# Posting and Packing scorpions: How-to.



## G. Carnell (Mar 3, 2006)

*Short Guide specific to packing scorpions:*

*Categories:*
-Large sized scorpions (eg. Parabuthus, Pandinus etc)
-Medium sized scorpions (eg. Hottentotta, Mesobuthus, Centruroides)
-Small scorpions (eg. Euscorpius, and babies of other species)

(NB, baby emperors and other large babies can be classified as medium.)

*More categories*
-To a distant country
-close by


Can any USA members post a HOW-TO of posting in america, or does this already exist??


----------



## G. Carnell (Mar 3, 2006)

*Large Scorpions*
Now you obviously cant pack emerors into film cups, so its up to you to find a container which is only about 3-4cm larger than your scorpion, you will need to use unbroken tissue paper (not the cheap sandpaper stuff) to acheieve something like this (aim for a little bit _bigger_):



















REMEMBER TO ADD WATER: see pic 2 
(about 1/5 of the paper is wet, 2/5 will be fine for a journey of more than one week


NB: you can use an extra piece to fill in the hole at the top, make sure there are at least 2-3 layers between your scorp and the container at any point, a few small gaps are fine, as long as the scorp cant burrow through them and then get crushed against the container when the postman steps on your parcel.

Once this is done, you need to wrap the entire container with tissue paper, and then wrap this with wrapping paper (newspaper) or bubble wrap
(this is best).
Also, make sure to insulate the package if you can, IE: with polystyrene or bubble wrap, or even many layers of newspaper/tissue

-->Large scorpions must be posted in *BOXES* whether you are sending it 15,000 miles or 150 miles.

In order to send to a foreign country, the best option is to register your mail, and send it "*signed for*".  this way your package cant be lost, and the fact that it is registered makes it less suspicious, and it usually arrives faster than normal delivery.


----------



## G. Carnell (Mar 3, 2006)

*Medium Scorpions*

These scorpions can be sent in a variety of containers, the following ones have served me very well:






For the larger tubes:
what you need to do is scrunch up 1-2 segments of tissue paper, and ram it down to the bottom of the tube. then log this with water so that there is no excess water (yet it is all soggy)

then using an unbroken piece of tissue paper, do this: (i hope its clear..)






(shows water logged tissue)











the main part, form a hollow where your scorpion can stay (add a few drops of water to the lower part of the hollow)






scrumple up a few segments of paper and form a loose plug at the top of the container.


*REMEMBER to seal the lid shut with celotape/sticky tape*
this way the scorpion cant dry out, but also, if you add too much water, you could risk killing your scorpion, so do not add more than 2-3 drops into the hollow.

If you are sending *To a foreign country* then you should use a jiffy, reinforced letter:






you wrap your container in 2-3 layers of paper or newspaper, and then stuff it in, making sure to make the packet look as thin/flat as possible.

*PRINT* your label on PC, and celotape it to the front of the jiffy bag, make sure to do this neartly, and your packet will not look dodgy!

you can also *neatly* celotape the bag shut.


for sending to your *own country* then you can use a box if you want


----------



## G. Carnell (Mar 3, 2006)

*Small scorpions*

You can either send lots of babies in the medium style shown above, or individually (for rare species)

This involves using the Film pots shown in the above post, you need to do the same thing, just with less paper, it will take a while for you to get it right, but its worth it, as this is the most efficient way of sending scorplings.

if they will be in transit for more than 1 week, then add *1-2 air holes*

and remember* NOT *to over-water them

you can send something like 10 individual scorps per large jiffy bag


----------



## Murziukas (Mar 3, 2006)

Great thread George :clap: 
I could add one more think to consider: if you don't know foreign post rules/laws/regulations: *do not* *declare* it as *scorpions* or *invertebrates* (do not mention live animals at all). If post office personel will insist you to declare package contence: use diplomacy. *Scientific material of 0 Euro*(USD or whatever) *value* works fine.


----------



## Alakdan (Mar 3, 2006)

*Nice!*

Great!  Exactly what I needed.  I will be packing some millipedes, I guess I'll just follow the same instructions with some variation.


