Shipping in cold weather.

I know some of you will ship at low temps, down to 15º and I am just wondering what your methods are for shipping during cold weather. Do you double insulate the box? Multiple heat packs? Should I have it shipped to the hub or to my place of work? I always get my live deliveries before 10am, but I wouldn't be able to go to the hub until after 5pm.. I'm just worried I won't make it there before they close because of craptastic chicago traffic.

A friend of mine is moving to a place that doesn't allow reptiles, and I was hoping to get two of his females shipped to me before Feb 1. It looks like it is going to be very cold here in Chicago and pretty cold where he is at.

Any suggestions? Tips? Tricks?

Most hubs are open till 6- 7pm for drop-offs. Look up FedEx Worldwide Shipping in your area.

I would try this....

Pack a box like you were going to ship it in the cold. Shove it in the fridge (~36F) around 6pm and check it the next morning at 10am. Try the test in the freezer (~5F). It is unlikely your package will be in 15F weather the entire time of the trip. It will sit in the depot for a few hours on each end, a truck or two inbetween, and on the plane for a few hours.

Not sure I would do it whatever the results of that test. What if the package was delayed a day in the worst case due to some unforseen incident?

I think you should have your friend ship them to me in FL and I'll keep an eye on them here till the weather warms up ;)

I've actually just instituted a rule that I won't ship if the lows are below 38F, because SYR has that as their lower temperature limit in their shipping instructions. I figure if anything DOES happen and I broke that rule while shipping with SYR, there's a good chance the insurance I purchased on my $600+ piebald won't even apply.

Unfortunately, this means that I lost several potential sales. (Fortunately, most of those animals have found buyers anyway.)

I'd personally rather lose a sale then have an animal I spent years to produce die in transit. If the buyer is serious about the purchase, they should understand that shipping cold blooded animals in freezing cold weather is not ideal. No matter what precautions you take FedEx can have a delay, and that is just good enough for me. I have a few animals being held till warmer weather hits, so I know how it feels to wait as well.

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To be clear, I am not the one doing the shipping.

The person who is shipping is a friend of mine on the east coast. He needs to move into a place that is strictly no pets by february 1st, so they need to be shipped by then. He would prefer to sell his snakes to people who he knows, so he can get updates.

I've heard of people shipping in colder weather, so it must be possible. I live in a big city and we rarely see delays. If the shipment is held at the fex ed facility, it won't even be out in the cold.

What I am looking for is people who have shipped in the colder months successfully. Personally, I'm much more wary of shipping in hot weather than in cold weather.

If a person got mad because of unsafe temps, then I wouldn't want that person caring for one of my snakes.

I can only have respect for the breeder willing to hold on to a snake to feed and take care of instead of pushing the sell.

How cold are your temps going to be?

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Originally Posted by coreydelong

Most hubs are open till 6- 7pm for drop-offs. Look up FedEx Worldwide Shipping in your area.

I would try this....

Pack a box like you were going to ship it in the cold. Shove it in the fridge (~36F) around 6pm and check it the next morning at 10am. Try the test in the freezer (~5F). It is unlikely your package will be in 15F weather the entire time of the trip. It will sit in the depot for a few hours on each end, a truck or two inbetween, and on the plane for a few hours.

Not sure I would do it whatever the results of that test. What if the package was delayed a day in the worst case due to some unforseen incident?

I think you should have your friend ship them to me in FL and I'll keep an eye on them here till the weather warms up ;)

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I was thinking of doing some sort of test. Leaving a box outside with an accurite thermometer in there to see what happens to the temps.

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Originally Posted by 3skulls

How cold are your temps going to be?

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It looks like the lows will be in the upper to mid 20's.

As I said, I'm sure he would hold them until warmer weather if he could, but his living situation is changing Feb 1st and he can no longer have pets.

Stupid weather.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 3skulls

If a person got mad because of unsafe temps, then I wouldn't want that person caring for one of my snakes.

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What does this mean? Are you implying someone here is angry? Confused..