I’ve been kicking around the idea of getting a corn snake, but there seems to be a dearth of good reptile stores in the DFW metroplex. Looking online, I see lots of breeders who ship live hatchlings.
At some point down the road, I’d like to get chickens (not in the same tank as the snake!) and I know people often ship day-old chicks. Anyone wanna tell me about that?
So … tell me your experiences, good or bad. And if anyone wants to give a shout-out to some local (for me) herp. store I’d be grateful as well.
I can tell you about the chicks. I live in dfw and I’ve had friends do one of 3 things: order from the mcmurray (?) hatchery which has a 25 chick minimum IIRC, order at a higher price from a feed store (typically no minimum as they combine orders) or just drive to the hatchery (I think it’s 2 hours from here?).
Back in the day I kept herps and had several hatchling snakes shipped from Ft. Myers FLA to Oakland CA. Never a problem in maybe a half dozen deliveries. They came via Delta and were picked up at the airport package center. Packing I believe was in a small plastic container, packed in newspaper in a medium-sized styrofoam container, packed further in a cardboard box and marked fragile - “live reptiles” ( which the folks at the package counter found amusing ).
This was all…hmmm…20 years ago? I no longer keep herp pets and have no idea what protocols are like these days. But I can’t imagine it is all that different from back in the day, assuming you are buying from a reputable source.
When I was in high school, my father ordered bees from Sears and they came in the mail. To keep them from overheating, two of the sides of the container were made of screen, rather than wood. You could see and hear the bees through the screen.
We found out that if two pounds of visible bees come into a suburban post office on a Sunday, the Postmaster will drive them out and deliver them personally, to get them out of his Post Office.
I’ve mentioned this before, and I’d look for a link to it. But I have to hurry and meet someone for sushi. Mmmmm.
Have you googled for any local reptile rescues? Tried craigslist? Corns are so common in the pet trade, I’d be surprised if you can’t get one locally. Maybe post a want ad if you don’t see a listing you like.
Delta has a good reputation in the biz, but it’ll cost you. I’d also worry about buying an animal sight unseen. The other good thing about rehoming an adult is that they’ll already be eating and amenable to handling, not always the easiest thing in the world for hatchling snakes.
I have had a baby bearded dragon shipped from California to Mississippi, and he was fine. I don’t imagine he loved the trip, but he arrived no worse for wear, and is now full grown and happy. I would have another shipped (if I wanted one) without question; it’s the best way to get healthy animals.
And, I think you should consider sand boas. They are awesome snakes. I have one now, and he is totally cool. And I know a great breeder who ships. PM me if you’re interested.
I agree with the craigslist or rescue idea. When I look at the Craigslist pet ads here, Corn snakes are pretty regularly for sale on there. I’d definitely try watching the pet ads on there for a while. I was able to find a nice, healthy, well-cared for tortoise at a cheap price that way.
My dog was shipped to me from Canada to the US and although customs was a bit of a pain it wasn’t really a big deal. Just went to the airport, signed some papers, and picked her up. Some airports don’t deal with live animals though (our local one didn’t, drove two hours to one that did).
Also had live ducklings shipped too, again no big deal. Ordered them from an online website and the delivery man brought them to the door.
Either Petsmart or Petco (can’t remember which) regularly has corn snakes for sale. I don’t know if you consider them a good herp store, though.
During the spring, the Tractor Supply Company in Burleson has chicks and ducklings and bunnies. Each spring, I have to tell myself VERY firmly that we really, really don’t need any ducklings. Even if my husband DOES love duck for dinner. I don’t know about TSCs in other locations in DFW. I generally only go to the one in Burleson, because it’s on the way to Antonio’s with the awesome tortilla soup.
My brother-in-law sent us a live lobster last Xmas. It arrived woozy, but OK. It was delicious.
Mrs. J. stuck it in the vegetable crisper in the fridge when it arrived, then forgot she put it there and had a nice surprise when she opened the drawer looking for lettuce.
Had a purebred pup shipped to me across 4 states. She had soiled her crate but was otherwise fine and still preferred a crate-like environment the rest of her life, so the trip didn’t put her off crates.
Most big cities have a few major, convention-style shows each year, and usually there’s a small show for local breeders that meets monthly. You should be able to find something by searching the web. Any of these shows will have baby corn snakes in every possible color morph.
A funny live animal shipment story. Back in 1995, I was awaiting a shipment of frogs. I lived about an hour from the airport, so I wanted to be sure that the frogs had arrived before I left the house. My wife called Delta to inquire. She told them we were awaiting a box of frogs. I heard her end of the conversation only, of course.
Frogs. Live frogs.
No, frogs.
Frogs!!! F R O G S! FROGS!!!
Frogs, you know, AMPHETAMINES!!
I had a few moments of concern about how I would be treated when I got to the airport, but it all went well.
If you’re real lucky you might find one in the basement like Turtleman. I googled that because in the brief TV trailer I suspected that might be a Corn snake. The video though informs that it’s in fact a Red Rat snake. They’re beautiful too and I wonder how they do in captivity.
I used to co-own an exotic reptile store. You can get proper shipping, (usually via Delta-dash) from nearly any large on line retailer. Try using Fauna classifieds for starters. Nearly all the bigger guys are on there regularly, and you can pick individual animals often. I second the idea of attending a show though, it’s easier and cheaper. Reptiles may also be sent by Fed-Ex or UPS, I don’t recall which one.
Baby chicks are shipped all the time, no problem. I use McMurray Hatchery and never had a single problem-- good healthy chicks, all their shots, etc., delivered just right. They also have an incredible selection of all types of poultry and fowl.
I had a few moments of concern about how I would be treated when I got to the airport, but it all went well.