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Purchasing animals at shows and flying home with them....

Rich Z
08-02-2002, 04:55 PM
I just received an interesting phone call today from someone whom had requested for me to bring an animal to the Daytona Beach Expo, where he was planning on buying it and then bringing it back home with him on the plane. He called the airlines to find out how he could get his purchase on board with the minimum amount of hassle. Simply put, he was told to NOT do it at all. With the stringent security measures in place after the 9/11 attack, there would be a strong possibility that the discovery of an animal in his possession attempted to be snuck through security would cause, at the very least, his missing his flight, as well as the possibility of arrest.

Anyone whom has had this in their plans for picking up any animals at any show should strongly reconsider their plans. Once you are in the airport with your animals, you run the risk of being asked to get rid of the animals before you can return home.

Another point about this issue:

I do expect a number of people to pick out their animals and then request that the vendor take them back home and ship them to them. Please understand that this kind of negates the reason for a vendor going to the show in the first place. We pack up a bunch of animals, display them on the tables, and hope people will buy them and take them with them.

Anyone taking a lot of animals to the show, then bringing them back having to pack them up for shipment is sooner or later come to the realization that there really wasn't all that much point to going to the show in the first place. Doing shows is a HUGE overhead in time and expense for a vendor. If it would be just as easy to take an order via email or phone, then most would simply stop doing shows and save on the headaches. Packing up animals for a show, then bringing them back and unpacking them, then packing them up again for a shipment would be quite a burden to be placing on most people if several people request this of them.

What this all boils down to is that anyone that is flying into a show has to know what they are facing beforehand. If you are unprepared, you may have a real disappointment on hand when you show up at the airport with snakes shoved in your pockets. Vendors are not attending the shows and treating them as a gallery for people to pick out their animals for later shipments. They are taking animals there with the hopes that they will be sold there and taken possession by the buyers.

Many vendors, of course, will be willing to accomodate an exceptional case where they do bring back the animals and ship them out for the customer. But this should be the exception rather than the rule. Remember that most animal breeders have had to take out several days from their normal work schedule to do a show, and when they get back they have to work like mad to try to catch up on those missed days.

SilverTongue
08-02-2002, 05:19 PM
ok maybe this is just out of the question cuz I dont know what it takes, but couldnt you or some other vender bring shipping supplies to the show to sell? Then if someone is flying home that day they can ship off their lil lovedone(s) (no not the kids) via UPS or whoever. Is this possible???

Jimmy C.
08-02-2002, 05:26 PM
Hey Rich,
I dont understand what the problem is with your takeing a snake thats properly packed/contained on the plane with you if you are traveling in the same country. I can understand going from the USA to say Canada that there would be an issue with permits and such.
I dont see the need to sneak it through security if you have it in a sealed transparent container.
Jimmy C.

Rich Z
08-02-2002, 05:43 PM
Jimmy,

Try it sometime. I'd be interested to hear you relate your experience.
;)

SilverTongue
08-02-2002, 05:45 PM
nm i miss read

HomeBreeder
08-02-2002, 07:27 PM
well it seems like the smart thing to do if you fly to a show expecting to buy a live animal you just need to plan on staying till Monday morning and then shipping your animals to yourself and beating them home. Have a backup plan for a friend to pickup in case you get stuck at the airport though!

It's certainly not right to expect a breeder to ship a bunch of animals taken to a show - I like going to shows and would hate to see what they're like without any breeders :P

^Curttis

HomeBreeder
08-03-2002, 12:56 AM
someone at "the other bulletin board" posted the idea that at the bigger shows there might be a business opportunity in setting up a booth where you could take herps people have bought and set up the shipping arangements there.

Do people really fly to a show if it's not a "big" show? Maybe it's a service the show co-ordinators could provide?

^Curtis

Simon
08-03-2002, 01:03 PM
I really like Homebreeder's idea of the co-ordinator setting up the shipping arrangements for the people. I would think that people will come to a herp show and pay that little extra money (and peope can make some money during that shipping and handling cost...)

I mean if they have the money to fly to a show, why wouldn't they have enough money to pay a little extra for shipping?

I would do that if I could get to the show....but then I have stupid final exams which means nothing but a stupid score to me.....*sigh*.....

Clint Boyer
08-03-2002, 01:23 PM
Some things to consider...

Someone would have to be responsible for the condition of the animal. If I were a breeder and sold a snake I would guarantee it's health, but what about the shipping? If I were that breeder and sold a snake knowing it was to be shipped by a third party which I have no control over, guarantees would be void. If I were the shipper, I would guarantee the shipping but not the health of the snake. Seems to me that the buyer would be taking full responsibility for the wellfare of the animal and would not be able to hold either breeder or shipper responsible.

Just some issues to ponder.

Rich Z
08-03-2002, 03:32 PM
Clint has some good points.

Another thing to consider is that from a buyer's perspective, would you want your newly purchased animals to be all lumped together with everyone else's using that service in transit to the place where the intermediate shipper will package them up? Suppose one or more have mites? Or maybe something worse? If your animals die in a few days, whom do you go to for recourse? Suppose YOUR animals die during transit? Who is responsible?

From a seller's perspective, my reputation might be put on the line by the above scenario exposing my animals to any number of pathogens. Yes, it is true, Virginia, people DO sell sick snakes out there at shows. I once had a discussion with a vet I know whom told me personally that he diagnosed crypto at a 'big name' breeder's facility, and later on this person was selling off most of his animals at a show. I certainly would not want mine to be exposed to them even if they are no longer my charges.

From the perspective of the person or company accepting the animals for shipment: Man I sure do thank you all for the free animals! Now I have some really nice stuff to sell at the show next week across country. :eek:

carol
08-03-2002, 03:57 PM
I do find it strange though, that it is such a problem. There are (or used to be) airlines that would allow you to bring a dog or cat aboard as long as the carrier could fit under the seat. I wonder if these airlines would treat snakes any differently. I guess it will just take a lot of homework, and back up plans if you really want to fly with your snake. Thanks for the heads up Rich!

Rich Z
08-03-2002, 07:07 PM
It's a psychological thing, I guess. Although there are some people afraid of dogs, there are many more that would try to crawl through a plane's window if they found a snake crawling between their feet on the plane. And I am sure the airlines know this. A dog somehow getting loose and running down the aisle would probably bring a chuckle to most people. A snake crawling down that aisle, however, would be a completely different situation.

And I have to admit, I probably would not want to be in a plane where an escaped snake somehow managed to get into the cockpit.

carol
08-03-2002, 08:52 PM
LOL, I can just see all those people afraid of a hatchling. Personally I have found earthworms in my garden bigger that baby corns. But I guess you just can't reason with fear.
A corn heading for the cockpit? Hopefully there would be a few souls brave enough to wrestle it to the ground before it took over the aircraft. ;)

stephen
08-09-2004, 10:05 PM
i gave a lady who visited me fron IN a cornsnake for her child and she got it on the plane, showed it to them and carried it on with no problem Via ATA not sure the rules they have but they let her carry it on with her , just throwing that out to ya :sobstory: