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Now that the summer is over and the leaves have started changing colors in certain parts of the country a new challenge has come to light for people that buy or sell reptiles online. This challenge is shipping pet reptiles across the country from areas that are hot to areas that are cold and vice versa. Shipping pet reptiles is never an easy task and many different breeders and retailers use their own proven methods for safely transporting live animals across the country and the world in tiny foam lined boxes.
Packing Reptiles For Varying Temperatures
There are a number of challenges that reptile breeders and retailers face in this ever changing field. Whether its market pricing and supply availability or state and federal laws restricting the sale and shipping of live reptiles, retailers have got to be on their toes and aware of many more things than most other businesses. One of the more difficult tasks is properly packing and shipping pet reptiles that have varying needs and taking into consideration the fact that a box you send across the country can be exposed to multiple different temperature gradients along the way.
Being based out of South Florida has many advantages and one of those is never needing to worry about your animals freezing to death amongst other things. Unfortunately the great weather has its disadvantages during the last three months of the year when it comes to shipping pet reptiles. It is not uncommon to have temperatures in the mid to high 80’s in Miami right up to Christmas and beyond and this can be very tricky when heat packs are being used in boxes that have to face temperatures below freezing.
Utilizing Thicker Insulation When Shipping Pet Reptiles In Winter
One of the approaches we have taken in the past at xyzReptiles when shipping live animals into cold weather is that of using a thicker insulating medium during the winter months. We replace the half inch insulation in our boxes with a three quarters inch insert and move from a seven inch outer base to an eight inch one. This provides added protection for the animal and allows us to fit the same volume of product in a larger box. If the temperatures are still too low to safely ship a reptile without a heat pack we find a perfect balance by covering parts of the heat pack and using buffering materials to keep the animals separated from the heat.
It is important to know that reptiles can succumb to overheating much easier than they will to cold temperatures. Having an animal arrive a bit chilled is much safer that giving it permanent or fatal damage from too much heat. At xyzReptiles we have maintained a terrific record of shipping animals in both cold and warm temperatures and everything in-between. We pay close attention to the weather at the FedEx hubs as well as the final destination and also keep in mind overnight lows and daytime highs. Shipping pet reptiles is not a perfect science but a bit of attention and care goes a long way in ensuring a positive experience for both you the keeper and your new reptile pet.