weather here. Not feasible so even though overall temps were within safe limits I still could not (would not) ship.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Definitely agree with you there. If I had known the temps here would have dropped so much I would have held off. The temperatures where she is headed is supposed to be in the high 40's, so no problem with the heat packs causing a problem there.

I'm jealous of the people in warm weather right now, lol.
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1.1 96, 04 Het Albino - "Suzie" & "Lumpy"
1.0 06 TH-Moonglow - "Gargamel"
1.2 01 BRBs- "Gobball", "Larva" & "Tofu"
2.7 08 BRBs

Someone needs to start an animal shipping company where they can monitor temps of your packages at all times. FedEx, UPS or DHL could even start a certain part of the company just for shipping live animals. Im sure most would be willing to pay a little exta for the gaurantee of the animal having a steady temp on the way to its destination. Especially for high end snakes and other animals that cost thousands. Lets start one and make some money!! haha
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1.1 BRB
1.0 Columbian Red Tail Boa
1.0 Pastel Ball Python