Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting a couple of snakes from MN. We tried waiting for temps to warm up, but it doesn't look good. Anyway, I'm in San Diego... Nice and warm here... I just want everyone's opinion about whether I should encourage the breeder to wait till spring or if you all think it will be ok. I have no immediate need to get my snakes right this second either.

I just would hate them to freeze in MN or fry in Cali... Opinions Needed! Thanks!
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Aanata's Exotics

9.25 BRB
10.23 BCI
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa
0.7 Corn Snakes
2.8 Leopard Geckos

Well, I'm in a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and it's < 20 degrees F out tonight. Winter here is not exactly warm. Given what I've seen Dave and Jeff say about snake shipping in the past on this board, I wouldn't expect it to be safe to ship until the spring. There will probably not be many days where the temperature here exceeds 30 degrees until sometime in March, or if you're lucky, maybe late February.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

WAIT!!!!

Just too darn cold in MN to ship. And it's not just MN, where would they overnight?

I'm shut down for the winter, only possible shipments would be intra-state, staying here in CA and not all locations either!!
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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

The problem is that it is so cold that the breeder would need to pack the box with a couple of heat packs in case of delays in MN and if the box got delayed in southern California a couple of heat packs would be way too hot. I am still shipping but would not consider shipping anywhere with night time lows less than 35. I will probably not be shipping to the northern states until early spring. Heat packs work by the exothermic reaction of powdered iron with moisture in the air. This is exactly what happens when iron rusts but the reaction is accellerated by the presence of carbon? which acts as a catalyst for the reaction. When the air gets down near freezing there is little or no moisture available and the reaction slows down so there is little or no heat produced.

>>I am getting a couple of snakes from MN. We tried waiting for temps to warm up, but it doesn't look good. Anyway, I'm in San Diego... Nice and warm here... I just want everyone's opinion about whether I should encourage the breeder to wait till spring or if you all think it will be ok. I have no immediate need to get my snakes right this second either.
>>
>>I just would hate them to freeze in MN or fry in Cali... Opinions Needed! Thanks!
>>-----
>>Aanata's Exotics
>>
>>9.25 BRB
>>10.23 BCI
>>0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa
>>0.7 Corn Snakes
>>2.8 Leopard Geckos

PLEASE wait!

I received a dead snake in the mail about a month ago because she was delayed over the weekend and froze, despite being packed with heat pads - and that was just in November in mountainous Tennessee. Both the shipper and I should have known better - please don't make the same mistake!
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1.2 BRB (Epicrates cenchria cenchria)
1.0 African egg eater (Dasypeltis atra)
1.2 Corns (Pantherophis)
0.1 Hog Island Boa (Boa constrictor imperator)

Thanks everyone... that's what I thought... I just wanted a second opinion to make sure I wasn't being paranoid. We decided to wait.
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Aanata's Exotics

9.25 BRB
10.23 BCI
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa
0.7 Corn Snakes
2.8 Leopard Geckos

Good decision,

Like I tell my customers, when it comes to shipping - safety of the animal comes first!!! I've even refunded transactions that I was unable to ship due to weather. I've had people disappointed and while not happy about it, I have yet to have anyone be mad or truly upset about it. Most understand and agreee with my concerns and only want the best for their new babies.
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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