With winter at our heels, it can be a big concern when shipping and receiving reptiles. The cold weather can be a detriment to their health if not packed properly, which is why we, at goReptiles, ship in insulated boxes packed with newspaper for added insulation and heat packs. We do not ship in temperatures lower than 50 degrees. And, please remember that there is an added $2.00 charge for heat packs, which I will make you aware of before payment.
When recieving reptiles via UPS or FedEx, if you follow the below method, you should have no problems with your new reptile(s).
Anything lower than 98.6 degrees will feel cold to the touch.
If you receive a gecko that appears dead, don't panic, yet.
* First, check if there was a heat-pack in the shipping container, and feel it to see if it is still warm. If it is, then the chances are your gecko is in a cold coma.
* It is critical that you do not introduce a gecko in this condition to direct heat, as exposure to heat at this point can cause serious neurological and tissue damage.
Allow the gecko to remain at normal room temperature until it is responsive and moving around normally before introducing it to direct heat. It is a natural instinct for us to want to warm-up a cold gecko that just arrived, but remember that it just came in from the cold, and room temperature is significantly warmer than the back of a delivery truck.
Notify the person you received the gecko from IMMEDIATELY. Follow their instructions, which may be to take a photograph of the gecko, the box, and it's contents.
If the gecko has not revived within a few hours, take a penlight and shine it against the gecko's side/back through the ribcage and see if the heart is beating. If it is, even very slowly, continue keeping the gecko at room temperature until it wakes up.
After the gecko is active, you can introduce it to heat.
Watch the gecko for several days for any evidence of respiratory infection, like wheezing or clicking sounds during breathing, or blowing bubbles through the mouth or nostrils, or gaping mouth breathing. If the gecko shows any of these symptoms, notify the person you got the gecko from and get the gecko to a vet.
Please thank Marcia with Golden Gate Geckos for this very informative instructional guide to recieving reptiles in cooler temperatures.
