How to ship live reptiles

So! There are always a lot of threads asking how to ship animals, and since I do it on a fairly regular basis, I thought I would write one of these up.

There are many things to take into consideration, shipping reptiles is life or death, you have no control over how they are handled, what type of temperature extremes they are exposed to, careless handlers, etc. They best you can do, is be smart, and properly prepare them.

Shipping is NOT something that you want to skimp on. A few extra $ saved, is NOT worth the risk of your animals life.

#1. The Box. Reptiles, being cold blooded, need a buffer between themselves and the temperature extremes they will probably encounter. That means you need insulation. I personally use ULINE.com for my insulated shippers, which can be seen here.





These are probably some of the best boxes you can find.

We use the 8 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 5" for individual animals, and 11 x 9 x 7 1/4" for multiples. They are 1" or 1.5" thick molded Styrofoam [not pieces cut to fit] with a 200# crush test rating, which means that if this box is placed under a ton of other boxes, its not going to break, fold in, and smash the animals. Someone could step on it, and they wouldn't die.

You can also find recycled Styrofoam material that can be cut to size and used as insulation.


#2. Choosing a courier. FedEx, UPS, and DHL are probably the most common. Delta Dash is the ONLY courier that will guarantee live arrival for your animals, and that is airport to airport. Under no circumstances should USPS EVER be used, and you should NEVER use anything other then overnight, for the earliest delivery possible [usually by 10:30 to 12 noon] This dramatically cuts down the amount of the time the animals spend in the box, and consequently, stress and risks.

FedEx, UPS, and DHL, all allow the shipment of "live harmless reptiles" Some you have to become "verified" or sign up with an account, you have to contact them directly to find out the exact procedure. You have to sort through the pages and pages of what they do and don't allow, to find the exact list and wording. Often times, the staff of each courier don't know exactly EVERYTHING that the company does and doesn't allow, so it is sometimes helpful to print it out and be prepared, if you run into opposition.

Having an account with couriers has a few benefits, one of the major ones is of course that you do get a small discount, usually 10-15% when shipping with them. Which saves you money, and helps cover the cost of the box, deli cups, peanuts, etc.


#3 Shipping days. Monday-Wednesday are good days to ship out. Thursday is pushing it, and Friday is no good. Not only is it more expensive to ship over the weekend, its also dangerous. If you ship Thursday for Friday, and an unexpected tornado happens, The package could be held over the weekend, not showing up until Monday, and by that time, they very likely could be dead. Its just an unnecessary risk, when 3 days is more then enough to arrange a shipping date.

Make sure that the shipping date is CONFIRMED before you ship it, It is IMPERATIVE that someone is there to receive the package on the FIRST delivery attempt.


#4 Temperatures. National and Local Weather Forecast, Radar, Map and Report is a wonderful tool. when you know the availability of the recipient, [Tuesdays for example] then you need to check not only the weather in their area, but in yours. Shipping temperatures are 50-85 degrees. Ideally, that number is more like 65-75, with night drops not below 55 degrees.

It also helps if you know the sorting location, Ex: for DHL that is in Ohio, where any package that isn't IN STATE goes.

For example: In California, its 75, with a low of 65, and I am shipping to Illinois which is 70, with a low of 60, but in Ohio, at the sorting location, its 40 [night time, because its overnight], I am going to include a heat pack, even tho the other temperatures are mild. When, if everything were mild across the board, I wouldn't include anything.

For warm temperatures, you want to use a ice pack, for cold, you want a heat pack, long lasting ones can be found in the first aid section of your drug store, or you can also order reptile-specific ones online, but they are all the same. Unlike most heating elements, these cant be attached to dimmers or thermostats, and can spike to temperatures over 110 degrees.

that means you need to wrap the heat/cold pack in many layers of newspaper, and tape or secure on the opposite side of the box as the animals. depending on the severity of the temperatures [more or less then 10 degrees different then the "ideal" range], I will cut a small piece of 1/2" styrofoam to size, and use that between the animals and heat/cold pack, to lessen the impact.













#5 Packaging for shipment.

- Deli cups. There are multiple sizes of deli cups, you should choose one that is large enough for the animal to comfortable turn around, however, not so large that the animal will get thrown around inside the tub.






Multiple holes need to be punched around the deli cup, usually 4-5 suffice, and you can use any number of tools to make the holes. Holes in the lid are useless if you plan to stack multiple deli cups.

I then dampen 2-4 paper towels, squeeze them out, and then pull them apart and fluff them up, and place them into the container, the animal will eventually smash them around, but it adds some cushion in the cup, along with humidity so they don't get dehydrated during shipment.

I weight the animal, and place it in the deli cup, securing the lid, and then write all of the information on the lid, for the recipients records.









- Securing the Deli Cup An assortment of things can be used to secure the deli cup, if you are using a fairly large box, that doesn't hold it in place on its own, shredded paper, wadded up news paper, Styrofoam peanuts are all options. I personally prefer corn starch biodegradable peanuts, to lessen the environmental impact, or else I will save, and recycle the peanuts I get in shipments from other people [which is where i also get the 1/2" Styrofoam I cut to size]. This is also the material you use to separate the animals from the heat/cold pack.










- Air holes. reptiles don't use THAT much air, but they do need a small amount of ventilation. If the lid on the box closes securely, I will cut a small hole in the cardboard, and use a screwdriver [or pen, or some such tool] to poke a hole, one on either side of the box should be sufficient.

*After you put the lid on, and you are ready to tape up the box, you can place the invoice/reciept/note or buisness card. I personally opt for a business card, and ask that they contact me as soon as they arrive, so I know the animals showed up okay. This way my contact info is readily available right there.*






You then, tape up the box, and attach the shipping label.


#6 Marking the box. On the outside, you can use a pen, or stickers, and write things like "Live Harmless Reptiles" "No direct sun" "keep out of temperature extremes" "Handle with care" Etc.




#7 Dropping off the box. Find the nearest drop location for the courier you are shipping with. Kinkos for fed ex, UPS store, etc. Call them first to find out when the last pick up for over night is [usually around 4-5PM] and package it up and drop it off not too much before then, so the animals spend as little time as possible inside the box.


#8 Tracking number. Now, go home, and email or call the tracking number to the recipient. Unless you printed out the shipping label online, in which case you could have entered their email address and they would have been notified automatically. Reiterate that you want them to notify you as soon as the package arrives, you can also be told about any problems the moment it gets there, if any arise. Check the # periodically to make sure it is en route and on schedule.

#9 Anxiously await the arrival of the animal. Think positive thoughts. Be nice to Shipping Couriers.. So they are in turn nice to you. If anything were to be delayed. Keep calm.. Be courteous to people on the 800 numbers. They can make things better for you. But.. They don't have to.


Hope this helps!