Used Boxes...

I just use the very standard Superior Enterprises boxes which have 3/4" insulation. I've not seen a box with 1/2" insulation, to be honest. I've received snakes in a U-Line box or two, and they have nifty form-fitted styrofoam, but pricing them out, they're a bit too expensive for just niftiness.

From what I recall, I have only re-used Superior Enterprises boxes. If I get to the point where I'm shipping more than 2 or 3 larger snakes each year, of course I'll buy a case of big boxes. From what I'm reading here, though, most people aren't horribly fussed over receiving a used box, as long as it's clean and intact.

It's just not practical to buy a case of big boxes that I'll use only once in a blue moon, when I have a bunch of them coming in free. Seems wasteful, too, to toss a good box into a landfill. I hate waste.

I'm not shipping yet, but I don't think I'd reuse old boxes. For one, the city picks up recycling, so I can just recycle the box (not the styrofoam, I know). For another, since we really don't know how IBD is spread, I'd rather not use any materials coming from a recently-arrived snake. And I don't think I'm that much of a packrat to keep a box for the full four-month quarantine period. Plus, boxes can be like bicycle helmets: they may look okay, but that doesn't mean they're structurally sound.

I guess I'd just rather use new boxes. *shrug* They look more professional, too, as people have mentioned.

Now, that doesn't mean I'd harp on someone for using used boxes....

I actually do keep 'em that long--I only buy a few shipments worth of snakes each year, and they usually come in big boxes, since I'm buying adults. I just keep those boxes in case I need to sell an adult, or in case someone buys a whole bunch of hatchlings at once. By the time I need to re-use a box, most of the time the animals that came in it have already been through quarantine. Some years, I don't have to use any at all, and I just toss the extras and keep a couple on hand. If I start selling larger lots or more adults, I'll just add larger boxes next time I order, but so far it's just not been necessary--virtually everything fits into the standard 12X9s.

WingedWolf said:

I actually do keep 'em that long--I only buy a few shipments worth of snakes each year, and they usually come in big boxes, since I'm buying adults. I just keep those boxes in case I need to sell an adult, or in case someone buys a whole bunch of hatchlings at once. By the time I need to re-use a box, most of the time the animals that came in it have already been through quarantine.

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Oh, okay. Then that works.