Roaches and shipping

[blazetown]

So I ordered roaches from the waterloo area(canada) which is about 2 hours away and I guess they were shipped today. My problem is I could only afford canada post and I'm now realizing they could be in shipping until this friday...only about 3 days but I'm still fretting. Could my package arrive dead?

Anyone out there ever have a few days wait on their roaches or slings and actually get them alive?

 

[Senses-Tingling]

As long as they are packed well, you are fine. In fact, if they are packed well and stay out of any temperature danger zones, roaches should last a month in transit - IMO.

 

[arachnocat]

Extreme heat is really bad for roaches, but other than that they should be just fine. The only time I ever lost roaches was in the summer and I shipped them UPS with no cold pack. :wall:

 

[blazetown]

thanks for the feedback guys I think I was fretting nothing as I got an email today saying my package was delivered...so it probably got to the post office about 20 mins after I left

 

[Digby Rigby]

Delays in the mail

If you notice when people ship express they guarantee live arrival. When shipping priority they do not. That right there should tell you that inherently it is not as safe or effective a means as Express or over night delivery. We have had shipments get delayed and at the post office before maybe twice and the roaches were alive when delivered. For any animal shipping is one of the most stressful things you can do. There is no advantage for the safety or health of the animals to shipping 2-3 days vs overnight. People who do it are merely willing to compromise the safety of the animals in order to save ten or fifteen dollars. Whats best for the animals should take precedence over saving a few dollars. Even if the animals make it alive there is always more chance of death when shipping priority over next day.

Digby Rigby balboa28279@mypacks.net

 

[Senses-Tingling]

For any animal shipping is one of the most stressful things you can do.

To include any animal in this statement is a huge stretch. We are talking about roaches in this post, not something that needs a constant heat source or humidity level.

People who do it are merely willing to compromise the safety of the animals in order to save ten or fifteen dollars.

Actually - people who do it would rather spend that money on their pets, rather than on the postal branch of the government, or other delivery company. Most inverts can arrive alive and healthy after a 2-3 day trip if they packaged properly and temperature extremes are avoided. Shipping an invert is not a form of abuse.

Whats best for the animals should take precedence over saving a few dollars.

Some would argue - what's best for the animals, under most circumstances, is to leave them in their natural environment. Does that take precedence over your desire to own and care for them yourself?

I have had thousands of inverts shipped to me using priority shipping - 400+ T's, 50+ milli's, hundreds of scorpions, several cent's, thousands of roaches, mantids, whipscorpions, etc. I have only lost 5 T's, 4 of which were avic avic slings (which are prone to unexpected deaths under normal conditions), 2 scorpions (all were 1st instars and they were sent loosely packed in dry paper towel), and 3 milli's that were WC and adult size (could have been their time anyways).
I have taken the several thousand dollars that would have been spent on express shipping and spent it on my critters and hobby.

This is my rant, and I'm sticking to it.

 

[blazetown]

Lol thanks for the replies guys...yeah you kinda get that unsure feeling when you notice people guarantee only express DOA's to be replaced. Anyway its now thursday and I have to go to work in about 40 mins and I finally got my dubia and lateralis. Now I have to adjust my enclosures because the smallest nymphs are tiny enough to get out. By the way will they be fine in my currently 70 F room or should i put them by the slings? (90 F)

 

[rm90]

Digby, hes talkin about Roaches not a Iguana thats being left in a box for three extra days!

 

[Senses-Tingling]

By the way will they be fine in my currently 70 F room or should i put them by the slings? (90 F)

They will live and reproduce at 70 degrees F. They will reproduce much more rapidly at 90 degrees F, but they also need a constant water source at this temp. And they will need to be fed more often, in smaller quantities (compared to feeding them enough food for 3-4 days). Food molds much quicker at 90 degrees.

 

[Senses-Tingling]

If you notice when people ship express they guarantee live arrival. When shipping priority they do not. That right there should tell you that inherently it is not as safe or effective a means as Express or over night delivery.

You will also notice that express shipping prices are inflated more than priority shipping prices, for several suppliers. "That right there should tell you that inherently" it is the purchasers of the critters that collectively pay for the replacement of any DOA invert. It is a form of "insurance" that is charged to everyone. The problem is that just about any healthy invert will make it alive with overnight shipping. So, the dealers/suppliers pocket that extra money.
Some dealers might be tempted to pressure you into taking express, knowing that they make an extra $2-5 off the transaction, by playing on your sympathies for the pet (sound familiar?). Their intent may be genuine, it may not be - you need to judge for yourself.
I think shipping shouldn't cost more than the actual cost of shipping. For example : $5-6 bucks priority postage, $0-$1 insulation (usually newspaper or styro peanuts), $.50-2.00 vials/deli cups and paper towels, $1 for transportation to P.O. That adds up to $6.50-$10 for priority shipping (with the cost of driving to the PO figured in). Maybe an extra dollar for a cold pack or heat pack, if needed. Anything beyond that and they are trying to profit from shipping you the product that you bought from them.
Most of the dealers that I use charge $8 for priority shipping. And - several dealers will guarantee live arrival on priority shipping as long as certain temperature extremes are avoided and maybe one or two other conditions are met. Those are the dealers that I look forward to doing business with!

 

[Hamburglar]

My dubias reproduce like crazy.. faster than I can ever feed them off at room temp (70F).

I always use priority now. Of course, I dont get overnight service at my address so I would really be paying a lot more for the same service I get with priority. I find it hard to kill my roaches. I have had some survive some crazy situations so I would feel silly shipping them express unless it was peak summer heat here.

The only time I have ever lost a tarantula in shipping was back when I first started ordering online. It was packed expertly by the dealer... the only difference was that it was express shipping through fedex. I received it the next day dead. All of my priority orders have been fine.

 

[blazetown]

sweet...I put a bowl full of gravel and water in the dubia enclosure and some watermelon. For food I put in meow mix and fish flakes. I went to BK after work so I gave a piece of my spicy chicken to the lateralis lol. Holy hell those things are fast. I also forgot that they live without heads so i dumped a roach that had its head eaten during shipping into the garbage and then as it landed i was like wait and now its somewhere in my garbage can waiting to die lol...The stupidest part is why didnt I just feed it to the leopard gecko