Sending frozen feeders?

[Lolo76]

I'm thinking of asking my brother to send me a bag of frozen ASFs, since I can't get them around here... and I unfortunately have a snake who's stuck on them. Live ones are illegal in CA, but I know of a shop near my bro in San Diego that sells frozen ones (I won't ask where they originally come from, LOL). I'm only down there once or twice a year, so I thought using my brother might be a good idea.

Would this be more cost-effective than trying to find a national supplier? I haven't found one yet that ships ASFs to CA, and imagine the costs (not including the rodents themselves) would be upwards of $75. This shop in San Diego does charge full-price for each rodent, but I'm thinking the shipping would be less... the package would only be going approx 500 miles. Finally, how would I tell my brother to package them? Does it have to go overnight, and what kind of cooling device should he use? TIA for any tips!

[llovelace]

If shipping frozen, vacuum seal them, pack in a stryo container and pack with dry ice.

[Wh00h0069]

I am not sure, but you may have to be certified to ship them, since you will have to use dry ice to keep them frozen. It may be best just to stock up on them twice a year. They should stay good for that long in your freezer. Buy just enough to feed the snake for six months.

[jasbus]

Shipping frozen is a pain in the arse.
And very expensive.
Has to be shipped overnight priority, no exceptions, and because you have to use so much dry ice, it's heavy.
The only cost effective way to buy is in bulk...
I ship to a couple of customers, and the only way it makes sense is if they buy in huge numbers... I have one guy that comes to me every couple of months, and it's like 200 miles one way, but it's cheaper than shipping..

[Lolo76]

Thanks all! Guess it's not such a great idea, after all. Hopefully I'll get down there in the near future, and will just stock up and drive 'em home myself... until then, I sure hope my snake decides to eat rats or mice again!