Sad day...

Before I write this I would like to state that I do not hold any one liable. I feel like these sort of things just happen.

I have been looking forward to this day since around August when I first talked to this breeder. I have been on the phone with him several times a month either making payments or just talking about snakes.

My baby was finally ready and was shipped out last night at 18:30 I arived at the shippers local hub and picked up my snake. He was a jungle pastel ball python. I was quite giddy seeing as how my first BP I took back to the pet store because it had mites and I was unsure of its health. So this is in theory my first BP. I could not wait to get into my truck to open the package. I waited until it was 85F in my truck and warmed my hands so they would not be cold. I then took my pocket knife and very carefully cut the packing tape and the shipping label. I took off the insulated top and I see a few spots of moisture on the bag. No big deal the little guy just couldn't hold it, I guess. I take off the ties and open the bag and see the most beautiful BP I have ever seen it was just kinda laying in the bottom I figured maybe it was just lethargic from the shipping. I pick him up to warm him and he is limp. No movement no resistance no balling no flickering the tongue nothing...

I immediately call the breeder. Who was devastated he has never lost a snake in shipping. So he is shipping me another snake as soon as he is ready to ship out. I have purposely left out the details of the breeder because I do not want people to be stupid and make assumptions about the breeder.

I figured no one in my family understands so I came here. I know you guys understand. Has any one else lost a herp in shipping either being the breeder or the customer. Do you know what happened? Can any one help me understand this?

If any breeders have lost a snake during shipping can you share what happened?

Hoax - Sorry to hear about your loss. I know it must have been gut sinking feeling to realize the snake had expired before it got t you. Just keep in mind that you did nothing wrong, and that sometimes things just happen. Hang in there, and good wishes.

Awwwww geez....that sucks! :hug: I've not had this experience, but I can well imagine how devestating it would be. I've only ever had one snake shipped (so far!) and I do know how utterly psyched and excited I was. I can't imagine how I would have felt had something gone so terribly wrong.

Sounds like the breeder is gonna do right by you and I know we'll all be looking forward to pictures of your new baby.

So sorry you had to go through that! :hug:

Shipping is not directly from your seller to your buyer. Often times the shipped animals criss-cross the country. This means they can be exposed to snow and 90 degree temps on the same day. Factor in a rough ride, intentional or not, and some just don't make it.

It's a bummer but if your guy is working with you that's cool.

In my TOS I recommend that buyers photo the box before opening, during opening and then the contents when opened. Saves a lot of hassle and insures that everyone is on the up and up.

Hope your next one does better.

I purchased a pastel male and he also arrived DOA. It was not pleasant and I am sorry you also had to go through this. It isn't always like that. The rest of my snakes all arrived safe and sound. :D

I'm sorry to hear about your loss,believe me I can relate :( About 3 years ago I ordered my first animal online! I was very excited and couldnt wait.It was a Crested Gecko that was seriously a NEON yellow! AWesome little guy:O So imagine my dissapointment when It didnt arrive next day when it was supposed to,In Febuary.... :tears: Long Story short I got hosed and the breeder wouldnt even replace the animal:mad: On the Up side I've had around 50 live shipping transactions (buying and selling) since then without a single casualty!:banana: Its really safe if one packs the animals correctly so don't let this one experience sour you on shipping and good luck with the new one! Post some pics when he arrives;)

Sorry to hear of it. I hope it works out for you to get a replacement, although nothing can make that sense of horror any better when you see your new pet didn't make it.
HUGS. At least it's not common that snakes die during shipping.

Damn that really sucks!

I had my one and only snake shipped to me. I was scared his whole trip, figuring fedex was throwing the box around and such.

Once he arrived I opened it up very carefully, and the bag he was in wasn't moving, and my heart dropped. It was just because he was in the dark, once i opened the bag, i saw his tongue flicker, a huge relief.


Its probably not to often for a snake(bp) to die during the shipping process, they seem hardy. This is very unfortunate:(

i'm sorry for that huge disappointment.

I'm sorry to hear about it man, unfortunately these things happen from time to time, too bad it happened to you.

:hug:

Feel better, your already in luck that you have a fantastic breeder that is helping you out. :gj:

Sorry about your loss. Look on the bright side that they'll try to fix the problem. I hope you have better luck next time.

Sorry to hear about your BP - i had 4 shipped International and they went East coast US to Midwest US then to Dublin, Ireland. Arrived well and no ill effects - just shows no one can foresee what may happen.

Tony

What a sad story :tears: and I'm so sorry to hear that this happened. I would expect nothing less from a reputable breeder than they would ship another snake out to you as soon as possible; this is why it is so good carefully choose the breeder- as you did.

This will have a happy ending for you and I can't wait to see the pictures of your brand new snake when he/she arrives. That will be a very good day for you :)

what sad news, im sorry to hear about your loss but at least the breeder is doing the right thing and replacing the snake. I know when I had to pick my 2 normal girls up from the airport, I was told I had to open the box and check for live delivery right then and there otherwise the live arrival would of been voided. you're lucky that wasn't the policy for this little snake.

i've thankfully never had a DOA but I worry every time I open the box, ya never know how the carriers handle the packages.

again im sorry for your misfortune and your loss, im sure you will love your new snake once he arrives.

I am so sorry to hear about your snake! I have had a similar thing happen to me, not with a snake, but with a shipment of arachnids.. not quite the same but I still felt terrible about it. I had 5 really nice tarantulas and a scorpion that passed because DHL shipped my package a day late, the shipper replaced my order the next week.

