Get these turtles to their new home, alive please
July 26, 2012 8:58 AM Subscribe
How can I ship two live turtles from NY to TX? I have found some info, but instructions are confusing and I need a walk-through from someone who is familiar with shipping live animals.
I have two small turtles (palm sized) that I need to ship from New York City to Austin, TX. USPS and FedEx won't ship live animals, and DHL doesn't ship domestically anymore.
I tried UPS, but this info is all they give. I don't quite understand the proper protocol as described and after calling about 6 or 7 different UPS stores in the city, I can't seem to find anyone who can walk me through what I need to do to ship through UPS. They also do not provide the package materials listed that are needed to ship them.
I also called different pet stores and they have no idea either.
Now I also found this info from a turtle society website that says that sending via Delta Cargo DASH is the way to go. This seems to be the best bet.
But I'm confused about how to go about the actual process of getting this done. Do I need to package the turtles with water or moisture? Is there a best practice for this? Do I just package as I see fit and go drop it off at the cargo center like it says on the website? Is it that easy?
Does anyone have experience with this at all that could walk me through this so I don't go all the way out to JFK and then have them tell me that I've done it all wrong?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I have two small turtles (palm sized) that I need to ship from New York City to Austin, TX. USPS and FedEx won't ship live animals, and DHL doesn't ship domestically anymore.
I tried UPS, but this info is all they give. I don't quite understand the proper protocol as described and after calling about 6 or 7 different UPS stores in the city, I can't seem to find anyone who can walk me through what I need to do to ship through UPS. They also do not provide the package materials listed that are needed to ship them.
I also called different pet stores and they have no idea either.
Now I also found this info from a turtle society website that says that sending via Delta Cargo DASH is the way to go. This seems to be the best bet.
But I'm confused about how to go about the actual process of getting this done. Do I need to package the turtles with water or moisture? Is there a best practice for this? Do I just package as I see fit and go drop it off at the cargo center like it says on the website? Is it that easy?
Does anyone have experience with this at all that could walk me through this so I don't go all the way out to JFK and then have them tell me that I've done it all wrong?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Who did you talk to at USPS? As a mail handler, I know we do ship live animals. I've seen roosters, bees and other animals shipped through our plant.
posted by Telpethoron at 9:55 AM on July 26, 2012
posted by Telpethoron at 9:55 AM on July 26, 2012
Hmm. I stand corrected - according to USPS regs, turtles can't be shipped. My apologies.
posted by Telpethoron at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2012
posted by Telpethoron at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2012
Response by poster: Was on the phone with Delta for almost an hour and they can't seem to give me any idea of what kind of packaging is required. Called the bronx zoo amphibian house and they said they can't help me either.
posted by greta simone at 10:26 AM on July 26, 2012
posted by greta simone at 10:26 AM on July 26, 2012
How about using Craigslist or something like that to find someone making that drive who would be willing to cart the critters for you? If I were driving from NYC to Austin, I would be happy to help you out; surely there is someone out there who can do this for you.
posted by thebrokedown at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by thebrokedown at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
Check this out.
This looks about right to me. My sister used to mail me snakes (florida to michigan). Snake in a cloth bag, bag in a box with newspaper balls to protect it.
I suspect if you follow those directions and do overnight shipping, the turtles should be fine.
posted by HuronBob at 11:26 AM on July 26, 2012
This looks about right to me. My sister used to mail me snakes (florida to michigan). Snake in a cloth bag, bag in a box with newspaper balls to protect it.
I suspect if you follow those directions and do overnight shipping, the turtles should be fine.
posted by HuronBob at 11:26 AM on July 26, 2012
I had to ship live turtles from Massachusetts to Arizona a couple of years ago, which arrived happy and healthy according to my friend.
I took a sturdy cardboard box, wrote "LIVE ANIMALS (HARMLESS)" on all sides, and punched airholes in it. Then I lined the bottom with wads of damp paper towels, put the turtles in, covered them with more damp paper towels, and sealed the box shut. Took the box down to the local UPS store and paid for overnight shipping (~$110 IIRC) and off it went.
Use more paper towels than you think you might need, in order to help keep the turtles from bouncing around during transit. Sufficiently damp regular towels might be ok too but don't use 'em on all sides; they'll restrict airflow.
posted by xbonesgt at 11:56 AM on July 26, 2012
I took a sturdy cardboard box, wrote "LIVE ANIMALS (HARMLESS)" on all sides, and punched airholes in it. Then I lined the bottom with wads of damp paper towels, put the turtles in, covered them with more damp paper towels, and sealed the box shut. Took the box down to the local UPS store and paid for overnight shipping (~$110 IIRC) and off it went.
Use more paper towels than you think you might need, in order to help keep the turtles from bouncing around during transit. Sufficiently damp regular towels might be ok too but don't use 'em on all sides; they'll restrict airflow.
posted by xbonesgt at 11:56 AM on July 26, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
Why are you trying to ship them? You are looking at spending way more than the value of the turtles getting them from NY to TX, assuming these are common pet turtles. Delta Dash is probably going to be $100 at a minimum, if not more. If you are moving and can't put them in the car with you to drive down I would find them a good home in NY and get new pets in Texas, if they are indeed pets.
Fed-Ex shipped the horses to the Olympics in Bejing in 2008, but maybe that was a special one-off deal for the Olympics.
posted by COD at 9:33 AM on July 26, 2012