Help me figure out the box, and heat please!

Bella17

Bella17

New member
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
264
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
37
Location
Plymouth Michigan
So i am going to ship my corn snake fedex over night, priority and all that stuff, I am getting ready to set up the box right now, the snake is 4foot 5 inches, How big should the box be, and I have a link about certain heat sources to use by Clay Davenport, the 35+ and 60+ heat packs.. I was wondering if someone could help me figure out the heat pack to use for the right size box. I live in Michigan, and the snake is going to main, so it was in the 20-30's right now. Any input would be appreciated!!

Michelle
 
phew! thank god you posted to, so maybe people will see the urgency of the situation lol


Michelle
 
Michelle, you state you are getting ready to set the box up, but then ask how big the box should be. You have links to heat packs (Ebay - hint, hint) but no heat packs. These things seem to lessen the perceived urgency. Get your box, order some heat packs, and we'll have at it. There is no set size box, so you have to consider how much room the packaged snake will take (are you bagging it, using plastic container, or ??), how thick the styro is that you will be using, etc to come up with a minimum box size. Heat packs will depend on the box size, the insulation quality, the temperatures en route, and the species.

When are you going to ship?
*remember, shipping costs increase with box size*
 
Sorry for stating that wrong, I meant That I am going to get the box ready, I have several available boxes from work, and will be using Clay Davenports directions on insulating a box, using 3/4inch styrofoam. So yea its not immediate, but I want to ship within the next week or two, so I wanted input as soon as possible to make sure I can have the heat packs ordered and in within that amount of time. So the sooner I can order heat packs the better. I did not want to buy heat packs until I knew what I would need. I am bagging the snake, but my question is that I dont know how much room should be allowed to let the snake sit in. Or does it matter. I don't want him to be shipped in something to small. So I suppose I just wanted an opinion on what someone else would do.

Like I said, It is a corn snake, and going from Michigan to Maine. Right now it is 24*f in Maine, and 20*s in Michigan. Im sure itll stay under 30*f for the next couple weeks.

Michelle
 
what a hard ass. i was wanting a few techniques but i guess restating the obvious was fun. anyone else want to take a shot
 
I think you guys are over complicating this.

The hours listed on a heat pack are for how long it will last, it's not wattage like heat tape. I do not use anything less then a 40hr because you never know if a package will get held up at the airport.

For an adult cornsnake, I would use a 12x9x6 insulated shipping box.

Shipping Live Harmless Reptiles
 
Michelle,
The size of the box (as long as it is big enough) isn't a major issue, except in regards to shipping cost. You will be adding filler to keep the snake from bouncing around any way, so the extra room point is moot. you just need enough space to prevent contact with the heat packs.
Devin - your initial post had absolutely no information to work with...I'm sorry if you think I was a hard ass, but believe me, I can get a lot worse. At least I know not to bother putting too much effort into replying to you in the future.
 
btw, Devin,
Michelle had already referenced a site which provided good instruction on the basic how to's...there was no reason for me to reinvent the wheel.
 
Temps in the northeast are not suitable for shipping at this time - just so you are aware (though the last time I saw the forecast, it showed a decent warming by the end of the week). Even though cornsnakes are fairly temp tolerant, you will probably need to use at least two heat packs unless the warm up is significant - depending on box size and current temps. If at all possible, I would recommend arranging with the buyer to have him pick up the snake at the local Fedex (ideally the one they go to directly from the airport) to minimize the exposure and unnecessary truck time.
 
Alright, thank you very much HHmoore. I have ordered two heat packs, and was hoping to ship the beinging of the week( mon or tues), Which should be in the 50's. If the temps don't reach that, then I will wait tell we have a stable temp around the 50's.

Thanks again,

Michelle
 
How big a box did you end up with Michelle? Temps look decent for shipping a corn this coming week, (remember, the overnight temps are more important than the daytime temps right now). Given that the lows will likely still be in the 20s, you will probably still want to use both packs unless it is a relatively tight fit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top