Heads up on Fed Ex

Tom, even with a brown box the best thing to do is to have a piece of paper on top of the styro with live harmless reptile and the common name of the species on it so as soon as a box is opened they see it.

That way if they do a random check they will know what they are getting into before opening the bag. Hell, by that time they are going to know anyway and it might keep someone from dropping it to the ground and stomping it or something else stupid. A picture ID of the animal would be a good idea but I never go that far.

You would think that they would want responsible reptile shipping since we are all paying a premium for the next day express. I wonder how many reptile shipments UPS and FedEx do a day combined.

I build my own boxes and it comes out to less than $2 per box. I only use the brown boxes but I stamp each box in read with "live harmeless reptiles" Ive jumped thru the hoops and I AM in their computer as a certified shipper... so if they delay my shipment... then I will be getting into someones

I've jumped through the hoops~ been a certified shipper for a number of years now....
And if I have a box that says reptile on it anywhere I mark it out with black marker until it is completely GONE. In my experience a box that says "Reptile" on it anywhere is much more likely to either be stopped in progress or abused en route. I mark my boxes "Perishable" "Please avoid temperature extremes" and I put a photo copy of my certification to ship under the address label. Then I pray and worry a lot when in transit.

Yeah ours are marked "perishable", not "live reptile" or anything near that. I sent out a snake yesterday (the 6th) in a white box, so far its on its way. I've been watching the tracking like a hawk lol.

the problem with not putting live reptile on the box is IF they want to persue it... your violating federal law. I believe its the Lacy Act. Now granted... I dont follow it to the letter... mark contents on the outside of the box (ie 1 cornsnake (Taxonomic name) ) ... I do try to at least attempt to follow it with the stamp I had custom made.



Cheryl... if you have jumped thru the hoops... your name should be in the computer for approved shippers. I know mine is... I had my account rep make sure.

Well my package made it supposedly. I do, however, put non venomous reptile in the description option it give you when your set up the delivery.

You can put 'live animal', 'live wildlife', or 'live harmless reptile', or whatever.

If you do NOT mark the box as containing one of the above, ON THE OUTSIDE, CLEARLY, then you ARE violating the Lacey Act. Period. No argument on it. That's a federal law, with a whopping fine, if you get caught.

You MUST include the common and species name of the animal, and the number in the package. You can put that under the shipping label, in the pouch, but IF YOU DO, then you must mark CLEARLY on the outside of the box that the information is under there. You can also just write it on the box.

Putting it INSIDE the box only is a violation of the Lacey Act. Failing to include that information is a violation of the Lacey Act. Failing to identify that the info is under the label (if you choose that route) is a violation of the Lacey Act.

The entire point of the Lacey Act is that people who handle the package WILL KNOW WHAT IS IN IT. Without opening it. Period. There is no way to weasle around it. It doesn't matter how you feel about it, or whether you think it will help or hinder the package getting there safely, it IS the law. If you are a business, it's just ludicrously risky and kind of dumb not to obey that federal law. Especially in the current political climate.

People who ship, and are not in compliance with the Lacey Act, make the entire herp community look bad.