What shipping company do you typically use to ship your snakes? I'm looking to ship 3 adult & 1 subadult cornsnake from (south)California to Florida, and I was also wondering what would be the best way to package them, like would bags or petri dishes be better? I have two males and two females, so would that influence how I should package them? Thanks for any advice you can give!
Hey friend!
I use Reptiles Express as my shipping partner. Redline and Ship Your Reptiles are other popular choices.
The sex of the snakes shouldn't impact how they are packaged, but the size of them definitely does. For anything larger than a yearling, I use snake bags rather than deli cups as they take up less space in a box and offer more cushion. This also prevents snakes from being rattled too much during transport. I put a couple of handfuls of soft bedding into the bags, but some folks prefer to put the snakes in without any bedding and have extra padding around the bags. Either works, just make sure the snakes can move enough to get comfortable in their bags but are padded enough that they won't be jostled if the box is dropped or shaken.
Make sure snakes have had ample time to digest before travel. For adults, don't feed them for at least 5-7 days before they ship out. It's better to skip a meal and arrive a little hungry than risk stress and motion sickness.
Make sure you order your shipping box from the company that you choose to ship with. Many shipping companies will put their own company name on the box, and if there's an issue during shipping FedEx might reach out to them, so you definitely want the shipping partner to be able to find your information easily if they need to contact you. Choose a box that will just fit all of your snakes and no larger. The bigger the box, the more padding and temperature regulation you'll need and the more it'll cost to ship. You'll probably need something like a 12x9x6 box, or thereabouts, depending on the size of the adults being shipped.
Most importantly this time of year, especially considering your shipping origin and destination, is temperature control. Do not ship unless temperatures are above 40 degrees and below 90 along your entire shipping route for the duration of travel. You may need to check with FedEx to determine which routing hub(s) your package would be traveling through, but it's likely either Oakland, CA or Memphis, TN if not both.
Depending on the size of your box, I recommend putting in at least two Phase22 Cryopak cooling packs, once on each side of the box, to maintain a safe internal temperature. These packs won't chill the snakes, but will absorb heat and keep the ambient temperature in your box lower than outside. Don't put them in direct contact with the snake bags, though, just to be safe.
One other thing is that you don't need to poke holes in the box for air, but don't tape up the corners when you're assembling your box. Reptiles don't use as much oxygen as mammals, so those corner gaps are enough to allow for gas exchange. Holes in the side reduce the structural integrity of the box and are just ways for pests and heat to get in.
I definitely recommend checking out the resources provided by each shipping company to see how exactly to pack up your snakes and give them the best and easiest possible trip. These companies want very much for you to succeed and they have guides and videos to walk you through every step of the process.
I wish you a smooth and stress-free experience!