So you're looking into how to to safely ship snakes?  I cannot stress enough the importance of proper ppackaging; it literally does make the difference between receiving a nice reptile and a dead one. In this article I will go over in as much detail as possible about the best ways to safely pack and ship.  I will be covering three main areas - The box; packing the snake; and shipping.

The Shipping Box This is the vessel which will be the main protection of the contents inside, not only from the stresses of shipping but from the elements of nature. The first thing you need is the box.  Most cardboard boxes of appropriate size will work.  They will need to be labeled on all sides with "Fragile", "Perishable", "Handle with care", "This side up", "Keep out of weather extremes", and so on; many shipping places will have stickers they can put on it.  For labeling the contents you will need to consult your shipper (see the shipping sections for more information). The next, and probably most important thing you will need is insulation.  1/2'' or thicker Styrofoam insulation works best, and can be found in most hardware and home improvement stores in the insulation section.  You will need to then cut out the base, the four sides, and the top to fit in the box.  This is whats going to keep the cold or heat out, as well as giving the box extra stability so it isn't crushed or punctured.  You can get shipping boxes and insulation ready to go at http://superiorenterprise.com/index.php?Superior%20Enterprise. First put together the cardboard box if it isn't already, and tape closed the bottom with good packaging tape.  Next slide in the bottom insulation, then the four sides; the top insulation is the last thing to go on once the snake is packaged in.  Now we are all ready to get the snake ready.

Packing The Snake How you pack the snake depends a lot on the size of the snake and the species.  Some arboreal species may require perches, however this will be about your basic shipping.  If you have snakes with specialized needs (such as delicate arboreals or venomous (please be responsible and ship venomous the legal way) contact someone with shipping experience for the species for information on the best way to do it.  With those exceptions; this will cover just about every species, from colubrids to most boas and pythons.  Before shipping, be sure the snake hasn't eaten at least three days before, it is best that the snake has an empty stomach especially if it may encounter temp. extremes.   For small snakes - The best way to pack smaller snakes is in deli cups.  My rule is that if they are small enough to fit comfortably in either an 8oz or 16 oz deli thats where they are going (make sure it has small air holes, you can get many pre-punched).  Anything larger then that goes in a bag (however if you have containers larger for a bigger snake feel free to use that).  First thing I do is put a crumpled up paper towel sheet on the bottom, put the snake in, then put another crumpled sheet of paper towel on top; giving the snake room to push around however enough cushioning where it wont be bouncing around the cup. Some people use aspen shavings, sphagnum moss, or newspaper in the deli cup; I personally prefer paper towel due to its softness.  Aspen shavings don't give the cushioning or support the others do, so every time the box is tipped the snake is going to be flopping around in its container along with the shavings.  It may take a little talent getting the snake to stay in the cup while putting the other paper towel over it and the lid on, but remember the lid is your friend and will be extremely useful in this challenge.  Now that the snake is in and snug, I secure the lid by taping it down with electrical tape. The deli cup should be labeled with the species, morph, gender, etc.  I hate getting unlabeled snakes even if its the only snake in the shipment. Then, what I occasionally do is place the deli cup into a small snake bag, of which I will knot, rubber band, and/or tape closed.  Its not really needed, but it adds another level of security, plus the  new owners now have a nice new snake bag with their new pet.

For larger snakes - Snakes too big for deli cups will go directly into the snake bag (which can be a pillowcase) to be shipped.  I shred paper towel or newspaper and put it in the bag, then drop the snake in.  I try to give the snake a little bit of room, but not an extreme amount.  Knot the bag as tight as possible, then with rubber bands, electrical tape, or both, double the knot over and band/tape.  Make sure the bag has no holes, tears, or weak seams of even the smallest size; I have seen snakes find holes smaller then their eyes and work on it until its large enough for them to escape through.  I then label the bag either with writing on a labeling sticker or masking tape (a pet peeve of mine is permanent marker on a white bag, I always make it so that its removable).   Now that the snake is all packed up, its time to put them in the box.  I put a layer of newspaper on the bottom, the snake(s) in their deli cup or bag either in the middle, side by side, or stacked depending on how many of what is going in there.  Snakes in bags, if at all possible, I try making a cardboard barrier between them to keep them in their own areas because they will move around a bit in their bags (this is especially useful for kingsnakes).  Now around the bags and/or the cups I pack in newspaper as tightly as possible.  Some people use those packing peanuts, but my first choice is newspaper as it allows for more are movement along with stability.  Refrain from using bubble wrap, little air can get through it.  The key is to make everything in the box as unmovable as possible.  The box will get shaken and tossed about, you want it packed in there tightly enough so they wont be banging around in the box.  Put in the heat or cool packs (explained below), then put the top insulation on.  Close the box and tape securely.  You can choose to poke a few air holes through the top of the insulation if you want, but don't poke any through the cardboard box itself (the only place I would is to open the corners of the top a bit for air exchange).  It isn't needed though, enough air is passed through the cracks in the foam and the box, and the less air exchange the better in extreme temps. Another one of the most important things you need to watch out for are the temps of not only the place the snakes are going to, but where they are being sent from.  You may need to put heat or cold packs in the box to help keep it a comfortable temp.  Extreme temps kill, however beware heat is usually more dangerous then cold.  Most reptiles, even tropical ones, can handle temps much colder then you think (not saying its safe for them, but if they are healthy most can handle it for short periods of time); however hot temps will kill them much faster.  North American colubrids, for example, with an ambient temp 75-80F can handle temps as low as the 40's for short amounts of time, however temps over 100 will kill them a lot faster. I start using heat packs when the temps get into the 60's.  The 40 hour hand warming packs are what I recommend, 10 hours get very hot very fast and can cause more problems then help them.  Temps in the 60's I only use one heat pack, wrapped in paper and placed on one side of the insulation giving the snakes the opportunity to get closer to it or get away from it.  Temps in the 50's I use two, with one right in front of the other being used more for supplement and backup.  Temps lower then the 50's two are usually side by side or one different ends for a more all around heat coverage.  Never use more then two, I have seen and heard of people cooking their snakes because it got too hot from too many heat packs; remember heat kills faster then cold.  If you think if two are not enough, then its way too cold to ship.  Ship in temps below freezing at your own risk; just about all those who ship never guarantee live arrivals at those temps, and for good reason. Cool or ice packs work in the same way, only to keep them cool when temps are warm.  In my opinion using them are much more risky then heat packs due to the lower degree of tolerance of extreme heat then cold; if its hot enough where I think I may need to use a cool pack then I don't ship.  You can buy the commercially available ones used for lunch boxes, which work well.  Wrap it in paper and place it on one side, so the snakes can choose if they want to be near the cool pack or not.  I would consider using them when temps get into the 90's. I prefer not to use either heat or cool packs at all, and ship when temps are between 70 and 85F.

Shipping the package Now that the snake(s) are all bundled up and the box ready to go, its time to send them to their new home.  Now you have a few choices of which company to ship through.   USPS is a no-no.  It is illegal to ship snakes through them, and often their overnight shipping takes longer then overnight. DHL I have found to be unreliable (especially if they know what they're shipping, even if the shipper is accepted to shipping reptiles). UPS is fine, however is one of the more expensive ones. FedEx is my preferred company, they have the best service and a price cheaper then UPS. Delta Dash is by far the safest and legal, however it goes directly through the airport (packages must be picked up at the airport) and can be very expensive.  This is the only way to ship venomous reptiles through. Whichever company you choose, make sure its overnight for arrival usually before noon or 10:30am; the least amount of time spend on the delivery truck the better.  Price for shipping runs between $40 and $60 usually, but depends on the destination, weight, and size of the package. Now the legality of shipping snakes is another matter.  As I said USPS as far as I know its illegal;  Delta Dash is legal when packaged and labeled appropriately (contact them for more info).  UPS, DHL, and FedEx you will get different answers from different employees, most depending on whether they like snakes or not.  If you must, its usually much better not to let them know whats being shipped, but I don't encourage that.  Through FedEx it is very possible to become registered to ship snakes through them.  It may take awhile, and is required to send in a test box for them to approve, but overall its usually pretty simple.  Here is a nice post on FaunaClassifieds that explains how to do this (there are other threads on other sites on how to too you can find with a search) - http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33533   Remember, when shipping snakes or any reptiles, the biggest things to remember are insulated shipping boxes, secure packaging, and watching the temps of both departing and arrival places; using heat or cold packs if needed.  More then once I have seen good packaging save the lives of the animals being shipped; and more then once I have seen poor packaging kill. Some things you don't want to do - It all seems like common sense but these things have happened...   Ship without insulation - Often the first thing that will cause the reptile to die, being exposed to extreme temps without the protection of the insulated boxes. Letting the snake free-roam inside the box - Another bad thing to do; it means less protection for the snake and a big chance the snake finds its way out of the box all together, which is not something anyone wants to happen (and negatively effects the overall legality of shipping reptiles, which is a super huge thing in this hobby). Using too many heat or cold packs - Whats more dangerous then whats outside of the box can be whats put in the box.  Heat packs can get very hot, and they use up the oxygen in the box.     Coming soon - Pictures!

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