----------



## moricollins (Mar 3, 2006)

Awesome George, 

Mods:  Can this be made into a sticky?????


----------



## Curry (Mar 3, 2006)

Great post! I actually happened to be looking for something like this today and mori sent me the link. Thanks!


----------



## Brian S (Mar 3, 2006)

Nice information George!!! Glad to see somebody has done this


----------



## ScorpDude (Mar 3, 2006)

Go georgy! Go georgy! Go georgy! Go georgy! Go georgy! 

....sorry...


----------



## Normski2020uk (Mar 3, 2006)

Out standing, this definatly needs to be made into a sticky.


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Mar 3, 2006)

hei geroge! way to go... hehe that second medium size looking bottle look like the one i sent you wasnt it hehehe, any way maybe i can do the pic demo for small size scorps when im packing your shipment next monday maybe? hehe.... i guess ill volenteer for that.. ~

OH YAH!!! please to all... declare as gifts.. and anything that you can thing of that equevelent to that thickness , size and weight of your package, something wooden is the best ,,,never declare that there are metal particles as they may think its bomb! :wall:


----------



## Scolopendra55 (Mar 3, 2006)

Sticky, sticky, sticky!!!


----------



## PA7R1CK (Mar 3, 2006)

Scolopendra55 said:
			
		

> Sticky, sticky, sticky!!!


I agree! Sticky it!


----------



## Empwrangler (Mar 3, 2006)

I vote for sticky!


----------



## ScorpDude (Mar 5, 2006)

Sticky! go on


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Mar 5, 2006)

first thing i wake up tomorrow i will be packing some scorps to ship out tomorrow so i will take pictures and simulate wat ever geroge has demo on a big scorpion ... but on medium/small scorpions ... watch out for this thread  say... 12-16 hours from now.. hehehe see yah got to get busy!


----------



## skinheaddave (Mar 5, 2006)

ScorpDude said:
			
		

> Sticky! go on


Ummmm .. this was added to the FAQ a couple days ago.

Cheers,
Dave


----------



## ink_scorpion (Mar 5, 2006)

*Great thread, George!*

Does this mean you're that much closer to shipping off my box of Euscorpius?   Great idea for a thread, all kidding aside.:clap:


----------



## canadianscorp (Mar 5, 2006)

seems to be a safe way of transportation.  does anybody have any scorps they would sell to me in canada. i wasnt clear on the shipping method, but now that i know it can be done, i would be very interested in getting some more rare scorpions. ive had many pandinus imperator, and hadrurus arizonsis, recently i aquired a babycurus jacksoni, easily the coolest one ive owned, but i would like to broaden my collection. anyone interested in selling them, or if anyone knows where to order from would be awesome. 

thanks, steve


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Mar 6, 2006)

hi ive done it... here its goes...

Im packing a couple of Chearlius Rectimus to be sent to overseas ard 5-7 days its expected to arrive at whereever its suppose to.. hehehe ... tropical scorpions, medium/small size..

these are the stuff you need :-

1) envelope with bubble wrap padding in the sides - usually you can get these at post office

2) Toliet papers or paper towels(clean and unuse  )

3) Bottles that can fit your scorpions and the paper towels that you are going to use as the protection walls.

4)some clear tape..

5) and of course scorpions! hehehe;P 







a comparison of the scorp and the bottle.. err i think i sligjlt oversize the bottle because this package is gonna take a few days and i want to make sure it arrives safe so i make sure theres ample of extra air and space . for my to put more protection.







next, take some paper towels and push it to the bottem of the bottle. and moist it..







next us a bottle of something that has much smaller diameter , to push the paper towels in to make a hollow paper towel tunnel. i recommand at least 3-4 layers of paper towel.depending also the diameter of the bottle and the size of the scorp. so choosing the right bottle is important. if you chose a bottle to small the scorp gets restricted and u cannot make very thick paper towel walls to protect it. too big the container and small scorps, the chances of the "paper towel tunnel" to work is low..













