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I've never shipped a snake (or had a snake shipped to me), how does one go about boxing a snake?

How does one ship a snake?

Any pics or links would be greatly apreciated.

Thanx,
Mark
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Mark Blanchard
Blanchard Productions LTD
E-Mail

mark, i use shipping products from superior enterprises, they have insulated boxes,heat pads and snake bags. first i set up the box with the styrofoam panels, then i tape a heat pad to the botom of one side of the box. then a thin layer of shredded newspaper over the bottom. i prefer to use a snake bag as opposed to a plastic container regardless of the size of the snake. i put the snake in the bag (check all bags really well, last week i shipped a pair of tortoises and noticed a weak stitch that opened easily), i double the top of the bag over and put a rubberband over it. then a good layer of masking tape over the rubberband. another rubberband and one more layer of masking tape. if it was a larger snake i would also put a zip tie over this and possibly double bag it. then i lay the bag flat on the bottom of the box and fill the rest of the box full with shredded newspaper so as to cushion and hold the snake snug. now heres the fun part....i believe fed ex is the only company accepting snakes (correct me if i am wrong folks) and you need to become certified, send a test package, and sign paperwork. UPS and US postal will accept most reptiles except snakes... however, it happens. funny thing is 6 years ago i was at a major importer/exporter and they had a ups machine in their facility printing out labels as they shipped box after box. probably because they trusted them to ship correctly. i wish ups would do what fed ex is doing and "certify" responsible people. i have shipped many ups packages (lizards and torts) over the past 7yrs and have never had a big problem other than a 1 day delay twice. hope this helps, john yocum

I have had no problems with FedEx Overnight, although I have been choosing FedEx Overnight Priority to be sure (that means they arrive earleir in the day). I don't use snake bags, I use those plastic containers with a snap on lid, like tupperware but the disposable ones. I just recycle a container I already have after soaking in bleach for a few hours, or you could ask for a clean one from a take out place. The plastic container should fit pretty snug. Then I put wadded up newspaper to keep the container from moving around in the box. If you need a heat pack be careful where you put it in the box, keep it away from the boa container. Wow a one day delay could be a disaster for a boa.
Caden