How cold is too cold to ship T's?

[Meludox]

It gets pretty cold at night here, with a low of 10 degrees tonight. I wanted to order a T after the snow is cleared up so there aren't many risks for delays but I'm figuring that the temperature is still too low. Would a heatpack be much help or is it still too low?

 

[kormath]

Should be fine if your daytime temps are above freezing. I've ordered all my Ts when temps here were in the 30s or 40s and haven't had any issues yet. Supposed to be mid 30s this week and I have 2 from Jaimes coming and 1 from KTBG.

I've read heat packs only give about 10F for 48 hrs average.

 

[Meludox]

So it should be okay? The temps during the day are in the 30's. Normally I probably wouldn't care much, but it's a Brachypelma albiceps that we're talking here and the vendor only has three in stock.

 

[kormath]

Should be fine. All of mine have been ordered in 30F weather and I haven't had an issue yet (knock on wood). I wouldn't sweat it.

I know how you feel about the special T the #1 on my most wanted list is in this order and it's coming from Jamies. and her shipping is typically slow snail mail through the USPS but this time i used priority so we'll see how that goes.

 

[Scoolman]

A heat pack is good for about 10° difference inside the shipping, vs. outside air temp. As a genral rule you do not want to ship in temps below 50°. 40°, is really pushing the extremes and should only be done using overnight shipping.

 

[MassExodus]

A heat pack is good for about 10° difference inside the shipping, vs. outside air temp. As a genral rule you do not want to ship in temps below 50°. 40°, is really pushing the extremes and should only be done using overnight shipping.

Wouldn't the temp inside the package as opposed to outside temp be determined by insulation/packaging plus the heat pack? How do we come up with a ten degree difference? I've heard that before, can't say I understand it..

 

[Entity]

Wouldn't the temp inside the package as opposed to outside temp be determined by insulation/packaging plus the heat pack? How do we come up with a ten degree difference? I've heard that before, can't say I understand it..

yeah i agree. if the package is insulated, which jamies always r then the temp will certainly be higher than 10 degrees higher than the outside air.

 

[Meludox]

So do you guys think it's safe?

 

[MassExodus]

I would go with whatever the seller says. The shippers should know their business, and refuse to ship if it isn't safe. This year is the first time I've ordered in winter though, so what do I know? I've had to be patient with my most recent order, but it's coming Wednesday

 

[Scoolman]

That is using very well insulated packaging. You can search heat pack details published by various manufacturers, which explain exactly how they work.
A good seller knows when to ship and when not to, but the buyer still has a responsibility as well.

 

[MassExodus]

I'm going to have to revise my opinion a bit Meludox..I got my slings today. It was 30 degrees last night, probably a few degrees cooler where they were coming from in east Texas..They were in the mail one night, and when I got them, the box was cold, and when i unwrapped them, there was a warm heatpack right up against them. The vials were already cool, almost cold..the spiders were kind of sluggish coming out, but not too bad, and they perked right up. I just got the feeling from the whole thing that if those spiders were delayed a day in the mail, they may not have made it. I could be wrong, but i won't be ordering any spiders in the winter months in the future. Perhaps 2 or even three heat packs would make it safer, I don't know, but I don't see the breeders doing that, it's like 5 bucks for the good ones i believe. I just won't be chancing it again, I'll wait next time.

 

[Scoolman]

Glad the Ts survived the trip.

 

[Tomoran]

I used to be much more impatient with receiving tarantulas in winter, but I had a few incidences that made me change my outlook. The first was a package I ordered two years ago with seven spiders in it from someone downsizing their collection. Although she chose to ship on a warmer day, the weather changed drastically overnight dipping into the 20s and bringing with it a surprise snow storm and several inches of snow. The FedEx shipment was delayed a day as a result. When the package arrived, I discovered this person "forgot" to put a heat pack in. With my family gathered around the table to see the new specimens, I pulled out seven dead tarantulas. It was heartbreaking for everyone. In the second instance, the package was shipped on a warm day (a break from freezing temps), and again the weather got bitterly cold overnight. When the package arrived, I discovered that the heat pack was apparently defective because it was barely warm and all of my Ts were cold and quite sluggish. I dodged a bullet with that one.

Now if I order in the winter, I wait until both the shipper and I have higher sustained day and night temps in the 40s or higher. I'll even go ahead and in my order ask that they be held to initiate the conversation. The vendors I use are more than happy to hold (and often relieve that they didn't have to bring the issue up themselves!). Most times, you can catch a few days here and there, although last year I had to wait about 2 1/2 months before it was safe to ship one batch. I currently have a batch waiting to ship because although we got close to 50 hear yesterday, it was in the teens at night.

 

[kormath]

I must be lucky.

I've only ordered Ts in the winter as i started my collection in November last year. I've ordered from Jamies, KTBG and Anastasia without any issues so far. Even the accidental B. Albo order that took 7 days in the USPS to get to me was fine.

I check weather and order when there's supposed to be a warm spell (30-40F temps). And have had the sudden weather change. Monday it was 42 here, Tuesday was 37 for the high, but yesterday when the H. triseriatus and the G. pulchripes arrived it had dropped from the advertised 35 high to an 18 high.

I always unbox the spiders and let them sit in the vials on the counter though while my son and i prep the enclosures so they can acclimate. I've tried building the enclosure in advance but find myself changing things over and over waiting for it to arrive lol. Easier to do it when they get here for me.