winter shipping advice please

[urksHERPS]

hey guys n gals,
been a bit since ive been on here, and since ive bought some new blood from accross the country so i need either links or info reguarding my situation.

heres the run down,
Im purchasing 3 sub adult boas from a fellow herper on fauna, DMCG
he lives on the east coast and weather there is nice monday and tuesday in the 50's. however it is 51' here today and sunday but monday has a high of 41 and tuesday is a high of 32. the next 7 days after look to be all below freezing
now i am off on tuesday to receive the package, but im very skeptical of telling derek to send them seeing its going to be near freezing on tuesday. my worst nightmare for both of us im sure would be for me to get a DOA package.
after reading SYR i understand the 38' rule on shipping but i see other auction sites saying monday is the last day of shipping... very confusing
Please advise on how or what i or we need to do to safely get our transaction completed.
I was trying to get on chat to ask you guys live but through many attempts and adjustments to this new laptop i cant get port 8080 to be allowed.

thanks all in advance
lou

 

[hhmoore]

Don't be in such a hurry.
I don't use SYR, so I don't know what the 38* rule is...but the reason people are saying Monday is the last day is because of the holiday. If there is a delay in a Tuesday shipment, people are SOL because there is no service on Thursday.

As far as temperatures, everybody has different thoughts and attitudes about what is acceptable. Many people say they won't ship if the temps are below 40 degrees; but some of those same people will purchase reptiles and expect delivery in those same temps. People/businesses who earn their living from reptile sales ship year round; with relatively minimal disruption due to temperatures - it can be done, it just requires a bit of extra care. Whether your particular seller has the experience to do it right is something you should pursue prior to requesting shipment.

 

[NocturnalNature]

Much of the danger of cold weather (as well as hot weather) shipping can be alleviated if you drop the package off at the main hub, as well as have it held at the main destination hub for pickup.
In addition, using proper insulated boxes, as well as the appropriate heat pack reduces the risks even further. I think the largest misunderstanding is how to properly use the heat pack and/or using a hand warmer in the hope that it will achieve the same results (it won't).
Follow the directions on the package itself and the heat should be consistent and last for most, if not all of the duration of the transit times.
Hope this helps and best of luck.

 

[hhmoore]

In addition to the above, there is benefit to using a larger box and extra heat packs (<gasp> more money for both). Talk to your seller - he may actually know what he's doing. If not, it would be easier for him to be making the inquiries here; as more specifics can be addressed.

 

[urksHERPS]

thanks Harald and Jackie,
I will pm him now to and see just what he knows, I am aware that he ordered the insulated shipping box and proper heat pad. I'm in no hurry... just began thinking after seeing peoples "final shipping" notices
hopefully i can get my chat back operational and update you guys soon!!

 

[NocturnalNature]

Lou,
If it helps ease your mind I routinely ship and receive animals during the Winter months and have never experienced a loss.
With that being said, if in doubt then wait for better weather. I know it is hard waiting on a new animal to arrive but no amount of excitement is worth the animal's life.
Once again, best of luck with the new acquisition and hope you thoroughly enjoy them!

 

[snowgyre]

I agree with Jackie, if you are nervous, wait for better shipping conditions. I've recently begun shipping in lower temperatures (30s), but I've done what Harald suggested. I use bigger boxes, which means more thermal mass to hold temperatures. I use proper 40 hour heat packs and follow the instructions (1 40-hour heat pack will hold a cubic foot about 10 degrees above ambient). In some extreme cases, I've even double-boxed at my own expense. Winter shipping is possible, but there is always going to be risks associated whenever you ship outside the animal's temperature tolerances.

 

[robyn@Pro Exotics]

I just saw this thread, so I am late for this particular question, but I can still offer some winter shipping insight.

The ShipYourReptiles "no-ship" periods apply to holidays, typically. As Harald mentioned, shipping right before a holiday can be troublesome if there is any kind of delay, as transportation may not resume for another 3-5 days.

In the case of the Christmas holiday, we started our no-ship period early in December this year. Package volume for gifts and such just gets so heavy, delays, misroutes and exceptions increase significantly, and that makes it problematic and unpredictable for shipping live reptiles. Better to wait for the SYR no-ship period to pass, and then find a workable day for your shipment.

The SYR Shipping Standards allow shipping of live reptiles down to 38F for a daytime high in both origin and destination. We want shippers to have the best chance of success, so our temp guidelines are pretty conservative.

Plenty of breeders ship below 38F as a daytime high. As Pro Exotics Reptiles, I would ship into the teens with little trouble. But that takes experience, and some subtleties of packaging, and at ShipYourReptiles, we want everyone to expect success, so 38F is the cut off.

You can find our high and low temperature guidelines here.

Whenever you are shipping in cold weather, insulation is your friend. We see more trouble and DOAs from the OVERUSE of heat packs and/or the use of hand warmers than anything else.

In a 15x11x7 box or smaller, which covers 90% of reptile shipments, one 40+ hour heat pack is all you need. To better your chance of success, double your insulation instead.

Double up your 3/4" insulation panels on all sides. Or get some 1.5" foam core from Home Depot and cut your own panels. Or consider using one of the one piece insulated boxes.

You don't want your box to get HOT during the winter (as it will with more heat packs), you just don't want it getting COLD. You want it to stay temperate. Increasing the insulation value and effectiveness will accomplish that.

The other common technique was also mentioned above. Drop your package off late in the day at the actual FedEx facility (but before cutoff) and have it shipped Hold for Pickup to a FedEx facility. That will keep the package from being exposed to extreme temps (summer or winter) on trucks and during delivery.

If you are shipping during a holiday, or extreme weather hot or cold, feel free to contact us directly. We can walk you through making the best choice, we do it all the time : )