Shipping, good/bad experiences ?

I'm wanting to add more scaly babies to my house in the near future but (As much as I would love to take all the animals shops have), I simply refuse to give them, or more specifically the stores around my area, any money that doesn't go towards any animals well being. So the other option is shipping, if unable to find a reputable breeder in my area that is. What kind of experiences have you had ?

It's no big deal really. The animals are shipped overnight and usually arrive before 12:01pm. So long as the breeder knows what they are doing 99% of the time things go perfect.

I've had great shipping experiences with reputable breeders :) Justin Kobylka is an amazing breeder & person. I've also had a great experience with "Scales or Tails" Bill Olewnicki I could give you a long list of reputable breeders but I've only had experience with these two great guys :)
If more people chime in you'll have a nice list to choose from.

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Do your research on the breeder before buying, check them out on the boi, and you should be fine. I've had several snakes shipped in (really, the only way to find the exact animal you want), and never a problem.

Only one of my eight was not shipped (bought her at an expo). I've bought from a variety of people and the only "bad" experience I had was because my friends mom somehow didn't hear the doorbell (I have my snakes shipped there because she's usually always home). All that happened was a mad scrabble to drive to the hub before closing after my friend got off work (her name on the box so she had to be the one get it). I've bought from both well known breeders and from "little guys" in the hobby with maybe one or two BOI feedbacks.

I have only dealt with one breeder when it comes to shipping,Rudy at CGroyals and it went perfect.I was nervous for my little ones but I gotta say it was exactly as I was told and they are happy and health!

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I've had several snakes shipped in but most were local pick-ups as I fortunately have some excellent breeders in my area.

You didn't list a location, so a few points...
- If you live up north don't plan on having anything shipped in between November and March, and maybe later. Breeders won't ship in temps below freezing, or if bad weather that could delay/divert a flight is forecast. Also, note the seller's location. If you buy an animal in January it may not ship for 2 months if the temperature at the seller's location are too low.
- Similarly, if you live down south you'll have to watch the daytime high temperatures.
- I always have my inbound snakes held at the FedEx hub and I'm first in line at 8:30 a.m. to pick up the package as it knocks a few hours off the snake's in-transit time.
- Thoroughly research the seller here, on the Fauna BOI, and on the Facebook feedback forums.

Finally, the price of shipping is becoming insane. Shipping on my last inbound from CA to WV was $78 for a boa under 18" long. Unfortunately this means that my budget will be forcing me to keep my purchases local unless there truly is no other option.

I've been on both sides of the isle, been the shipper and the shippee! It really isn't that big of deal, just make sure they know what they are doing. (Ie do your due diligence and check on them, if they are new to the hobby ask questions and see how they answer! The reason for this is if you do a boi search in me you prolly won't find much, but I guarantee you that it's more nerve racking on me to ship then you!!) also ask their policy in mishaps, they do happen and you want to make sure you can at least get your money back!


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I haven't shipped any snakes yet, but I've had 8 snakes shipped to me via Fedex, and the boyfriend has shipped and had shipped to him probably a hundred or more times. Of the 8 that have been shipped to me, there were 3 shipped individually and one group of 5 shipped all together. Unfortunately, in the shipment of 5, one of them was DOA. I can only speculate as to what went wrong, and ultimately I think shipping 5 snakes together in bags inside of a box might not be a great idea, but the seller went above and beyond what I expected to compensate for the loss, considering I had won that group through a benefit auction and none of the money actually ended up in his pocket. Overall, I've had a positive experience with shipping, and fully plan on shipping more snakes to and from this house.

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Originally Posted by SaintTawny

Of the 8 that have been shipped to me, there were 3 shipped individually and one group of 5 shipped all together. Unfortunately, in the shipment of 5, one of them was DOA. I can only speculate as to what went wrong, and ultimately I think shipping 5 snakes together in bags inside of a box might not be a great idea,

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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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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