How to ship chameleons? Cheap, Safe

Ok I am giving several of my Oustelets chameleons away for free and I am going to ship some of them. I am looking for the best way to find shipping supplies, and the best way to ship. I have been on ship your reptiles and first I would have to pay for the supplies then pay to have them shipped to me. Then package up the guys get a special fed ex account and pay for overnight shipping. So far it is looking like $80.00+ to ship one chameleon, this doesn't even include insurance. So much for a free chameleon.. How can I send out about five different packages, without spending a fortune? Any tips tricks are greatly appreciated.

I would think if you are GIVING them the cham, they shoud pay the shipping - I have never shipped a cham, but I do ship glass all over the world- I would not skimp on anything shipping wise- you want him to be safe

You dont need to do any of that with ship your reptiles.

First, the account is with them to save your info.

Second- you can use whatever supplies to want. so long as the animal is safe.

Ive used them.

Chams HAVE to be shipped overnight. theres no choice in that.

SYR sets up the info with fedex. all you do, is put in your shipping info, pay, and then take the cham in a box to Fedex.

No matter how you slice it, it's expensive

And I agree, never skimp on the packing.

Since you are kind enough to give them away, the least they can do is pay for the shipping, or at least, 50/50!!

You might find this old thread of mine helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/shipping-babies-tell-me-how-do-41072/

The people who are getting free chams are paying for shipping but what I don't understand is how sponcers can offer shipping for $50.00 or less when at ship your reptiles the packaging will cost me $21.00 inluding shipping see here
http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/shop/shipping_kits_1-5/product/snake_shipping_kit_3/

And here the price $86.14 to actually ship the cham.
http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/shipment_rates/show_fedex_rates

That is a total of $107.14 to ship one cham not including insurance? Anyone have any other suggestions?

I just read your thread JannB and everyone uses ship your reptiles. Does it cost everyone over $100.00 to ship?

This is one of those things that most people who don't ship chams don't realize is just how expensive it is to do so in a safe manner.

SYR is going to give you what I think are the best rates. As was stated earlier - you do not HAVE to use their supplies - as long as YOU can provide a safe shipping container (ie- any cardboard box that is large and strong enough) but you also need to provide cushioning (styrofoam peanuts or good old newspaper) and insulating the box depending on local weather conditions for where they are going - this can be as simple as cutting 1/4 inch styrofoam sheets to fit the shipping container, though I personally use a supplier that I get the box kits from (tsksupply.com). If these chams are adults, I would suggest using reptile bags as this will be less stressful than trying to get them into a plastic container for shipping purposes.

I have shipped many chameleons in such a way through SYR and haven't had any issues thus far.

Good luck to you and your chams!!

ITs also dependent on where its going and coming from.

you don thave to buy syrs shipping stuff.

if you have stuff with you you can use that..

just make sure hes packed safely.

I live in md, and i will be shipping my veiled babies soon.

one baby shipping cost is 60, the other is 30, its just dependent on where its going.

Fed ex told me I had to use the boxes that were specifically made for the person holding the account although it does say on syr that as long as it is to the same standards or higher one can use their own supplies? $20 for supplies and $87 for shipping overnight. Is two day shipping ever used? On shipyourreptiles the price drops to $35.

Fedex is not smart.
YOu can use any box. so long as its been marked that it has live harmless reptile inside.

As for 2 day, no one ever uses it. chams sit in cold boxs for 2 nights, get kicked around, sit in hot overheated warehouses.. multiple trucks.. trust me., if you use it, you risk the chams life.

Fair enough not using 2 day shipping.

Matthew use whatever method is easiest and most covienent for you. you are doing great!

Not trying to be harsh, just giving the reasons why we dont.

We are just getting ready to ship juvies for the first time too. We are in PA...pretty cold atm, below freezing, snow, ice etc.

If we post to say Florida, then should we use a heat pad/ice pack??

Anyone got any advice or experience on this situation please??

Lucky for me, have a UPS account thru work. So most next day shipping runs around $50.00. USPS would be cheaper, but they don't guarantee package will arrive next day. And sometimes the box shows up on the second day. I ship to one person in Minnesota, and priority mail gets the package to them in 2 days, and only cost a third of what next day postage would cost.

Yeah im shipping from florida to Washington right now its 85 here in florida would I still use a heat pack?

armyrec1 said:

We are just getting ready to ship juvies for the first time too. We are in PA...pretty cold atm, below freezing, snow, ice etc.

If we post to say Florida, then should we use a heat pad/ice pack??

Anyone got any advice or experience on this situation please??

Click to expand...

I would put a 12 hour heat pack in, to keep box warm for the cold part of trip.

Mmcbain1 said:

Yeah im shipping from florida to Washington right now its 85 here in florida would I still use a heat pack?

Click to expand...

Depends on shipping service used. If box is insulted, and box is to be delivered by 11:00am you should be okay. There are heat packs that have a slow release designed for live animal shipping. So they warm up slowly and last for different durations. 12,24,36 hour packs (Washington state, or DC?)

Washington State

Hey folks, some clarifications here. FedEx (and UPS) have very specific requirements that allow for live reptile shipping. Not following these requirements jeopardizes everyone's future ability to ship.

You MUST ship live reptiles overnight. There is no wiggle room here. 2day, 3day and Ground services are offered for dry goods and merchandise shipping only.

To ship FedEx, you must be individually certified with FedEx OR you need to use ShipYourReptiles.com, and you will be shipping under our certification. This is a unique arrangement with FedEx, as regular certified accounts do not allow for "buddy use". When using SYR, you agree to meet our Shipping Standards.

You don't have to use SYR packaging, but your own packaging must meet our minimum shipping standards, which also meet the FedEx minimum standards.

Use a new box. It must be lined with foam insulation AT LEAST 3/4" thick. This protects your reptile from temperature fluctuations, but just as importantly, it provides structural support against smashing and squashing.

Here's is an example of a box without proper insulation-



If you need to use a heat pack, a 40 hour pack is the minimum requirement. It doesn't get hotter than shorter packs, but it lasts the appropriate duration. The shorter life packs, including hand warmers, actually DO get hotter, over a shorter period, and can jeopardize the life of your reptile.

There are shipping temperature guidelines at the ShipYourReptiles site that cover appropriate shipping temps, and when to use a heat pack. We cover all of the shipping details in our Get Help section:

ShipYourReptiles Get Help section

There are different ways to keep package costs down. We offer 20% the FedEx rate to start. As you ship a higher volume, that can improve.

Use the smallest box that you can, while still safely packaging the animal. A 16x16x8 inch box that weighs two pounds will be A LOT more expensive than a 12x9x6 inch box that also weighs one pound. That is because of dimensional weight.

Still, it is expensive to ship live reptiles, yes. You are sending a live animal from your house/business to any other address in the 48 states by tomorrow, safely and responsibly. That is a pretty impressive achievement.

Most packages fall into the $50-$75 range. If you are shipping adults, necessitating a larger package, it will be more. Many sellers benefit from a volume discount, while many others subsidize the cost of shipping to make it "a flat $50" to appeal to their customers.

Your best bet is to use the smallest box you can safely fit your animals in. That will get you the least expensive rate. Try using the free Get A Quote function and plug in different box dimensions with your zip codes, you can see how the price changes.

If you have questions about the shipping process, or packaging or anything else, feel free to contact us directly. Andy is the head of customer service and can be reached at [email protected].

Best of luck!