Shipping Live Turtles

I’m looking for advice on shipping live turtles after I had some interesting conversation with the two most widely used commercial shippers today. To cut to the chase: I called the national 800 numbers for Airborne Express and UPS to seek advice on how I might either pay for upgraded service or have deliveries held at the nearest company facility for pick up to avoid overheating problems explained below. I was told by the 800 number representatives that neither company ships live animals – – period! End of story. They do not accept live animals! When I picked myself up off the floor and asked them how I had just received shipments of live reptiles via their companies in the past week and have received dozens of such shipments for several years, they repeated that they do not ship live animals. The representative then checked with a supervisor. (By this time, I’m thinking about the dozens (hundreds?) of web sites and the stack of catalogues I have sitting here that list Airborne and UPS as the shippers for all types of live reptiles and fish!) I then explained that I realized that they took no responsibility for live shipments and that I was not trying to make a claim for damages. I just wanted to know how best to protect packages from overheating! (In my mind, this could be any package such as candles or something!). No dice. I had said the “L” word and they were HOSTILE! Airborne insisted that live reptiles are “unaccetable freight.” I said I knew that that meant they would take no responsibility for loss, but I pointed out that they DO ship live reptiles. I was assured that they do NOT ship live reptiles. I repeated that many shippers do in fact use Airborne. The answer then was that they could not possibly know what was in unmarked packages. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I futiley argued that every single box I have received via Airborne has had ‘Live Turtles” written on it! How can they deny that they accept the packages? That confused the representative and she returned to repeating the “unacceptable freight” deal. I gave up on Airborne! So then I tried UPS. After being transfered several times and reaching a “Shipping Specialist” I was promptly and very discourtesly told that “All live animals shipped through UPS will die in transit.” O.K. I once again tried to point out that not ALL do die from my personal experience. I stated that I was a receiver, not a shipper, and that I thought it odd that so many commerical dealers in live reptiles and fish not only use but openly promote UPS shipping using the company logo on their web sites and in printed catalogs. Why do they allow shippers to ship live animals if they say they do not accept live cargo? I was told once again that ALL live animals shipped via UPS WILL (not might, not “we’re not responsible,” but a definite WILL) die in transit because it is an automated system and no animal could possibly withstand the environmental extremes. UPS did suggest I check with a local veterinarian for suggestions of a shipper of live animals. That’s the interesting conversations. Now for my own experiences and question: I have been receiving many boxes of live turtles from all over the country for over three years now with no problems, mostly via Airborne Express next day. A few have come UPS next day. I have gotten some US Mail (shipper’s choice – not mine). I have had shippers put in chemical heat or cold packs as appropriate and use insulated boxes. The Texas heat the past month has caused overheating of three separate packages carried via Airborne. I lost one turtle (out of several) in each shipment. A new driver carries the boxes in the back of a small pickup truck under an aluminum cap instead of up front in the cab where the previous driver always carried them. I didn’t realize how lucky I was with the climate controlled delivery until the drivers changed! The new driver readily admitted that he recognized that they were live animals and that the boxes were hot (as in BAKED to a crisp). His concern has been over the lack of large airholes that he thinks the boxes need. I have tried to tell him that airholes are not nearly as much of a concern as the temperature reached inside the box. Already knowing that Airborne would never take responsibility for dead turtles even before today’s phone calls, I have tried to educate this driver rather than attack him as I see no change in his handling if I became a “problem customer.” My guess is that he doesn’t want live reptiles of any kind in his cab. Even though I receive the packages at a business address, it takes four to five hours for the packages to reach me 80 miles from the airport. I have always checked tracking numbers and the Airborne packages always arrive in the Houston airport between 8:30 AM and 9:00 AM and the truck always delivers them to me around 1:00 PM. I found out today from the website that my receiving address is outside of the “Primary Delivery Zone,” which means no morning delivery service is even available for an additional cost from either UPS or Airborne and neither will guarantee delivery the next day (when all the fine print is actually read!). Thus, my purpose in calling the national customer service numbers to determine how best to have a shipment held at a “safer” arrival point to avoid the truck ride out to my rural delivery address. As explained above, I never got that far since I mentioned the “L” word. Obviously I will now not request shipments of live turtles to me until the daytime temps lower a bit or I figure out another shipping option. US Mail regs specifically prohibit the shipment of aquatic turtles but do allow the shipment of tortoises and other types of reptiles in addition to exotic birds and poultry. Some postmasters will knowingly ship live turtles, though. Some may not. Even though my personal experience has been that US Mail overnight has handled live packages the best of any service I have received shipments from, I would not ship turtles out that way myself since the regs prohibit it. Among online sellers, I see that Shawn of Turtle-Town up in Chicago dropped Airborne and uses UPS and US Mail. Again, interesting that these three shippers prohibit live turtle shipments but yet accept and deliver packages so marked! We have a large international animal shipper in Houston that I am going to contact for alternatives for shipping turtles to this area, but I don’t know how much help they will be for such small shipments of just a few turtles. So, anyone else have any suggestions or recommendations on shippers for live turtles?