FedEx won't ship my sulcata :((

Status
Not open for further replies.

BigD9

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2012
Messages
72
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
My dad called 2 different FedEx this morning to ask if they ship tortoises. They told him no. The don't ship live animals. So he called a pet store asking what company do ship animals && they said ups. So he calls ups && they told him it would cost him $120 dollars or something like that && it may not live cuz it's cold :( does anyone know who will?!?!
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
What size is the sulcata? What type of FedEx locations did you call? That some times makes a difference too. When are you wanting to ship and from where to where?
 

BigD9

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2012
Messages
72
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
Jacqui said:
What size is the sulcata? What type of FedEx locations did you call? That some times makes a difference too. When are you wanting to ship and from where to where?

It's a year old u can see on my profile. It's not that big. Fort Myers fl && to missoula Montana. I wanted to ship it today && to be overnight. But we're having problems :(
 

lovelyrosepetal

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2012
Messages
614
Location (City and/or State)
Oklahoma
That is strange. I know UPS will ship tortoises overnight. To get mine it cost $50 but they were hatchlings. Yours is a five month old, correct? It would probably cost more depending on the size but I can't imagine yours would be that much bigger. Maybe your dad could drive it to you? Good Luck with your tortoise!:)

Sorry, I thought I read 5 months!:( I am so sorry! I am sure if you pm some breeders (like arizonasulcata, or Tom) they could let you know how they do it.:) Good Luck!
 

BigD9

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2012
Messages
72
Location (City and/or State)
Florida
lovelyrosepetal said:
That is strange. I know UPS will ship tortoises overnight. To get mine it cost $50 but they were hatchlings. Yours is a five month old, correct? It would probably cost more depending on the size but I can't imagine yours would be that much bigger. Maybe your dad could drive it to you? Good Luck with your tortoise!:)

Sorry, I thought I read 5 months!:( I am so sorry! I am sure if you pm some breeders (like arizonasulcata, or Tom) they could let you know how they do it.:) Good Luck!



It's a year && a half but it's not that big. && he won't drive it to me:/ thanks though:)
 

Neal

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
4,967
Location (City and/or State)
Arizona
The little mom and pop FedEx/Kinkos things won't take live animals knowingly. You have to drop it off at one of their main facilities. If you contact shipyourreptiles.com, they could walk you through shipping with FedEx.
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
ra94131 said:
http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/

I haven't used them, but I've heard good things.

My one and only time, I give them a thumbs down myself.



Sorta a good thing your having problems with shipping them today. You really want to ship on Mon-Wed, so they can get safely to the other end BEFORE the weekend if they end up lost or delayed.
 

Arizona Sulcata

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
1,936
Location (City and/or State)
Mesa, AZ
Exactly what Neal said. You have to go to a main hub to ship live animals. Both FedEX and UPS will do it. If you do it trough FedEX though they require you to get your box tested and approved before shipping live animals. UPS you can just walk in and ship no questions asked.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
The bigger the box the more it costs. So you want the smallest box that you can safely package him in with enough insulating plastic peanuts. It normally costs around $50 to $75 to ship a small tortoise by UPS. We have a thread that shows you how to box him up:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Safely-Ship-A-Tortoise-Or-Turtle#axzz26NJzakaD

Then you just take the package to a UPS store and they'll take it. I try to get the box to the store an hour or so before they come to pick up the packages to take to the airport.
 

DeanS

SULCATA OASIS
10 Year Member!
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
4,407
Location (City and/or State)
SoCal
FUNNY! I just shipped Eggroll to Florida via FedEx. Don't tell them what you're sending...and make DAMN sure you send it overnight! You can always go to SHIPYOURREPTILES.COM and a FedEx truck will pick it up from your house...
 

Benjamin

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2011
Messages
773
Location (City and/or State)
zone 7b
Arizona Sulcata said:
Exactly what Neal said. You have to go to a main hub to ship live animals. Both FedEX and UPS will do it. If you do it trough FedEX though they require you to get your box tested and approved before shipping live animals. UPS you can just walk in and ship no questions asked.

I had the same issue last year. After shipping several turtle shipments with them a new driver refused to accept my package. After many phone calls I was told that only a buisness can become a "certified animal shipper".

I now ship with UPS or better yet Delta.
 

Tim/Robin

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
Messages
1,109
FedEx will ship tortoises!!! I have sent a lot using www.shipyourreptiles.com. They are a great company, Robyn and the gang do a fantastic job and they have an agreement with FedEx for shipping live reptiles. For what it is worth, NEVER ship a live tortoise or any other live animal on Thursday. IF a delay occurs, and they rarely do, but IF so your tortoise will be boxed and held who knows where over the weekend. Just don't do it, for the animals sake!

The thing I like the most about FedEx is their willingness and ability to trace a package. I had a incoming package delayed some time ago. I called first thing that morning and they called me back several hours later informing me where my package was and allowed me to go pick it up when it arrived at my local hub that afternoon. UPS has never been so accommodating. They simply say, wait until tomorrow!
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Wait...Eggroll went to Florida??????
 

Eweezyfosheezy

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2009
Messages
2,365
Location (City and/or State)
Peoria, Arizona
I only deal with FedEx now through shipyourreptiles.com. You do need to become certified to ship through FedEx first if you do not use shipyourreptiles.com. Maybe there is a member on here that is close to you that can help you out?
 

Phantom9

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
85
Location (City and/or State)
Elverta, CA (Just outside of Sacramento)
I work for fedex, you need to ship it through express and overnight it. I work at the airport and see turtles all the time. I have also seen a bear and a horse being shipped. Like they said if it is shipped do it before Thursday and make sure that they put saturday on there just incase. We have downloaded a full container looking for one Saturday before, they are pretty high on the priority list. Also make sure the box is super super braced and strong and marked live tortoise and fragile. While its against policy to stack lives on the bottom or in the back of a container there is always the chance.
 

Robyn@TRR

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Messages
138
Please don't try and ship outside the approved FedEx lines, it is detrimental to all of us, the entire industry.

You cannot ship directly with FedEx unless you are specifically reptile certified. When FedEx says you "can't ship", that is what they mean. Without a live reptile shipping account, it is not allowed.

You CAN ship with FedEx through ShipYourReptiles.com, you will be covered under our certification. Going through the site, you can have a prepaid label printed in just 2-3 minutes.

You must agree to meet our SYR Shipping Standards, which includes guidelines for temperature and insulated packaging. We offer the packaging at our site (you can use your own, but it must meet our standards) along with a detailed Get Help section that will walk you through the steps.

Our rates start at 20% less than the FedEx retail rate, and we also have an On-Time and Live Arrival Insurance policy, unique in the reptile shipping world. Great for peace of mind.

We can arrange for a FedEx driver to pick up your package at your home or office, or you can drop it off yourself at the FedEx facility.

Tortoise folks are lucky, as it is a species that ships really well. Very tolerant of the shipping process, both in transport and temps.

Shipping your first time may seem daunting, but once you grasp the basics, it is a pretty straightforward process. We are also available for help and questions by phone and email.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top