Misterbluesky
New member
I've read all the available information I could find on shipping axolotls, but would just like some opinions ahead of time to avoid disaster and minimize stress to my slimey friend. I would be heartbroken if she should perish during her trip, and want her to arrive in the best possible condition... but I'm concerned that shipping will be more difficult seeing as she's a fairly large adult.
She's at least 6 inches long. I'm due to move cross-country come spring (nice weather for shipping, no?), and would like to keep my neat little pet instead of rehoming her, so I plan to ship her to my new location. I know to avoid feeding for several days prior to shipping, and to insulate the box.
I've heard that waterbottles work fine for eggs and juvies, but am I correct in assuming that even a large waterbottle would be much too hard to safely ship an adult? It seems as though the axolotl would be injured by bumping into the bottle, as opposed to a soft bag.
I picked up a small styrofoam cooler and a couple gel icepacks from the dollarstore during the summer with the intent of using these to ship her. Thoughts/suggestions?
What are the best methods of avoiding/containing/soaking up possible leaks? Which postal service should I use? Which ones will ask about live animals, specifically axolotls, and which ones will knowingly accept an axolotl? Is it possible to ship via priority flat-rate boxing (2-3 days) instead of overnight, to save money or is this too risky? Is there any point in marking the box with "LIVE ANIMAL/THIS SIDE UP/FRAGILE" etc, or are these just big red targets that will get my box bashed up even more than usual?
She's at least 6 inches long. I'm due to move cross-country come spring (nice weather for shipping, no?), and would like to keep my neat little pet instead of rehoming her, so I plan to ship her to my new location. I know to avoid feeding for several days prior to shipping, and to insulate the box.
I've heard that waterbottles work fine for eggs and juvies, but am I correct in assuming that even a large waterbottle would be much too hard to safely ship an adult? It seems as though the axolotl would be injured by bumping into the bottle, as opposed to a soft bag.
I picked up a small styrofoam cooler and a couple gel icepacks from the dollarstore during the summer with the intent of using these to ship her. Thoughts/suggestions?
What are the best methods of avoiding/containing/soaking up possible leaks? Which postal service should I use? Which ones will ask about live animals, specifically axolotls, and which ones will knowingly accept an axolotl? Is it possible to ship via priority flat-rate boxing (2-3 days) instead of overnight, to save money or is this too risky? Is there any point in marking the box with "LIVE ANIMAL/THIS SIDE UP/FRAGILE" etc, or are these just big red targets that will get my box bashed up even more than usual?
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