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How would YOU pack it?

What would you do in this situation?

  • Pack with a heat pack

    Votes: 16 61.5%

  • Pack with a cold pack

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Use no packs at all.

    Votes: 10 38.5%
  • Total voters
    26
WebSlave

WebSlave

It is what it is, but certainly not what it was.
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Let's see.... Temp here right now is 83 degrees and pickup will be in an hour or so. Temps at the destination are showing a low tonight of 28 degrees, and a high tomorrow of 73. Heat pack? Cold pack? Neither?
 
Rich,

Do you have any 60 or 72 hour heat packs? They take much longer to reach their peak temps so they may work out better than a 20 or 40 hour heat pack.
 
I would call the customer and follow his wishes. He/she has a better idea of the actual fluctuations, plus if you follow his/her advice you are not likely to hear any second guessing later.
 
How would YOU pack it?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's see.... Temp here right now is 83 degrees and pickup will be in an hour or so. Temps at the destination are showing a low tonight of 28 degrees, and a high tomorrow of 73. Heat pack? Cold pack? Neither?
__________________
Rich Zuchowski
I do not think I would ship under those circumstances, too risky.
 
I'm assuming it's a corn snake :) One 40-h heat pack and a few vent holes in the styrofoam plus pencil-poked holes in the 8 corners of the box. Hand deliver it to the carrier as late as possible.

Regards.
 
With that 28 degree low mark looming, I would use a heat pack with some holes like Dan posted...
 
I would ask the customer, and follow their wishes. But, if you have a gut feeling, follow it.
 
Heat pack, with the snake positioned to be able to move closer or further from it if necessary, and ask the pickup person to keep it in an air-conditioned area. I would also hand it over as late as possible.
 
I think alot of this boils down to responsibility - Some as sellers may have a certain comfort range in which they will ship or not and is held firm - There are them "iffy" times in which communication amongst the parties would be best, however again these are "iffy" - New Word...

While I agree on asking the customer on their input, are they willing to take the responsibility of their decision and be liable on their own for a possible DOA due to Their choice, without seeking reimbursement from You ?

With a 28 degree low hovering, I would still ship using heat packs - If the customer disagrees, than I would not ship even if they are taking responsibilty for their decision, as I would like the animal's best interest to come into play before the money - We can always hold back till a nicer day...
 
Hmmm - I'm torn Rich. Given the destination temp, and the likelihood that it will still be 50s by delivery time, it is pretty tempting to to suggest activating the heat pack and sealing the box when the truck arrives for the pickup. It is a cornsnake, though, and I suspect it would do just fine without one. I'll get off the fence <takes a deep breath, and pushes off> - I would not include a heat or cold pack. Given the starting temps, and normal transit times/procedures, the final temp inside the box would probably be acceptable when it is delivered. (Upon making that decision, I would notify the recipient of it, and my rationale...along with any further instructions - like allowing the snake to come to room temperature vs putting it in warm water, or quickly putting it into a heated cage). Now that it is after the fact - what did you decide??

For the people suggesting that he ask the recipient - not a bad idea, BUT it assumes that the recipient would have a clue...and, IMO, it doesn't remove the responsibility from the shipper. He is the one guaranteeing the live arrival and well being of the animal. As a rule, I am inclined to err on the side of arriving cool, vs overheating in route.



That said - how about this one. I was shipping several pythons today... temps forecast to be around 40 at drop off time, 70 at the first stop, and in the low 90s when it touches down at the destination airport. Drop off to 1st stop is 5 hrs, destination landing is 5hrs later...Heat pack, or no?
 
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That said - how about this one. I was shipping several pythons today... temps forecast to be around 40 at drop off time, 70 at the first stop, and in the low 90s when it touches down at the destination airport. Drop off to 1st stop is 5 hrs, destination landing is 5hrs later...Heat pack, or no?
Click to expand...

Harald, I'm assuming that they are sent Delta and they are going to be picked-up at the airport. Use 12-h hand warmers that you can purchase at WalMart. They are ideal for that kind of scenario.

Best regards
 
I keep some of those around for shipping colubrids...I prepared the box early, heat packed it and closed it. Bagged the snakes, put them in, and removed the heat pack at the time of inspection at the airport - temperatures did not fall as low as expected. (During colder periods, I obviously leave them in). The prewarming, the insulation, short period of exposure to cold, and the thermal mass (13 lbs of snakes in a 14x12x8 box) make it unlikely that temps will drop significantly before they are in warmer places.
I don't think I have ever had to deal with shipping when it is hot here, and cold elsewhere.
 
Rich, I would not use a heat pack at all, I would make sure the box is insulated well. The reason I say this is that corns can handle the cold much better than most other species.
 
Oh yeah..... forgot about this thread....

I packed it without heat or cold pack and it the animals all got to the destination just fine. My general rule of thumb is that if I have to choose between the possibility of being too warm or too cool, I would rather err on the side of coolness. All things considered, just using the insulated box without any added temp modifiers seemed the best route to take.

But one thing does puzzle me..... Why do people in places like North Dakota only order animals in the winter months, and people in Phoenix, Arizona only order in the summer months? :bandhead0
 
Rich Z= But one thing does puzzle me..... Why do people in places like North Dakota only order animals in the winter months, and people in Phoenix, Arizona only order in the summer months? :bandhead0
Click to expand...

That is a dang good question, you are right, I guess they have nothing better to do when the weather turns bad, lol. :rolleyes: J/K!!
 
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