I guess at the moment, I am the only breeder that has lost one. I guess I will relay the story. Before I do so, I would like to apologize for your loss, and would also like to say that you did well in picking out the breeder you purchased from, as they are obviously respectable.

About 2 .5 years ago, I traded a pair of VPI Axanthics for another Ball Python. The set-up shipping arangements would be for me to ship the pair via Delta Dash from New Orleans to Southern California. I dropped the snakes off at the airport at about 6:30 in the morning. They were set to arrive in Cali at about 6 pm if memory serves me right. Well, as most people know, Delta's hub is in Atlanta, so all shipments go through there at some point (kind of funny travelling east when the destination is West). Well, the package missed the connecting flight in Atlanta, and had to sit there for a few hours (I am pretty sure that they sat on the tarmac during this layover). The package then made the next flight, which was scheduled to land at Cali at about 10:30 pm. My customer then called the local Delta shipping desk, and they told him that if the package wasn't at the Dash office by 11 pm, that they would be closed and he would have to come back tomorrow (wrong! he can claim the package at baggage claim, but I guess the employees didn't know there own policy). Well, he couldn't make it there by then, so I was informed the next morning at 10am that he had picked up the snakes, and the female was dead ($3000 snake at the time). By the description, I would guess that she died of heat (hence the earlier tarmac comment). So, I had to send a hold back Axanthic, as that was the last one I had available. What a tough lesson for both of us. As a result, I have not shipped another Delta Dash shipment, and would prefer not to. I leave my options open, and can still ship with Delta if need be, but prefer not to.

With all of that said, I have never had a snake die in a FedEx shipment, nor have I had a late delivery with FedEx (Knock on wood).

There is my story, and once again, I sympathize with your loss.

Im so sorry for your loss!!!!! Keep your head up

Thank you all so much for your support and sympathy.

When I had arrived at FedEx the lady actually demand that I not open it there. I guess she didn't like snakes ;)

The breeder is very respectable that is why I picked them. I had also talked to him about getting a different snake he even offered to discount a more expensive snake!!!! I will definitely be doing more business with him.

Dude, sorry to hear about you having to deal with this. I'm so glad you found a reputable breeder. There is one particular breeder that my husband did business with when he first started his collection and this guy was so good to us that any time now that Raul is looking for a new morph I make sure he checks with this breeder first. Reputation goes a long way!

I just got the pics off my replacement snake and...

OH MY GOSH I could not be happier. He is so beautiful

Tell me what you guys think.

http://www.8ballpythons.com/pastel/pasjun08-03.jpg

I know I was not going to reveal the identity of my breeder but I think he has a good enough reputation that it wont look bad on him.

He has done so much to try and help the situation. I'm really happy with how this has turned out.

That's a great looking little BP you have coming your way, and you're right, you couldn't have picked a better breeder. I've heard lots of good stuff about Adam, and I've been emailing him about getting one of his Lesser hatches next year.

I am so sorry that this has happened. It must have been just awful. You have my deepest sympathy. I really hope that your next snake arrives in good health.

I suggest Adam to every one I talk to. I think he has some really awesome snakes and when you talk to him he is super helpful. I was thinking of getting a spider and we talked about that but in the end I decided to stick with the pastel, and I am happy I did.

Long story short Adam has always been super helpful, I am glad I picked him. I don't think some small time breeder would help me out by giving another snake. Adam could have just said sorry I don't have any more available.

I don't know I am just glad I went with Adam.

Sorry this happened to you.

Unfortunately shipping a living animal through the postal service (be it USPS, Fed-Ex, DHL, etc) has inherent risks. While attention to detail and careful planning can mitigate a lot of problems there will always be that unknown. The so called "X" factor that we just can't account for.

I missed something important in the email that Adam sent me with my new snake.

I am getting a little care package with him...

I would suggest to any one looking for a new snake give Adam a go he is great.

8ballpythons.com go check him out.

Care package??? Come on, Bro. You can't leave us hanging like that!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hoax

I don't think some small time breeder would help me out by giving another snake.

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Hoax,

I am sorry for your loss as well, and am glad that things are being taken care of the way they should be. Adam is a great guy!

I guess I am the second breeder who has lost an animal during shipping.
It wasn't a ball python, but the story is the same. I bred a male dwarf burmese python to an albino granite female. The result is a half dwarf double het albino granite burmese python. There are very few of these animals available, as we are the second breeder to produce double het half dwarf burmese.

I shipped out a pair of these animals to a customer in N.C. through fed-ex. It was mid July and I packaged them appropriately. Everything went well until they arrived in Memphis. Incidentally, I had shipped two packaged on the same day, both going toward the eastern part of the country. The package that was going to Florida made it's connection out of Memphis and arrived on time, in perfect health. The one going to N.C. got to hang out in Memphis an extra day. When the package arrived a day late, one of the animals had perished. I was so completely heartbroken, not only because an animal had been mishandled by a company that had a contractual obligation to meet a timely shipping schedule, but also because of the rarity.

I am a smaller breeder at this point, but I did not hesitate to replace the animal. I feel that my customer should not have to pay the price for a courier mistake. There are smaller breeders in the community that take care of their customers just as well as the bigger breeders. I am not trying to take anything away from Adam, nor trying to glorify myself.

Michelle