Shipping crate for Delta?

[Gloryhound]

I'm looking for advice from someone that may have shipped a large snake through Delta.

I am going to be shipping a 38 lb Blood python from Michigan to Texas. Fed-ex and UPS are out of the picture for snakes this big. I've made some calls in figured out Delta's requirements. Anything over 24" is supposed to be in a wooden crate and the floor space has to be big enough for the snake to lay flat with its whole belly touching the floor. This big girl is going to require a 3' X 2' X 1' crate. One major concern is the weight of the crate as you get charged for the crates total weight when shipping and it is a little over $2.00 total per pound. I'm planning on using 1/4 paneling for the box, but using 1/2" strips of wood every 10 - 12" as support. I'm going to insulate and help pad the interior of the box by lining it with 1" Styrofoam. It will have the air holes drilled. My wife is making a heavy duty snake bag. Once we get everything ready we will wrap 2 heat packs in paper and tape them to the top of the box and use crumpled paper as filler and more cushioning in the box. According to how the shipping works she should not be in the box more than 10 - 12 hours. I'm looking at a total weight when done in the 75 to 80 lb range. After inspection of the packaging at the cargo terminal I plan to screw the lid down.

Anyone that has shipped this way before, am I missing anything in packaging this girl?

[Robyn@SYR]

The easiest way to make a crate that I have found is to use an insulated box of appropriate size. Then cut 1/4" ply to go around the outside of the box. Just construct the crate around your box. Works well. It will be plenty strong if screwed together. We do this for Gila shipments.

For a large blood, you might be able to use our #5 box, 30x16x10.

What are the measurements of this Blood?

With a Blood python, try and get the animal empty before shipping. They like to hold solids and liquids for a long time. They stress and jostling of shipping often encourages them to "empty". If that happens inside your box, it is not just miserable for you, but can be dangerous for the animal, due to the possible quantity and long term exposure.

No fun shipping with a crate, best of luck.

[Gloryhound]

Just so others can see and also due to the lack of info concerning shipping Delta I am detailing my experience. Included is a picture of the outside of the final shipping crate.

Final dimensions for the crate was approximately 26" X 38" X 13" and in retrospect it was way bigger than I needed for this girl, but it worked. This box could have probably fit a 10 to 12 foot long retic if not more. The box was lined on the inside with 1" foam. Air Holes were drilled through foam and outer sides on all four sides. Total cost for the crate was less than $40.00. The crates weight was around 37 lbs. With the 38 lb snake and all other packing material it came out to 79 lbs total for shippig. The top was screwed down at the cargo terminal after the Delta rep did his inspection of the package.

A custom heavy duty snake bag was also made. (Lucky for us my wife is skilled with a sowing machine as well as a serger.)

We called Delta on a Monday to schedule a flight on Friday of the same week. Information they took down included names, addresses, dimensions of the box, and weight of the package. We did not ship Delta Dash, but rather went with Delta Cold Blooded. The difference between the two is an hour earlier drop off and up to an hour later at the terminal for pickup after the plane has landed. Also priority if something has to get bumped moves Delta Dash infront of live animals with live animals being next to bump other cargo, but your representative can help you make flight choices that pretty much eliminate the chance of being bumped. They also give you an estimate on the cost of shipping, but take no payment at this time.

On the day of shipping the wife and I got everything ready and put the big girl in the snake bag and box. The lid of the box was held down with a couple screws that we would remove for inspection. Packing the box at this stage was pretty much exactly like packing a box for Fed-ex. Newspaper was used for additional padding, insulation, and filler. A heat pack would have been added if needed, but since the time of day we dropped off temps were in the 70's and the layover and destination was going to have temps in the 80's no heat or cool packs were added. We got everything there about 3 hours before the flight. Total check in time was about 15 to 20 minutes with screwing the lid down and all. We had them fill out the Air Way Bill to make sure no mistakes were made that could delay the package and it cost $10.00. Total for shipping from Grand Rapids, Mi to San Antonio, TX with a layover in Atlanta, GA was about $190.00 for our shipment.

Yes we were nervous the whole time until we got the text saying she had been recieved and later contact from the buyer that she looked great and was exactly as expected.

Hope this helps others at some point. And if you have question feel free to ask and I will answer as best as I can about my experience.

[Don]

Good information to have. I've received shipments of ball pythons (babies) through Delta Dash, but nothing this big. Those shipments were in standard shipping boxes. This is useful information that will come in handy.

[Robyn@SYR]

Sturdy looking crate. Perhaps the only other suggestion I would have is some rope handles on either end for carrying ease. Something simple like two holes 8 inches apart, with the rope strung through then knotted inside the wall.