Successful leo shipping in cold weather

[Designer Geckos]

Just wanted to pass this along to those who are wondering how best to ship leos in cold weather....

We have had great success shipping leos to our customers in cold weather. I do NOT recommend shipping if it is super cold, but temps in the 20s and 30s can be OK if you ship the right way. Also, check the weather at both ends to be sure it will not be too cold or that there are no snow storms on the horizon that could cause delays in overnight shipping. Here is what we have done:

First off, we feed leos heavily for a few days prior to shipping them. This fattens them up with good nourishment, and also helps them post-shipment since leos sometimes do not eat for a period of time when they reach their new owners.

We ship using the 12x9x6 size insulated shipping boxes with 32 oz pre-punched clear deli cups. We like using the larger boxes and deli cups. The 32 oz cups of course are needed for bigger leos, but the smaller leos ship very well in them too, and since they have room to move around, we feel this lowers their stress level during shipping. We have used both paper towels in the cups, as well as Alpha-Dri sterile paper chips. The paper chips are nice because the leos can burrow in it and it affords them a bit more comfort than paper towels. It is expensive in comparison to PTs.

We do punch a small hole though each side of the shipping box with a screwdriver so the box is not 100% air-tight. The box is carefully assembled, being certain that the styrofoam pieces are all in place, including on the bottom of the box. We crumple newspaper (or packing peanuts) and place it on the bottom of the box, and then place one 40hr. heat pack on one side, red line facing inward, and an 8hr heat pack on the other side of the box to accelerate warming of the inside of the box for the initial leg of the trip, being sure each heat pack is thoroughly shaken. Then we place crumpled newspaper along side the inserted deli cup and on top of the cup. Also be sure to include any relevant info on the leos, your business card, etc., then place the top styrofoam piece in place, and seal up the box with good quality clear adhesive packing tape....not paper packing tape.

(If you are shipping to an area that may be questionable as far as possible lower temps, cold winds, etc., it is best to then place this box inside a larger, insulated shipping box to protect the box further.)

We have used both UPS and Fedex overnight with good success. Our current preference has been Fedex because they pick up our overnight shipments at 4:00PM, whereas UPS picks up at 9:00AM.....that's 7 less hours the leos will be bouncing around in a cold delivery truck....

If you follow this procedure you should have no problem shipping leos successfully. Of course, if you can wait for Spring that's even better. But most people (like me!) want their leos NOW! But when in doubt, wait it out.

Best of luck.

 

[GeckoGathering]

Brrrrrr shipping

Just wanted to pass this along to those who are wondering how best to ship leos in cold weather....

Very nice.
Thanks for taking time to share
successful method.
Take care. HJ

 

[Next Level Geckos]

Very informative Ray!

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Good post containing useful information and tips for first time shippers or regular shippers.

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

I follow the 40-90 deg F method myself, but to each their own. Do what works for you.

The 32 oz cups of course are needed for bigger leos, but the smaller leos ship very well in them too, and since they have room to move around, we feel this lowers their stress level during shipping.

I'm not sure how having a small leo enclosed in a container several times larger than its body size lowers its stress. As a matter of fact, if the box were to get handled harshly in transit, there's more risk that a small leo in such a large deli cup could get injured or throw its tail. At least that's my belief. Again, to each their own.

 

[Purra]

Me and my friend just received two super snow girls from Designer Geckos today they were a little cool but not freezing, and both were active and alert.

 

[Designer Geckos]

Great Katey, glad they made it there OK. It was pretty cold in Indiana today, so this shows again, that this shipping system works well.
Give those two munchkins a hug for me.

 

[Kristi23]

I personally won't ship unless the lows are above freezing (in all places the geckos will be), but that's just me. I'm glad it works for you. I just get too nervous after having a gecko shipping get messed up and the gecko died from the cold (3 days with UPS).

I also use the smallest size deli cup per gecko so they don't get tossed around too much.

 

[herpencounter]

I follow the 40-90 deg F method myself, but to each their own. Do what works for you.



I'm not sure how having a small leo enclosed in a container several times larger than its body size lowers its stress. As a matter of fact, if the box were to get handled harshly in transit, there's more risk that a small leo in such a large deli cup could get injured or throw its tail. At least that's my belief. Again, to each their own.

+1

 

[Designer Geckos]

These are all good opinions. I just found that leos I have received in very small, cramped deli cups seemed much more stressed upon receipt than leos that have more wiggle room. I'd rather travel cross country in a Lexus than a Smart Car.

As for temps, it's a very fine line. I would never take chances with extremely cold temps...it is not worth the risk to the animal.
But we recently shipped some leos to the remote mountain region of NY and the leos arrived fine and warm. You just need to take all factors into account when shipping....who they are going to, careful weather tracking at both ends, etc. If there are any ifs or doubts I would highly recommend against shipping until the weather is better.
As with anything else, caution is the watchword. Same with high temps in the summer. These little critters rely on us to do the right thing and use sound judgment.

