Need Winter Shipping Advise

I am shipping 6 snakes weighting around 12 lbs, from South Jersey to northern california. i have shipped many boxes out in the 50s or so but havent shipped this cold. i believe fedex makes a stop at a hub in Memphis Tennessee. the temps are in the 20's to 30's at night here is south jersey and memphis. northern california night temps are high 30's to low 40's. i would be dropping off the boxes as late as possible at my hub and will be held at the buyers local hub.

i ordered a 16x12x8 box with 3/4 inch styrofoam to fit these guys and gals into. i was wondering how many 40 hour heat packs i should use and where to place them? i was thinking 3 but wasnt sure if that was too many or too little. i usually put the heat packs on the top of the box but i also heard that some people put a heat pack on the bottom also, during the winter times.

i planned on using crubled newspaper to insulate a little more and keep them from moving all over the place. i am also torn on whether to put a air hole behind the heat packs to allow them to use oxygen to stay warm.... i would really appreciate any advise you may have and thank for for the help.
andrew

I dont ship unless temps are above 45 some go as low as 40 but i give 5 degrees for stupid weathermen.

I regularly ship in temps down to about 0 degrees F. Keep in mind, the boxes aren't actually sitting outside in the weather- even if they're just in a warehouse, the temps are likely to be a whole lot warmer than outside. And with overnight shipping, the only place they might actually sit for more than a few hours is on the delivery truck (with them being held at the local hub, you won't even have to worry about that).

With 3/4" insulation and that size of a box, I would go with 4 (40 hour) heat packs spread evenly around the sides (attaching them to the top would work as well, I just have always preferred the sides). Also, I would include 1-2 air holes. Make sure to pack 'em nice and tight with crumpled newspaper like you stated and good luck with your shipment!

I agree with these guys ^^^^^^^

Insulate well
Remember hot packs
Secure the animals inside

And you have it.

I wouldn't use more than 2 heat packs.

You don't want to get the box HOT, you just want it to stay TEMPERATE, neither hot nor cool. Four heat packs will generate a lot of heat, and with the insulation, it will be difficult for it to dissipate.

Going hub to hub you have little weather exposure. The FedEx planes are both temperature controlled and pressurized.

2 words - Delta Dash

Instead of crumpled paper I like to use polyfil.It's basically cotton for aquarium filters and holds heat better.