Nervous

[Texas Panther Man]

Well Im shipping my first chameleons today. Im a little worried for em even though Im sure they'll get there ok. Im just glad my first time is only Houston to Dallas and not a coast to coast type deal. Im gonna worry til they arrive tomorrow. Im going to wait as long as I can before I drop em off. So that they wont have to sit in the box for very long. I have to say Im going to miss my little carpets.

 

[warpdrive]

Well Im shipping my first chameleons today. Im a little worried for em even though Im sure they'll get there ok. Im just glad my first time is only Houston to Dallas and not a coast to coast type deal. Im gonna worry til they arrive tomorrow. Im going to wait as long as I can before I drop em off. So that they wont have to sit in the box for very long. I have to say Im going to miss my little carpets.

you will be fine. I've shipped everything under the sun. even a package with 500 baby angel fish going to cali made it safe.

but I'll be up all night too, as I'm waiting for more mantids to arive.
(maybe not as important as a chameleon, but they are still my future babies.)

Harry

 

[reptoman]

Hey Scott. Who did you use? Shipyourreptile's site has been down so I had to find another service myself. I went with repitileexpress.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I didnt use a service. I just went with UPS. It was so easy just print your mailing label right off paypal. I already had a cpl of extra boxes with insulation materials so I didnt need any of that stuff.

 

[reptoman]

well you could not have picked a better day to ship to dallas. You will probably not even need a heat pack. Should not get below 60 overnight Good luck!

 

[Cainschams]

I used shipyourreptiles last week. Not sure if there was a problem between now and then though.

TPM, it never gets easier. I have shipped chams in all types of weather. From at most 17 degrees to 90s. If they are packed correct there shouldnt be a problem. Ive shipped many different species and some packages worth almost 3000$ (talk about nervous!!). I am very confident in my packaging but if I was to sit here and tell you not to worry about it or that I dont, I would be a hypocrite or a liar Ive only had one bad shipping experience. A package going to FL went to Denver. Luckily I got a hold of Brad Ramsey to pick the animal up, hold it for a few days and then reship.

Many people ship animals in deli cups. Its used all the time by many people without much mishap that I know of. Although, I suggest using a brown paper bag for a lunch or whatever. Hole punch a few holes, put some cut news paper strips in the bag and staple it up. I like this method better because when the the package gets tossed around, and it will, the animal will bounce off paper instead of plastic. Or use a cloth bag.

Hope all goes well for you!!

 

[Texas Panther Man]

You know I was going to use a brown paper bag but I didnt. I second guessed myself and thought they might stay warmer in the glad llock container with holes punched of course. I didnt use any warmers because I checked the weather and it wasnt going to be dropping low tonight.

When I received my cham from Chuck G he shipped to me in a brown paper bag also. I thought that seemed like a good idea since it is a softer surface for them to be riding in.

Next tiime Im def going the brown bag route. Thanks jared

 

[warpdrive]

here are my thoughts on the brown paper bag...sorry Jared.

first off, if you are going to do it, don't punch holes in it as the hole will be quite sharp and could cut a baby's arm or toe off. (larger animals don't apply, but can still happen.

next, if an animal requires a lot of humidity (think montains) the paper bag don't help...and if using a heat pack, it will suck the humidity right out of the box (unlike a plastic tub that will hold humidity in).
if being afraid of horns, then use a cloth bag...but sharp paper on the inside of the brown bag is asking for cuts.

I know it is the latest rage to use the brown paper bag...but I wont buy from anyone who will ship to me like that. def not a baby!

just my 3 cents

Harry

 

[Cainschams]

here are my thoughts on the brown paper bag...sorry Jared.

first off, if you are going to do it, don't punch holes in it as the hole will be quite sharp and could cut a baby's arm or toe off. (larger animals don't apply, but can still happen.

next, if an animal requires a lot of humidity (think montains) the paper bag don't help...and if using a heat pack, it will suck the humidity right out of the box (unlike a plastic tub that will hold humidity in).
if being afraid of horns, then use a cloth bag...but sharp paper on the inside of the brown bag is asking for cuts.

I know it is the latest rage to use the brown paper bag...but I wont buy from anyone who will ship to me like that. def not a baby!

just my 3 cents

Harry

Looks as if you wont get an animal from me

I have thought about them getting paper cuts but of all the people that ship like that I have never heard anything about it happening. Newspaper or even other finely cut, crumpled paper should ruin any sharp edges of the paper inside the bag. The holes in the bag have never caused a problem for me either and half of the animals I have shipped have a foot clinging to one of the holes after packing them up.

I am also not worried about humidity for one night. If the animal is in good health then being somewhat dry for one night should not hurt it. Montane or lowland. We do strive for providing correct humidity for montanes but we also strive for a fresh type humidity, not stagnant. Inside a plastic cup with very low ventilation seems like a worse idea than letting the animal have a drier night. Not to mention if you are using a heat pack the heat can build up quickly enough inside a box and then concentrate even more inside the plastic cup cooking the animal. I HAVE heard this happening before on more than one occasion and I think the opposite could happen when using a cold pack. Although, I feel its less likely to kill an animal getting it a little too cold than hot. Also, the package WILL be tossed around. No way of getting around that. Inside a deli cup it is much more likely for an animal to bang its eye off the side and take other harder hits than inside a bag or cloth bag.

