When to ship and when it's best to wait

[CK SandBoas]

As i'm still fairly new to shipping reptiles, I would like to start a discussion on when you feel it is safe to ship your animals, and when it's best to wait until the weather is more favorable. This stems from a heated discussion between one member of a group I belong to, and myself and a few other breeders. The member stated we should not be afraid to ship in temps that fall well below or well above what is considered safe by most. He stated that he has shipped thousands of animals , in conditions that I would never consider shipping a live reptile ( below 32 degrees Farenheit and above 95 degrees Farenheit) and has only had one death during that time.

To me, why risk an animal just because the buyer is impatient and wants to get his/her animal right away? I honestly would rather refund the money to the buyer and choose not to do further business with them, then risk my animals. I'm actually holding two of my 2013 babies until the weather clears, with the buyers cooperation. She is so anxious to get them, but she also knows I won't ship at this time of year....

What are your feelings on this persons willingness to ship at any time of the year, at any temps? Not on the person himself, but the situation...

[smy_749]

IMO, Above 95 is much much worse than 32. However, shipping under 32 degrees is ok if you know what your doing.

Most breeders who take themselves seriously don't send animals in sub-par conditions, and if they do, its because the buyer already paid and is not cooperating which is what the below 32 above 86 no live arrival guarantee thing is for.

I would ship in the 30's and feel comfortable. I would not ship above low 80s and feel comfortable. If the packages arrive when they are supposed to (10 am next day) its really only 18-20 hours since you drop off in the afternoon, not morning. The problems arise when its so hot, or so cold, and your package gets lost or delayed.

To sum up my blabbering rant, 35-80 I don't stress too much. Anything outside of that, if I had a choice, I would make the customer wait until favorable conditions. Overheating is more dangerous than being a little cold too. A lizard arriving in the 60's / 70's package temps will be fine, just a little cold in most cases. A lizard arriving with 95-100 temps inside will most likely be cooked. I have cryopaks that can be heated / cooled / half and half. In the half liquid/half solid phase, they do a great job of stabilizing temps without increasing or decreasing them.

[KORBIN5895]

The reptile shipping company ships in -20°c up here. Remember that all overnight packages are flown at some point and the air temp is roughly -40 yo-50°c at 35,000 ft.

[Jim Smith]

Keep in mind that the baggage bins of the aircraft where they place animals are air conditioned meaning that they are heated and pressurized. They are not heated to the same level as the passenger cabin, but they use the same bleed air off the engines to warm the air so they don't get that cold. That said, I would not ship any animals in extreme weather conditions (either hot or cold) since they can be left out in the baggage and freight carts awaiting loading. That's why most air carriers will not ship most of the "short-faced" dogs like pugs, bull dogs or boxers when it's above 80%.

[CK SandBoas]

Thanks for the replies guys....I'm a worrywart when it comes to my animals, and I usually have my cell phone glued to me when I ship them out, so I know when they have arrived and if there are any issues I need to be aware of.

[KORBIN5895]

Originally Posted by Jim Smith

Keep in mind that the baggage bins of the aircraft where they place animals are air conditioned meaning that they are heated and pressurized. They are not heated to the same level as the passenger cabin, but they use the same bleed air off the engines to warm the air so they don't get that cold. That said, I would not ship any animals in extreme weather conditions (either hot or cold) since they can be left out in the baggage and freight carts awaiting loading. That's why most air carriers will not ship most of the "short-faced" dogs like pugs, bull dogs or boxers when it's above 80%.

I have never seen an express package ship on a passenger plane. They were always shipped on cargo planes and those weren't climate controlled.

[Aaron_S]

Pack your animals appropriately and you have far less to worry about.

With that said I rather ship in cold weather than hot and even then there's temps I won't ship in.