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Unboxing a New Snake

ArvadaLanee

ArvadaLanee

New member
I was searching on YouTube for corn snake videos to watch with the boys, and I noticed there were a lot of videos of people unboxing new snakes. It got me wondering, do people make these videos as proof for their live arrival guarantee? I paid for the insurance on my snake to get the live arrival guarantee, so should I be making a video when I open the box, just to be on the safe side? Is this just standard practice? Our snake ships out today, and this is the first time I have ever had a snake shipped, so I just thought I would ask.
I can't wait for tomorrow morning to meet the little guy. I have the viv all set up, and am heating it up today so the temp will be just right when he arrives. I will be sure to post pics asap. :)
 
I have purchased all of my snakes in person, so I'm not positive, but I don't think it's for any kind of proof, although I guess it wouldn't hurt. With that live guarantee you have to contact them within a certain amount of time that the animal arrived dead; that'd be proof enough, I believe. I think the videos are just because they are excited.
 
The first snake I bought was from a pet store, and she ended up dying shortly after I got her. Everyone on this forum recommended I find a reputable breeder so I could be sure I got a healthy animal. I tried to search for breeders in my area, and did a search for upcoming reptile events as well, but I didn't come up with anything, so shipping seemed like my best option. The snake was meant to be a Christmas gift for my kids, and I felt really horrible when she didn't make it. I wanted to be certain the next one we got was healthy, and eating well. The breeder I found has a good reputation and was able to tell me all about the snake, his age, eating habits, ect. It seemed worth it. We have been waiting to ship for warm enough weather, and today is finally the day. Maybe I will make a video just out of excitement too. It is a really exciting day anytime you add a new pet, or as we consider them, family member. :)
 
You did the right thing. Let us know how it goes. I'm receiving my first shipped snake in the Spring. That will be an interesting experience. You might consider looking up the huge Tinley Park reptile expo. I think it happens twice a year in the Chicago area. Not a bad drive for you. It's very popular in the boa world, but I think they have just about everything. It's not in my part of the country, so I really don't know, except that it's huge.
 
I'll be honest, Chicago driving is way out of my league. Lol. I have a panic disorder that is specifically related to driving, and I did not drive at all for most of my life. I do drive now, but Chicago traffic is rough for even people I know that drive for a living. I would love to go, but only if I could talk my boyfriend into driving, which is unlikely since he is pretty indifferent to the snakes. His passion is aquariums, and I can barely talk him into driving down to Milwaukee (about an hour drive south) to go to the big awesome fish stores. I never know with him though. He did once drive me all the way to the Illinois border for a bird expo. I'll have to work on him a little bit, and see if he caves. :)
 
ArvadaLanee said:
I'll be honest, Chicago driving is way out of my league. Lol.
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You can avoid Chicagoland if you wanted to take secondary roads south. It will probably take longer, but well worth it to avoid Chicago traffic.

The expo is in Tinley Park, which is well southwest of Chicago. We drive from Detroit, and the only congestion we run into is at the Michigan/Illinois border, which is close enough to Chicago for heavy traffic. But once we get on I-80 west, it's pretty smooth sailing. You should try to go, if at all possible. It's a huge show, and lots of fun.

Back on topic! I have never recorded the opening of any reptile shipment, but in a few cases, I wish I could have. (This was in the olden days, with no video on cell phones!) One time, a kid sent me two northern pine snakes via the US Postal Service instead of FedEx! There was no insulation of any kind, no heat packs, and he sent it first class, which took two days to get there! And to make matters worse, the shipping address I gave him was a FedEx hub, where it was to held for pickup. I finally figured out what he had done, and sheepishly explained to the FedEx girls what had happened. They knew me, and I asked them not to rat the kid out, and they agreed. Fortunately, the snakes were just cold, and a little seasick from bouncing around loose in a box! I called the kid, and read him the riot act. He seemed genuinely apologetic, and just didn't know any better. I referred him to Nanci's site, which shows proper packing and shipping of reptiles.