"paper towel tunnel" 







with the scorp inside







add some more slightly moist small paper towels in to cover the scorp. it also acts as something for the scorp to hang on to during the transport during rough rider ... no one like rough rides for the scorp :wall:  







now close up the tunnel by folding down the excess paper towels.. 







finally add some slight moist paper towels to fill up the gap(more protection for impact and loss of mositure. NEVER PUT ANY DRY PAPER TOWEL INTO THE BOTTLES YOU ARE GOING TO fully SEAL because it will absorb all the moisture from your scorp. so at least moist a little.







furthur enchance protection by wrapping them with layers of paper towels again...







now to the envelope. make sure the bubble wrap os ok. then stuff some paper towels at the end of the envelope so that there will be no empty areas for your bottles to move in the envelope. and to end it add some more paper towels... your package is ready....

















use some extra clear tape to double seal the envelope, never trust the orginal sticky glue on the envelope!.. 











good luck with the shipping!




regards
walton


----------



## PeterParker (Apr 11, 2006)

Wow nice infos! but now that we're thru about packing scorps ca someone post in the "how to Un-pack scorps?"

aldous :wall:


----------



## Gav0r (Apr 11, 2006)

Just read through the steps backwards :wall: 

Cheers, Gav.


----------



## prankster705 (Apr 11, 2006)

Pin It, Pin It, Pin It...


----------



## Alakdan (Apr 11, 2006)

I second that! PIN IT!!!!

I posted a thread a month ago on how to pack.  George started this thread and other members also pitched in some of their techniques and ideas.  I can clearly say that these are very useful.  After following these instructions I was able to successfully ship inverts overseas.  I have done it four times already.


----------



## PeterParker (Apr 11, 2006)

Yeah but what I mean was "how to unpack" if you dont want to touch your scorp, ofcourse after opening the container we dont want to just throw it in the new enclosure, there should be a nice and easy step by step procedure on how to unpack the scorp and put it in its new enclosure  does the bell procedure like the one they use on T's work on scorps :? 

aldous:wall:


----------



## Ryan C. (Apr 11, 2006)

What I do to unpack is just put whatever they were shipped in in the enclosure then open the lid and coax them out of the container with forceps. It can be time taking but its one of the safest ways I can think of.


----------



## Australis (Apr 11, 2006)

I'm certainly linking this page to my supplier so that he dun snd me a bag of dead scorps

Thanks


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Apr 11, 2006)

wat is your supplier sending and will/can send?? > *hint* HINT* hehehhehe ;P


----------



## Australis (Apr 11, 2006)

28pcs of scorps...

Oh if u guys wanna know how thai supplier ships them...

One box...not too small...packed up with leafs and dumpin at least 100 Hets of 13cm or if its a sling, u can expect even a thousand...its a sardine can in there


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Apr 11, 2006)

Australis said:
			
		

> 28pcs of scorps...
> 
> Oh if u guys wanna know how thai supplier ships them...
> 
> One box...not too small...packed up with leafs and dumpin at least 100 Hets of 13cm or if its a sling, u can expect even a thousand...its a sardine can in there


yeah if from thai its all H.laotics, WC adults.. saw it for sale there.. price is dirt cheap.. conditions of scorps some times not very good


----------



## Australis (Apr 12, 2006)

Sometimes they have spinifers from borneo too...which happened to be in my possesion but looks the same...haha...question is HOW THE HELL DID THE THAIS MANAGED TO GET WC FROM MY PLACE AND SHIP IT BACK TO US ???!!!  

Imagine our local hobbyist asking me to compete pricing with those thai pack styles...and price...:? 

Basically they are shipping out WC by the trucks...


----------



## cashewman1 (Apr 12, 2006)

This thread oughta be locked and stickyed for newbs such as i to pack and mail


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Apr 12, 2006)

Australis said:
			
		

> Sometimes they have spinifers from borneo too...which happened to be in my possesion but looks the same...haha...question is HOW THE HELL DID THE THAIS MANAGED TO GET WC FROM MY PLACE AND SHIP IT BACK TO US ???!!!
> 
> Imagine our local hobbyist asking me to compete pricing with those thai pack styles...and price...:?
> 
> Basically they are shipping out WC by the trucks...


i understand from a few shops that they do have hobbist that supplies them wat ever they breed, and due to the pricing there they cant sell it cheap.  so may be yours can be a captive breed or WC spinifer imported by thai which got bored and sold to supplier and you got them ???