 

[justindh1]

I do also believe in the 40-90 degree range but actually would rather have it atleast 45 degrees. I have a couple geckos waiting to be shipped to me and have held it back several weeks because I would rather be safe then sorry. They are going to be shipped this next week because of being in the high 40's and low 50's. I am also going to have them held for pick up at the local staffed center. I just feel that theres no point in risking the health of the gecko just to get the gecko ealier then later. I know that they can survive low temps for a short period of time but it can pose major risks if exposed for more then a short period.

What if something happens with the shipping service and it gets held a extra day? If you don't have a heat pack that last atleast 40 hours if not 72 then your in trouble. Most heat packs only heat for about half the time and then start losing the heating slowly.

Do you honor your garantee at those shipping temps?

All I know that I would rather open my box up and know for a fact 100% that there is going to be a live animal looking back up at me. When you ship at extreme temps then your just really gambling. I would rather wait and put the gecko first then be impatient and shipping in unsatisfactory conditions.

As for the bigger cups, I feel that most geckos feel safer if they are in smaller quarters. Also like Maurice said, being in a bigger deli cup will also allow more room for the gecko to be tossed around and will increase the chance of a injury in transit.

These shipping methods have been used for a long time and work so theres no need to change them. They were put in place to garantee the critters safety.

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

I do also believe in the 40-90 degree range but actually would rather have it atleast 45 degrees. I have a couple geckos waiting to be shipped to me and have held it back several weeks because I would rather be safe then sorry. They are going to be shipped this next week because of being in the high 40's and low 50's. I am also going to have them held for pick up at the local staffed center. I just feel that theres no point in risking the health of the gecko just to get the gecko ealier then later. I know that they can survive low temps for a short period of time but it can pose major risks if exposed for more then a short period.

What if something happens with the shipping service and it gets held a extra day? If you don't have a heat pack that last atleast 40 hours if not 72 then your in trouble. Most heat packs only heat for about half the time and then start losing the heating slowly.

Do you honor your garantee at those shipping temps?

All I know that I would rather open my box up and know for a fact 100% that there is going to be a live animal looking back up at me. When you ship at extreme temps then your just really gambling. I would rather wait and put the gecko first then be impatient and shipping in unsatisfactory conditions.

As for the bigger cups, I feel that most geckos feel safer if they are in smaller quarters. Also like Maurice said, being in a bigger deli cup will also allow more room for the gecko to be tossed around and will increase the chance of a injury in transit.

These shipping methods have been used for a long time and work so theres no need to change them. They were put in place to garantee the critters safety.

1,000,000 x :main_thumbsup:

 

[Designer Geckos]

Thanks all for the feedback.

We have shipped many leos in the last few months all over the country. All arrived in perfect condition, some even ate upon arrival which is not indicative of a stressed out animal. Based on the success we've had with this method, we feel confident in the procedure. I think it is very prudent to be extra cautious for sure. We did not ship for a few weeks because we felt it was just too cold. Also, we never ship if there is a storm circulating through the US because airplane delays and mechanical problems can make shipping way too risky for the animals. It is imperative that people shipping animals become weather people. We have found that accuweather is far more reliable than weather.com for instance.

Ultimately, it is up to the customer whether or not they want to take the chance to ship their animals during winter months. Most are very anxious to get their leos ASAP. But we advise them as to whether it is prudent at the time. We offer a 100% guarantee on all of our animals regardless of time of year, conditions, or situation. We always want people to be completely satisfied with the leos we provide.

 

[Next Level Geckos]

I shipped out 3 geckos yesterday using this method, and 3 crested geckos were shipped to me. Where I am (IL) it was around 32°F. All animals made it in perfect condition.

 

[snowgyre]

When I used to live up in New York, I felt comfortable shipping in colder temperatures when I knew the geckos were going to warmer climates. For example, although it was particularly cold in NY, I was comfortable and familiar enough with the route my packages took to know the geckos would be safe traveling to, say, the southeast or southwest. I knew that if they got delayed, they would almost definitely be delayed in regions where the overnight low was greater than 40F.

Now that I live in GA, however, I am much more reluctant to do the opposite (sending geckos from a warm climate to a cold one), because if a delay or mishandling does occur, it will likely be in a place with fatal cold temperatures for my geckos. So while in the past I may have bent the 40-90F rule, I won't do so now. Even with 60 hour heat packs.

 

[Mel&Keith]

I'd rather travel cross country in a Lexus than a Smart Car.

Me too but no one is picking up the Lexus or Smart Car and shaking it around!