Kathy
 
Poor little things. It's a good thing they made it, though! It sounds like it would be a good idea to take a video, or even just at least snap a few pictures, for both reasons. If there are no issues, it will just be about the fun and excitement, but if there are issues, you will have a record. I was browsing through some of the stories on the fauna classifieds site, and it does seem like a good idea to keep video/pictures along with accurate records, just in case. I am not anticipating any issues, but I am sure many people who do end up with problems were not anticipating them either. I plan to re-read Nanci's unboxing instructions to refresh my memory too. ;)
 
Late to the party but yes, pictures or videos of unboxing are generally a mix of excitement and evidence for if anything is wrong, which is usually pretty rare. I always take pictures of unboxing but don't generally take video, simply because I don't like the recorder as much as the camera.
 
insomniac101 said:
One time, a kid sent me two northern pine snakes via the US Postal Service instead of FedEx! There was no insulation of any kind, no heat packs, and he sent it first class, which took two days to get there! And to make matters worse, the shipping address I gave him was a FedEx hub, where it was to held for pickup. I finally figured out what he had done, and sheepishly explained to the FedEx girls what had happened. They knew me, and I asked them not to rat the kid out, and they agreed. Fortunately, the snakes were just cold, and a little seasick from bouncing around loose in a box! I called the kid, and read him the riot act. He seemed genuinely apologetic, and just didn't know any better. I referred him to Nanci's site, which shows proper packing and shipping of reptiles.

Kathy
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So I shouldn't slap a stamp on the snake's head and toss it in the mailbox with an address label dangling around its neck??? :laugh:
 
A long time ago, you were allowed to mail your children. The mailman had to take them around with him until he could drop them off. The parents pinned a piece of paper onto the kids shirt with the address and a stamp. Just thought I'd share that. Lol
 
That made me laugh, thank you for that! And unfortunately it is pretty accurate!
 
If I remember correctly, this was in the early 1900's, and the law changed pretty quick, but it cracked me up when I heard it too, especially since my kid's Grandfather works at the post office, and all things "mail" are taken very seriously by him. Too funny.
 
I understand there is a smaller reptile expo in Waukesha - not sure when or where. But you could check it out if you decide to get more snakes.

Also, Chuck Pritzel and Connie Hurley (Chuck wrote the Corn Snake Morph Guides) are located in Palmyra. It is a bit of a drive from you, but not too bad, and not through big cities. They don't keep as many corns as they used to because of raising 2 small children, but I believe they still have some extras every year. And at least they know what morphs they are, lol!
 
I will have to watch for the one in Waukesha. That one I could probably get to. I'm not sure if I will ever buy another snake. I better see how well we do with Nightmare first. I would still love to go, even if I don't plan to buy anything. It would still be fun to see other people's animals, hear their story's, and hopefully learn something new. Who knows, maybe I would even make a friend. Plus, my kids would love it. I am really lucky to have well behaved kids. :)
 
kathylove said:
I understand there is a smaller reptile expo in Waukesha - not sure when or where. But you could check it out if you decide to get more snakes.

Also, Chuck Pritzel and Connie Hurley (Chuck wrote the Corn Snake Morph Guides) are located in Palmyra. It is a bit of a drive from you, but not too bad, and not through big cities. They don't keep as many corns as they used to because of raising 2 small children, but I believe they still have some extras every year. And at least they know what morphs they are, lol!
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I think they stopped running the Waukesha reptile show. But the All Animal Expo is January 31st in Waukesha.

Madison has the W.I.R.E. Show April 26th and September 13th. It's a smaller show but nice if you wanna spend the day in Madison.

Lastly there is Sewerfest in Racine int he Fall. They haven't released their dates yet.

I wanna try and make Tinely this year. I have 1/2 of a T8 to fill and the timing is perfect. I HATE going to Chicago though.
 
ArvadaLanee said:
I'll be honest, Chicago driving is way out of my league. Lol. I have a panic disorder that is specifically related to driving, and I did not drive at all for most of my life. I do drive now, but Chicago traffic is rough for even people I know that drive for a living. I would love to go, but only if I could talk my boyfriend into driving, which is unlikely since he is pretty indifferent to the snakes. His passion is aquariums, and I can barely talk him into driving down to Milwaukee (about an hour drive south) to go to the big awesome fish stores. I never know with him though. He did once drive me all the way to the Illinois border for a bird expo. I'll have to work on him a little bit, and see if he caves. :)
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I don't know what part of Illinois you live in but there is an expo twice a month in Wheaton. The first Saturday and third Sunday of every month. They have hundreds of snakes (corns included) plus all the supplies you'll ever need. It's called Scott Smith's all animal expo, it's a $5.00 admission.
 
murder4me said:
I don't know what part of Illinois you live in but there is an expo twice a month in Wheaton. The first Saturday and third Sunday of every month. They have hundreds of snakes (corns included) plus all the supplies you'll ever need. It's called Scott Smith's all animal expo, it's a $5.00 admission.
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Ah , you don't live in Illinois. It'd still be worth the drive. Its twice a month so plenty of chances to go. Its worth it sooooo many snakes and reptiles. Really cheap feeders to.
 
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