Shipping?

[djfishygillz]

So I was at fedex today and was talking to one of the guys and he said if it is 100 degrees outside that the boxes, before getting one the plane, can reach 145 degrees before they are loaded on the plane. But I didn't ask him if that was with all boxes even the overnight ones.

So my question is what is the absolute point that shipping should not be done? I would put proper ice packs and plenty of holes and caution signs to keep out of the sun but I still don't know when it is okay to ship. I really need to get a lizard out to Texas.

Also what is more important, the temperature where you are shipping FROM or shipping TOO?

I would really appreciate some expert incite on this from one of the big dogs on the forum lol.

 

[djfishygillz]

I also forgot to add that I am using shipyourreptile.com if that makes a difference.

 

[AngieL]

Can shipyourreptiles not give you some advice? Here in the uk the problem is it gets too cold in which case reptile companies won't ship.

For climates where it might be too hot, you should do an overnight ship since its not likely to get too cold at night (in the summer anyway) but I guess it all depends on what type of reptile you're shipping.

Btw, I know I'm no 'big dog' but I saw you hadn't had a reply

 

[jannb]

IMHO it is WAY to hot and too risky to ship this time of the year.

 

[Trillian]

It is risky, very risky. Mine was shipped last week with the temps between 85 and 90F, she was in a well-insulated box with a cryopak. BUT the breeder carefully checked the temperatures inside the box with the proposed packaging for several days before he felt happy to ship from Texas.

 

[BocaJan]

I notice that you asked your question at 3am. I think you are going to have to wait until everyone wakes up, maybe even gets home from work tonight. You absolutely have to go to the FedEx main hub. They stay open all kinds of different hours. Mine in Boca Raton stays open until 7pm, but I know some in other states stay open until 10pm. If the person getting your animal can pick it up at the hub by him the animal will never have to be on the truck. You would address the animal with the person's name and the address of the hub. The hubs are cool and the person should be there when it opens. Be sure to put in a cool pack to cover the trip to the airport, but that should cover the heat. The country is cooling off now for awhile so you may be in good condition. Follow your temps.

In the heat, I would only put the Styrofoam in to protect the animal along the side with the cool pack. The Styrofoam will keep in the heat and not let the box breathe. There might be comments on this and that's ok. This is just my opinion. Definitely Styrofoam in the colder temps, but when it gets hotter, I poke holes in a side piece of Styrofoam and put my cold pack between the box and the Styrofoam and put the animal in a snake bag with paper crunched up around the bag. This gives lots of cool air circulation.

Any temps over 90 I wouldn't ship.

 

[reptoman]

Cryopaks work better than regular icepacks. They dont get too cold initially and keep the box cooler longer. I will not ship if the high at either end is over 93F max. I take the box down to fedex at 8pm just before the express pickup and ship to a hub to avoid having the box on the truck in the morning for delivery. If you were shipping to the dallas area in TX you have a brief window of high 80s today and possibly tomorrow. After that you may have to wait because its going to get hot and stay that way until the end of Sept.(if we're lucky) You still take a risk at these temps even with a cryopak but shipping to a hub mitigates some of that risk and is a little cheaper for you as well.

 

[Trillian]

Listen to Reptoman, he's lovely

 

[DanSB]

I'm no expert but I would imagine these standards were written by people that have shipped reptiles before:
http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/en/get_help_shipping_standards#question-15

Also check these out, I've heard good things about them they supposedly can keep shipments between 68 and 75 degrees F and I will be buying a few. If you buy some from Josh's Frogs he has done a lot of shipping and I am sure would be able to give info also ask SYR about them. You might be able to get a few more degrees safely. http://www.joshsfrogs.com/phase-22-panel.html

 

[ShipYourReptiles]

Thanks for posting that link Dan, that does give our suggested temperature range for shipping.

We judge heat by the daytime high in both origin and destination locations.

A well insulated box is important in both cold AND heat. It protects the box from significant temperature swings one way or another.

All of the FedEx boxes that travel on a plane travel in temperature controlled environments (55-75F), in pressurized holds.

There is a point where it gets to be too hot to ship, but there are techniques you can use- cold packs, shipping to a FedEx facility for pick up, that are effective when you are approaching that upper range.

 

[djfishygillz]

I didn't need the shipping info right then boca lol but thanks. So what is the difference between the hub and a regular FedEx? I am in the Sac area so where should I go? Where is the best hub?

 

[djfishygillz]

I notice that you asked your question at 3am. I think you are going to have to wait until everyone wakes up, maybe even gets home from work tonight. You absolutely have to go to the FedEx main hub. They stay open all kinds of different hours. Mine in Boca Raton stays open until 7pm, but I know some in other states stay open until 10pm. If the person getting your animal can pick it up at the hub by him the animal will never have to be on the truck. You would address the animal with the person's name and the address of the hub. The hubs are cool and the person should be there when it opens. Be sure to put in a cool pack to cover the trip to the airport, but that should cover the heat. The country is cooling off now for awhile so you may be in good condition. Follow your temps.

In the heat, I would only put the Styrofoam in to protect the animal along the side with the cool pack. The Styrofoam will keep in the heat and not let the box breathe. There might be comments on this and that's ok. This is just my opinion. Definitely Styrofoam in the colder temps, but when it gets hotter, I poke holes in a side piece of Styrofoam and put my cold pack between the box and the Styrofoam and put the animal in a snake bag with paper crunched up around the bag. This gives lots of cool air circulation.

Any temps over 90 I wouldn't ship.

oh and it was 12am where I was at

 

[DanSB]

I didn't need the shipping info right then boca lol but thanks. So what is the difference between the hub and a regular FedEx? I am in the Sac area so where should I go? Where is the best hub?

FedEx World Service Center
6733 Lindbergh Dr, Suite F
Sacramento, CA 95837

Go to Fedex.com and search for that zip code on the location finder. That is the Airport location in Sacramento which is also the latest drop off. I would Drop off around 8 after it is cool and schedule a first AM overnight shipment for the recipient to either pick up at their local Fed Ex in the morning to keep the lizard out of a truck. This is where things get lost or damaged!

I would definitely call Fed Ex and ask for logistics details: Where will the package fly out of and what airport will it go to etc etc to get the shortest possible truck time.

 

[ShipYourReptiles]

When you are looking for a "hub" you are looking for a "FedEx World Service Center".

You don't want to ship to a Kinko's, FedEx Office, PakMail, Mailboxes Etc, or any other affiliate type spot, just the WSC locations.