Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recieved my first kingsnake in the mail today. U.P.S. lost the package and a I finally got him a week later! He was an overnight gone wrong. When he came in I thought he was dead. There was a little blood coming from his anus and he had an awful stench, (not urine or feces) about him. The temeratures here were below 60 the entire time in transit and I'm surprized he is alive. Any guesses on what could be wrong with him?

Jeff

For on the poor thing is dehydrated . You might want to soak him for an hour or so. He may have suffered some kidney damage from the dehydration as well. A Vet check is probably in order.

Now to the shipping method. USPS doesnt ship live animals legally in fact its a federal crime if Im not mistaken. As a buyer its as much your responsibility on the method of shipping as it is the shipper. The reason I say this is you can say "no thanks I prefer a regular overnight carrier"i.e. DHL, FED EX UPS etc... Some of these dont ship animals either but some do and each local hub is different. Im sorry you purchased a snake from a thoughtless seller who obviously cares more about $ than the welfare of his animals. In the future stick with respectable breeders and ask who they plan on shipping thru. Sorry to be so hard on you but Ive heard this story too many times.

Keith
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Ugghhh! I re-read your post and now I realize why I shouldnt respond to posts after 1am lol. You wrote UPS(United Parcel Service) and I erroneously read USPS(United States Postal Service). I humbly apologize for my error and harsh tone.

Regards

Keith Hillson
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most of those couriers, in most of the nation's markets, will not allow a person to ship snakes. therefore the snakes are shipped either labelled as something else the courier does allow, or not labelled as live at all. In either case this delivery method is being selected for the convenience of the shipper/recipient and not based on the well being of the animal.

airlines can lose packages too. but delta, for ex, probably the most-used, has animal rooms at most if not all of its facilities, and even lost packages will go into that room because they're clearly marked "live animals" or more specifically, "live snakes" plus any warnings you choose to put on the box re: avoiding heat or cold.

it's not perfect, but it's better. i'm frequently packing animals that will be in their new owners' hands 12 hrs or less after I box them. it does gripe me a little that there are people out there who cavalierly lie to get an animal into a transit system that's not in its best interest in the first place. And incidentally, you can't insure what you don't honestly identify as contents, so that's another shortcoming of those services.

If one or more of the couriers begins accepting snakes UNIFORMLY AND NATIONWIDE, so that the people handling those boxes system-wide are familiar with live animals and how to handle them, then I might endorse those services as an alternative. But under the present circumstances, I think it's a shame. People CAN get certified as known shippers with delta, i'm led to believe, if they just go to the trouble of doing the paperwork, cooperating with a site inspection, etc. Ditto for continental, whose quickpak shipments will also get live animals to their destinations on the same day they're shipped, if you plan appropriately.

peace, and good luck with the snake that was lost. even after 1 am, keith DID give you good advice on responding to the animal's needs.

terry

I've been trying to get Delta Certified for 2 years. The airport is only about 4 miles from me and they will not come out or call me back. This has been an ongoing cycle for 2 years as of last month. I have High End chondros and don't like to use the overnight couriers, but until something is done with Delta, I have no choice. I call the 800 number and they tell me to call my local Air Cargo office. When I call them, they tell me to call the 800 number. I really would like to get set up, but it seems to be the opposite with them. Sometimes we are forced to make due with other options. It's not right, but not everyone is as lucky as you are.

Peace.
Brandon Osborne

>>I've been trying to get Delta Certified for 2 years. The airport is only about 4 >>miles from me and they will not come out or call me back. This has been an >>ongoing cycle for 2 years as of last month.

Hi Brandon,

Since i advocate using delta i thought i oughta help people make that happen.
I can't guarantee this will help, but i called delta scheduling just now and asked them who you should call. they said whoever told you to call the local office was correct.

BUT they had a suggestion--apply online. going to delta.com and picking programs & services and then business to business the third link down in biz-to-biz is delta air logistics and when you go there there's a place upper right to apply for known shipper status.

The link below should take you directly there. I hope this works. Maybe i was just lucky...but i applied shortly after 9/11 and i had to wait a little while--maybe a couiple months? but that was when they were just putting the program into operation. I had assumed things would be flowing more smoothly now. Anybody who tries this please provide feedback on how it works...or doesn't.

peace
terry

click here for place to apply for known shipper status

As keith stated in the first post that the seller was thoughtless and cared less about the animals than the $. But as it turns out it was UPS that made the mistake and not USPS as Keith later conceded to. My point is ANY carrier can make a mistake, whether legal or not they loose shipments and they get handled in the worst ways. If you knew anyone who worked with Airborne(DHL), UPS, USPS, Fed EX ect they will tell you how the boxes get handled all the same.

If one packs the animals tight (neonates in filled to the rim deli cups) and in a sturdy box (to avoid crushing) they will survive and go through less stress being packed tight and unless they are exposed to extreme temperatures they will be fine.

I have had Delta loose a Rosy Boa I was shipping too. The box was well marked as to contents, etc. It was found the next day; someone had tossed the box in with a bunch of others. The snake was fine fortunately. I have also had FedEx, UPS, and USPS mess up shipments. I trust none of them and prefer to not ship. This is not always practical though. Always pack the animals as if they could be there for several days - they just might be!

>>I have had Delta loose a Rosy Boa I was shipping too. The box was well marked as to contents, etc. It was found the next day; someone had tossed the box in with a bunch of others. The snake was fine fortunately. I have also had FedEx, UPS, and USPS mess up shipments. I trust none of them and prefer to not ship. This is not always practical though. Always pack the animals as if they could be there for several days - they just might be!

that's excellent advice. a couple other thoughts:

1) Delta DASH has a limit of 750$ on insuring the shipment. Its other shipment methods might take longer but you can buy unlimited insurance (based on real value) at 50cents/$100. It's always a calculated decision--will the animals be safer going DASH, with less time on the ground between flights? Or if it's a non-stop, for ex, ship the slower method and insure the full value.
2) heat packs probably require more consideration that they're given--has anyone tested a heat pack to see max & min temps, and how long the temp takes to dissipate? I'd worry that in a styro-liner/in cardboard shipping box, a heat pack's gonna spike the temp to MORE than you want it--it's adding to the ambient temp at which the box was packed, after all--and then (depending on schedules) might not be doing anything to keep the box warm 8, 12, or 24 hrs later when the box might be in a van or on the ground at an airport in colder temps. Ditto for cold packs in the summer...though i think erring with a cold pack is "safer" than erring with a heat pack.

anybody done any testing over a range of variables?

terry