Shipping
We ship live animals overnight, and only on days when the animal can be in your hands the next morning. That is why the calendar below is narrow on purpose.
Ship days and cutoff
- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only. Nothing ships Friday through Monday, because a box that misses a connection would sit through a weekend.
- Cutoff is 12:00 PM Eastern. Orders placed after the cutoff move to the next available ship day.
- You choose your ship date at checkout. If you need a specific week, tell us in the order note and we will hold the animals in our system.
How a box is packed
Each animal is double bagged with fresh system water and pure oxygen, then wrapped and set inside an insulated foam liner in a corrugated box. Frags are anchored so nothing rolls. A heat pack goes in when the forecast on either end is cold, and a cool pack goes in during a heat wave. Neither ever touches a bag directly.
Rates
| Method | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight, flat rate per box | $49 | Up to 12 animals in one box |
| Overnight, orders over $350 | Free | Same box limit |
| Local pickup, Queens NY | Free | By appointment, address sent after you order |
If your order needs a second box, we will write to you before charging anything extra.
Weather holds
When the forecast at either end is under 32F or over 95F, we may hold the order and email you with the next safe date. Holding is free and it is the single best thing we can do for the animal. You can always ask us to ship anyway, and we will, but read the live arrival guarantee first: a box sent into a temperature we flagged is not covered.
Tracking
Tracking goes out the evening the box leaves. Someone needs to be at the address to take the box in the morning. A live shipment that gets refused or bounced to a second attempt is the most common way an order is lost, and it is the one thing we cannot fix from here.
Where we ship
Continental United States only. We do not ship to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico or outside the country, because the transit time is longer than the animals can hold. Local pickup in Queens is available on any day, not only ship days.