Shipping, good/bad experiences ?

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Originally Posted by sho220

How big were the 5 that were shipped together?

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They were each around 500g. It was a decent sized box, but it's possible that the weight of four others on top of the fifth was too much and she might have been smothered. Or something else was wrong entirely. I think if I had to ship that many snakes in one box I would try to put them in rigid containers rather than loose in bags. It was a tragedy, but like I said the seller more than made it up to me.

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Originally Posted by SaintTawny

They were each around 500g. It was a decent sized box, but it's possible that the weight of four others on top of the fifth was too much and she might have been smothered. Or something else was wrong entirely. I think if I had to ship that many snakes in one box I would try to put them in rigid containers rather than loose in bags. It was a tragedy, but like I said the seller more than made it up to me.

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Thanks for the reply. I was just curious as I've never had to ship more than one adult at a time. It seems the weight would be an issue, unless, like you said, some kind of rigid containers were used...then I would think space would be an issue...

I'm in Scotland so finding a breeder nearby is proving a bit of a challenge, it's all big chain stores that I've managed to find and the conditions they keep them in is terrible. Having a look at a few sites that ship from England and they do state they won't ship if the forecast is too high/low, will need to look at a few reviews on them before I go ahead with an order. Thanks for everyone's input, everyone's experiences have been good and a great help!

I've had 4 of mine shipped, the only bad experience I've had was with my first, they had me pick out a specific one in the picture I wanted then sent me one that was my even in the picture. And that was before I knew to check fauna and such first. The other three I had great communication with abd things went perfectly.

The only time I had anything shipped, FedEx showed up hours later than they were supposed to, in a cold truck. The lady claimed 'Well, maybe they should have put ALIVE on it somewhere.' It said 'Live Reptile' in 9 different places. I almost lost my little guy, but he came through and is still kicking strong.

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Originally Posted by sho220

How big were the 5 that were shipped together? Seems like the bigger/heavier they get, the more complicated it gets...

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I have shipped larger individuals 1500 grams to 1800 grams (3 and 4 of them in the same box) without any issues, I also have shipped larger and smaller individuals together without issues.

The key it's to really know what you are doing, how to ship, when to ship and when not to ship.

To the OP do things happen? Yes they do but they are rare and even if the carrier delays your package and the package has to be redelivered late, if the person shipping knows how to pack and does it well chances are it won't even be an issue (I know Fedex lost 2 of my packages in the past 6 months and both still made it just fine.

If well executed, with proper packaging and consideration of temperatures, you should expect complete success when shipping or receiving live reptiles. Overnight shipping gives you access to the best animals from the best breeders anywhere in the country. As someone said above, if I am after a particular animal, I want the best possible example/fit for my collection, not just what is available to me within convenient driving distance.

At ShipYourReptiles, we have shipped hundreds of thousands of reptiles over the last 5 years, any problems or delays are far and away the exception. Success is the rule.

As for shipping multiple larger animals, it can def be challenging on the packaging side. As mentioned, having the animals separated by containers can be key, as it gives structural protection, which helps a lot. A larger box also helps, as it allows for more cushioning and packaging material to be used. If you try and cram 5 larger animals in a tight box, they do tend to settle into one big mass, and then can cause real heat and oxygen problems.

Anytime you have packaging questions, whether selecting box size or deciding between bags and delis, feel free to contact us directly, we are always happy to help- Info@ShipYourReptiles.com