Shipping question

Hey guys, I took these next three days off in advance because the weather here had an outlook to be at least above 30F.

Unfortunately that cold front came, it won't be warmer until Wednesday night/Thursday morning. The breeder asked if I wanted to chance it with the chilly weather, it's in the high 40's with a low of 27F, he said he could ship so long as it was around 30F

I'm not foolish (also not saying the breeder is implyingthat, I discussedthe days off situation), and I sure as hell am not going to risk that snake's life just because I goofed on taking days off and too excited.

The breeder is located in FL and I am in Northern Alabama. If I ship him Wednesday night would he arrive in the early morning? I need to know if I am about to take an L with work and maybe try to work something out with my boss. I'd rather take a walk of shame than make a mistake in shipping him early for him to get sick or worse.

I could really use advice from anyone who's had a snake shipped before. This is my first time having a reptile delivered and I knew in the back of my head when I started to see fall turn into winter that there was gunna be some early nonsense, that's my luck haha.

Thank you for the time reading this and the help in advance.

I'm mostly asking advice so I don't sound dumb trying to talk with my boss.

Update: Sticking with shipping him out Wednesday night, now all I gotta do is maybe talk with my boss and explain the situation. Haaa boy, I don't regret anything but my luck man, two weeks ago it showed that it'll be in the high 30s and 40s and when I heard the cold front I was like "Oh noooo....".

But hey if he comes in early morning Thursday I can play it off haha.

If the baby is shipped with the recommended 40 hour heat pack, technically you would be fine...

That being said, my last snake was lost in the mail overnight, so instead of showing up on a Thursday at 10 am, she finally arrived Friday at 11am. The temps were much warmer tho.

I've been VERY unlucky and that's the 2nd time that happened to me. And I am always very cautious. I make sure that I have the ship day and the next day off just in case.

If I was you, I would humbly apologize to the boss. Explain the situation. I would hate to loose any animal due to poor shipping conditions. I'd wait til the temps warm a bit again.


Edit: hahah, you posted seconds before I did. Glad to hear you changed the date.

Haha yeah sorry I had just gotten the email from them and was like "Nah fam, do the good thing."

I hope he doesn't get lost in the mail, I am gunna be on top of them all night and waiting outside that door even if it's cold.

The poor soul delivering him...

"Did ya...bring the goods?"

"The uh, the live animal?"

"Yes gimme it's cold he's cold, I'm cold, your cold have some munz and go get a hot coffee for your troubles <3"

That being said I should probably suck up all the confidence I have socially and go walk to work and talk with my boss juuuuuust in case.

Shipping should always be done Fedex Priority Overnight

Typically as a shipper you need to monitor the temps at the main hub, in your case it will most likely be Memphis (I said likely because I have ship packaged that have gone to Indy to be delivered in FL and I live in GA) and you make sure that the temps at ETA is above freezing at the time of delivery which is usually 10.30 AM (sometime later depending on how remote the person is)

Remember the temps at the main hubs are important to since your animals will usually stay there until the next flight for an average of 5 to 7 hours usually between 10 pm to 5 am

You will only know which hub your package will go through when printing your label online (I assume you are not certified and if so you MUST use a company such as SYR or Reptiles Express to print your label)

Hubs are based on the first letter or number and are as followed

A Fort Worth TX

W Oakland CA

N Indianapolis IN

X Memphis TN

Q Los Angeles CA

Numbers Newark, NJ

As far as temps do not rely on weather prediction that are more than 24 hours old, weather can change and do so quick so if you plan on shipping wednesday confirm on Tuesday.

In temps below 40 at ETA I recommend shipping to a hub where the animal is kept in a temp controlled room instead of a cold truck.

Now when it comes to packaging use a 12x9x6 box with 3/4 inch foam, the size of the box is as important as the foam thickness, it allow for more insulation. Do not use more than one 40 hours Shipping warmer or you will cook your snake (also I said shipping warmer not hand warmer)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Shipping should always be done Fedex Priority Overnight

Typically as a shipper you need to monitor the temps at the main hub, in your case it will most likely be Memphis (I said likely because I have ship packaged that have gone to Indy to be delivered in FL and I live in GA) and you make sure that the temps at ETA is above freezing at the time of delivery which is usually 10.30 AM (sometime later depending on how remote the person is)

Remember the temps at the main hubs are important to since your animals will usually stay there until the next flight for an average of 5 to 7 hours usually between 10 pm to 5 am

You will only know which hub your package will go through when printing your label online (I assume you are not certified and if so you MUST use a company such as SYR or Reptiles Express to print your label)

Hubs are based on the first letter or number and are as followed

A Fort Worth TX

W Oakland CA

N Indianapolis IN

X Memphis TN

Q Los Angeles CA

Numbers Newark, NJ

As far as temps do not rely on weather prediction that are more than 24 hours old, weather can change and do so quick so if you plan on shipping wednesday confirm on Tuesday.

In temps below 40 at ETA I recommend shipping to a hub where the animal is kept in a temp controlled room instead of a cold truck.

Now when it comes to packaging use a 12x9x6 box with 3/4 inch foam, the size of the box is as important as the foam thickness, it allow for more insulation. Do not use more than one 40 hours Shipping warmer or you will cook your snake (also I said shipping warmer not hand warmer)

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Sorry if I made it out to where it sounded like I was the one shipping, I am receiving the package, though this is very useful, When I get the shipping label I can share the contents later and see where he is gunna go.

At ShipYourReptiles, we have a lot of great information about how to evaluate temperatures and decide whether or not to ship, when to hold at the hub, and whether or not to use a heat pack in that shipment.

Our guidelines are based on the HIGH temperatures at the origin and destination locations.

There are a few reasons for this:

• We had to choose some kind of measurable, definable “line” to draw to set our guidelines while still keeping it simple and not overly complicated
• High temperatures for the day are the most readily accessible weather information for a given location
• Our decades of experience have made us very comfortable using high temperatures to be our guide for safe shipping protocols
• Low temperatures aren’t usually relevant in the shipping process

Low temperatures aren’t relevant? Why is that? Because those temperatures typically happen in the wee hours of the night. During that time, your package is either on a plane or in a warehouse, both of which are environmentally controlled areas. The brief transition time between the two is easily compensated for by proper insulation keeping the temperature inside the box stable.

Below 38°F: Don’t ship. Wait for warmer weather.


38-69°F: Use a heat pack per our directions.


70-91°F: DO NOT use heat pack.


92-100°F: Ship to a "FedEx Ship Center" facility (NOT a FedEx Office, Pak Mail, Mail Boxes Etc. or other satellite/franchise location). Your shipment will arrive early in the morning and be kept inside until the recipient picks it up.


Over 100°F: Don’t ship. Wait for cooler weather.

You CAN ship in colder or hotter weather, and many do so very successfully. But we feel that these ranges give the very best chance of success. For colder shipping, more insulation is always a solid choice. Also, an excellent choice when the temperatures are on the edge of comfort, is to have the package held for pick-up at your local FedEx Ship Center. This is true for cold weather as well as hot. Using multiple heat packs is a very dangerous choice.

I realize I'm writing in a day late and, if I've read and understood correctly, your package is already on its way. If your high temps are around 40, you should be fine, so long as the animal was packed properly.

Whenever there's doubt about whether or not to ship, we are ALWAYS happy to answer questions directly. Just reach out to us at 303-730-2125 or info@ShipYourReptiles.com.

How did it all turn out?