Shipping in the Winter

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Originally Posted by oceancube

sucks man, i recently bought a bumblebee male and he arrived the same way... now im trying to bring him back, i did keep in contact with breeder and so far he's been cool, im giving the snake till friday and if it still acting weird im gonna return it,, my snake arrived almost frozen with one heatpack, after he warmed up he was acting as if he had ibd, scary,,,, im waiting a couple days and im gonna open his tub and check....REALLY SUCKS sorry to hear you went through the same thing......ARRGGGGG

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Sounds like the stress of shipping and the cold has set off his wobble.. I've seen it happen..shipping or transporting them can from time to time trigger them to wobble even if they haven't before..the breeder might not have known or even thought to tell you so you'd know if it happens.

I am supposed to be shipping an animal but the temps have been in the teens overnight and there have been ice storms and snow along the route the package would travel so I am really hesitant about shipping right now.
I don't want to jeopardize the snakes welfare.
It's just too cold lately and the windchill makes it even worse.

I have 2 snakes I paid for but are being held for shipping until the weather breaks. One of the snakes was something I had been looking for but of the 4 I looked at, only one seller was willing to hold it for a later ship date. To me, that is a responsible breeder and is part of the reason I went with his snake and not one the others. If a breeder either will not honor your request to hold the animal (with payment of course) for shipping OR will not give you an extended health guarantee (maybe a week due to the cold) then I would not purchase from them.

As a breeder, if you are concerned in any way about the weather then follow your instinct and tell the buyer you can not ship until the weather gets a little better.

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Originally Posted by SPJ

I am supposed to be shipping an animal but the temps have been in the teens overnight and there have been ice storms and snow along the route the package would travel so I am really hesitant about shipping right now.
I don't want to jeopardize the snakes welfare.
It's just too cold lately and the windchill makes it even worse.

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And anyone that wants you to ship an animal despite the weather is a fool and a jerk. I would never knowingly place an animal in harms way for a buck and I'm glad your not either.
On the other side, if you have completely paid off an animal and the shipper/ breeder refuses to hold an animal for a reasonable period of time, until the weather breaks, I would ask for my money back and never look back. That person obviously does not care about the animal. If he doesn't care about the animal during the shipping process then it puts into question how well he cared for the animal up to that point. You should always know what the breeder will or won't do prior to paying them.

You would be surprised how many people want snakes shipped right away even when the temps are in the single digits.
I have no problem holding and caring for an animal until the weather is nicer (I prefer to do that) but some people want it immediately after paying for it.
In those cases, you just refund the money.

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Originally Posted by singingtothewheat

And anyone that wants you to ship an animal despite the weather is a fool and a jerk.

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That might be a tad harsh...I just got a couple of tics and burms from some of the most respected breeders in the country and they shipped the snakes to me in the frozen wasteland of Illinois...They were packed like everyone mentioned with an extra 40 hour heat pack...They all arrived in perfect condition...

For my situation, the weather is probably the least of the snakes worries...Our UPS carriers are down-right abusive with packages :mad::mad: Needless to say, I trusted the breeders experience and got my snakes fine...If I didn't know the breeder or they were new to breeding and shipping I wouldn't have done this transaction, but they've been in the business way to long to question their experience and judgment...Just had my burmy out and he's happy all nice and warm..

If I had known then what I know now, I never would have had them shipped. I would have driven the 5 hours and picked up or found a closer source. I was in need of a male ready to breed and foolishly assumed the breeder would know what was safe and what wasn't (I have kept snakes for years, but this would be my first clutch - which is now not happening - so even more dissapointment). It breaks my heart to think what those snakes went through because I didn't know enough to have him hold the snakes or to check into these forums prior to purchasing. A friend recommended that I come on here and one other forum after the fact to get more info. I have been on this forum for awhile, but didn't even think to check first. Look before you leap I guess! My lesson has certainly been learned. :(
As a side note: on the other forum they have a Board of Inquiry and the seller has a "questionable" history. Again, wish I knew then what I know now!
Oh, and hats off to you breeders that choose to hold your animals until better weather.
I used to raise hedgehogs and wouldn't ship (airlines only), if it was going to be below 40. Why did I think it would be okay for herps? Blond moment? So angry with myself for the whole situation.

Update...
He is definately a She. I bought this snake to breed THIS season. A MALE, get him half frozen, gets the URI, has internal parasites, and NOW it a FEMALE!!!!!! SO unbelievably angry right now. I contacted the seller, but surprise, surprise no response. He was so quick when it came to taking my money...I'll give him a couple days I guess to reply.
So frustrated. Oh, and the Vet charged $20 to double check the sex for me. Seriously? $20 to probe a snake? Okay, I'm done for the moment. Anyone have suggestions how to deal with this?

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Originally Posted by nbelval

Update...
He is definately a She. I bought this snake to breed THIS season. A MALE, get him half frozen, gets the URI, has internal parasites, and NOW it a FEMALE!!!!!! SO unbelievably angry right now. I contacted the seller, but surprise, surprise no response. He was so quick when it came to taking my money...I'll give him a couple days I guess to reply.
So frustrated. Oh, and the Vet charged $20 to double check the sex for me. Seriously? $20 to probe a snake? Okay, I'm done for the moment. Anyone have suggestions how to deal with this?

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Give the seller a couple days to respond. If the seller does respond give a chance, if they are willing, to make it right. If the seller does nothing at all go to the BOI forum on faunaclassifieds.com to report that seller as a bad guy and explain your experience. Make sure when you do that you have given the seller ample time to respond and fix the problem in case it is just a mistake.

The BOI is where you can look up a potential seller to see if they are a good or bad guy. Actually I would go there right now and enter the name in the search box to see if there are any other shotty deals reported with this person.

Just make sure you follow the rules regarding the BOI and posting there. Keep us updated.

There is also a buyer/seller references thread here you can search on this site but it is not used nearly as often as the BOI.

Keep all your vet bills and paperwork. Any emails between you and the seller. All details including TOS, shipping, tracking etc.

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Originally Posted by SPJ

You would be surprised how many people want snakes shipped right away even when the temps are in the single digits.
I have no problem holding and caring for an animal until the weather is nicer (I prefer to do that) but some people want it immediately after paying for it.
In those cases, you just refund the money.

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Oh I'm sure. It amazes me that people will put the animals and, if nothing else, their investment in harms way to get something fast.

I personally always ask about things like shipping if weather is bad but if that was forgotten until the money changed hands and the person didn't want to wait to ship I would still consider them a fool and a jerk. They would never see money from me again.