----------



## Australis (Apr 12, 2006)

Well mine's covered with some mud...and the whole bunch is of odd sizes too.
WC ???


----------



## Alakdan (Apr 12, 2006)

Australis said:
			
		

> Well mine's covered with some mud...and the whole bunch is of odd sizes too.
> WC ???


Most likely WC.  There's plenty of scorps in Thailand.  I've seen a picture somewhere wherein the scorps are eaten as a delicacy.


----------



## Australis (Apr 12, 2006)

Yup...i dun think that theres any big difference...just think of it as a shrimp...with big claws and a funny lookin tail


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Apr 12, 2006)

Australis said:
			
		

> Well mine's covered with some mud...and the whole bunch is of odd sizes too.
> WC ???


WC= Wild Caught
CB= Captive Breed
CR= Captive Raise

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Australis (Apr 12, 2006)

Dude, i know tat WC is Wild caught already...:}


----------



## syrez (Apr 21, 2006)

Great help George! Thanks a lot


----------



## JSN (Apr 22, 2006)

haha, I was curious about this kind of thing myself, this should be stickied for reference...


----------



## Ryan C. (Apr 22, 2006)

Its already linked in the FAQ sticky...


----------



## Scorpfanatic (May 11, 2006)

*Unpacking ... Pandinus Imperator*

Ok heres how to unpack.. i jus recieve my emps today
since they r pretty big and you cant use tongs(?) to
tail them cos their too heavy> so heres one way 

this is wat you need

1)Tong (? i dono if i call it correctly)
2)a container big enough to cover the scorpion
3) a big container, critter or empty tank.
4) hard piece of cardboard (or think and hard paper)







heres the parcel and don be an idiot like me who got
excited and rip the package open heheh













take the containers that contain the scorp out of the
parcel, remove all tapes that holdong the cover..







place it in the big tub /critters/tank - reason it you
don wan the moss/paper towels to dirty all over yr
enclosure..







open the cover.. with the err.. tongs?

slowly remove the padding for the scorpion... with
tongs? hahhahahah













guide the scorpion out of the box, if its too high,
tilt the box a lil... and place the cardboard /paper
in side and guide the scorpion again to go on top of
it, wan the scorpion to stay there? give it a gently
blow..







now take a smaller container (better to be clear one)
and cover the scorp..







and then put yr hand under the cardboard/hard paper
and move the whole thing into the enclosure for the
scorpion *** be extremely careful not to have any gap
between the covering container andthe cardbox, unless
you wana a scorp on the lose.. gaha







now.. guide the scorp off the cardboard and there it
is in its new home 








hope it helps.. enjoy..


----------



## Australis (May 11, 2006)

Nice LUX container...wished we had those here.

Got those from china ? Got chinese writing on the box. Cool though.
Wish I had a shipment like tat:8o


----------



## ShadowBlade (May 12, 2006)

Yes, sticky! Very informative!:clap: :worship: :clap:


----------



## makati (May 13, 2006)

great info, thanks very much!


----------



## gagamboy (Jul 4, 2006)

thread sent down from heaven... i vote for sticky


----------



## Kabutomushi (Jul 4, 2006)

You have my vote for sticky  :clap:


----------



## Nikos (Apr 13, 2007)

Is it only me or the photos of the "how to" are missing?


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Apr 14, 2007)

hei nikos,.

i think its because geroge changes the web host and lall the old photos r gone! so r mine that i have posted :? guess i have to re upload and repost>


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Jun 19, 2007)

hi guys give me a few days and i try to get new pictures up


----------



## Nikos (Sep 2, 2007)

Guys please update the photos since none is showing and this is quite a usefull thread but is useless without the photos.

George I'm sure the photos are there but I think the links must have  been fixed after you changed the web page name.


----------



## Scorpfanatic (Sep 3, 2007)

i need tp upload some new ones once im free ARR!


----------



## G. Carnell (Sep 17, 2007)

sorry guys.. all photos lost, good luck to whoever replaces them..


----------



## Arachnomore (Jan 23, 2008)

*Can someone*

Update the pictures to the how to's please? I'm interested in breeding some Scorps


----------