I have shipped panthers (adults and babies), veileds (adult and babies), oustalets, tavetana (adults and babies), multituberculata, uthmoelleri, tenuis, thamnobates, ellioti babies, bitaneatus babies, sternfeldi, melleri and am probably forgetting one or two without any problems at all using this method.

Of course, to each his own but I do feel the paper or cloth bag is the best way to ship an animal. Adult or baby.

I guess if you wanted an animal from me I could ship it in a deli cup. Customer is always right I would just make it known that any problem from getting banged around during shipment is not on me.

 

[warpdrive]

Looks as if you wont get an animal from me

Of course, to each his own but I do feel the paper or cloth bag is the best way to ship an animal. Adult or baby.

I guess if you wanted an animal from me I could ship it in a deli cup. Customer is always right I would just make it known that any problem from getting banged around during shipment is not on me.

dude, you are so on my list to get my next animal. so what if we think differently. isn't that what makes this planet so great?

while I HATE the brown paper bag, I have no issues with a cloth bag.
I also hear what you are saying about the whole humidity thing, and to a small degree, agree with you. I will say that a deli tub properly lined with moist paper towel will be a lot softer then some stiff paper bag...but I don't want to debate this to death.
trust me, you are still cool by me and come next spring import time you WILL hear from me.

Harry

 

[Cainschams]

dude, you are so on my list to get my next animal. so what if we think differently. isn't that what makes this planet so great?

while I HATE the brown paper bag, I have no issues with a cloth bag.
I also hear what you are saying about the whole humidity thing, and to a small degree, agree with you. I will say that a deli tub properly lined with moist paper towel will be a lot softer then some stiff paper bag...but I don't want to debate this to death.
trust me, you are still cool by me and come next spring import time you WILL hear from me.

Harry

Its really just a preference thing, I guess. As long as the package is packed correctly for whatever method you use it should be fine and has been proven many many times to work both ways. You are right, no sense in debating over a preference. We all have our reasons for doing things our own way and we could probably debate this to death with many other participants and get nowhere.

You are still cool by me too, Harry I could have actually been Harry Cain the 4th. THANKFULLY not!!!!! Not that the name is bad but if you combine Harry with Cain.........well

Anyway, hopefully I can get something you are in need of or if you need me to keep an eye out on anything let me know. What is one more head to the list?

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Personally, I dont have a prob with shipping in the brown bag method. When I first got a cham that way I thought " how cheap is this, the guy couldnt buy a deli cup" but after thinking and looking at everything I really think its a preferable way of packing & shipping chams.

Btw, I just checked and my pair made it a-ok this morning to Dallas. They were delivered @ 10:30. Im just glad they made it.

 

[rcutchens]

Rico arrived in a cloth bag with a drawstring tie. The bag was surrounded in shredded newspaper which was inside of a styrofoam outer shell inside of the box. There was also a small heat pack placed at the bottom wrapped in folded newspaper.

I was pretty nervous to open the box and bag when he arrived because I didn't know what to expect to find. He was perfectly fine, however, and I believe his trip was as comfortable as it possibly could be. I'm pretty sure he was happier to be out though!

Anyway, Lance did a great job and I couldn't be happier.

 

[jannb]

Glad they arrived safely Scott. Jared Cain was a BIG help to me when I had to ship my babies. The brown paper bags worked perfectly.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Thanks Jann. Yeah, thats what Im gonna do from now on. Im just glad they made it and arrived on time.

And Jared is a great guy. He helped me with some import questions I had a few weeks ago.

 

[Todnedo]

Well Im shipping my first chameleons today. Im a little worried for em even though Im sure they'll get there ok. Im just glad my first time is only Houston to Dallas and not a coast to coast type deal. Im gonna worry til they arrive tomorrow. Im going to wait as long as I can before I drop em off. So that they wont have to sit in the box for very long. I have to say Im going to miss my little carpets.[/QUOTE

Ha ha they don't go from Houston to Dallas if you used next day air.
They will go to the hub in Kentucky for UPS and Tennnessee for fed x

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I didnt know if they'd go to the hub or not since it was an intrastate ship. lol

 

[Cainschams]

Well Im shipping my first chameleons today. Im a little worried for em even though Im sure they'll get there ok. Im just glad my first time is only Houston to Dallas and not a coast to coast type deal. Im gonna worry til they arrive tomorrow. Im going to wait as long as I can before I drop em off. So that they wont have to sit in the box for very long. I have to say Im going to miss my little carpets.[/QUOTE

Ha ha they don't go from Houston to Dallas if you used next day air.
They will go to the hub in Kentucky for UPS and Tennnessee for fed x

This is a good reason to always check the weather in Louisville KY also. At least when shipping from the east coast. One of the ladies at the MD hub said they can have a lot of trouble in bad weather.

Glad they made it there in one piece!! Congrats on your first successful shipping. Thanks for the kind words also. Glad I could be of help