Re: Some words of advice regarding heat, reptiles and shipping
Old thread but worth a bump!
JG knows what he is talking about! The snakes I purchased from him were packed excellently, not hot or cold on arrival and he was very adament that I contact him the moment they arrived.
If you follow these steps you should have no problems shipping herps. Just remember that if you use a heat pack, only use one that is designed for shipping live animals and that it does not come into direct contact with the animal. (NOT one of those hand warmers you get at walmart!) Most people will tape it to the inside top of the styrofoam with packing tape across its middle, or put it along the side of the box next to the animal, behind a bit of the packing/stuffing material. IE newspaper, pillow stuff etc.. Its also good to open it, shake to activate and let it sit out for about a 20 minutes before packing it in the box to be sure it activates and has plenty of oxygene to stay warm. It takes a little while for them to heat up.
If not done correctly these can over heat your animal. Proper placement is important.
Re: Some words of advice regarding heat, reptiles and shipping
As well as using a folded paper towel on the bottom of the deli cup, I fill the rest of the cup space with crumpled paper towel--the animal can still move, but if the box is dumped upside down, the animal will be protected.
I think a good summary is--pack your animals as if you know they have to survive being thrown down a flight of stairs.
Re: Some words of advice regarding heat, reptiles and shipping
I just wanted to add that more often than not people shipping reptiles should be more conservative when it comes to supplemental heat. It seems that more snakes die from overheating than they do from being too cold. Heat packs are great in cool climates or seasons, but can be deadly if a snake is delayed in a warm environment.
