# Shipping Snails



## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Hi everyone. I recently had a huge assassin snail outbreak and was thinking of selling them from this forum. Before I do that I would like to ask for some help from people who have sold or currently sell snails like this and ship them all over America.

1. I have an idea how to package the snails but I do not know what to place them in. When I've ordered snails and inverts off of the internet I always see them in Kordon breather bags but I have no idea where to get these and have never seen these sold anywhere. 

2. Which postal service do you use? I think I mostly see USPS. 

3. When putting the fish in the bag or container that you are shipping them in, do you have a can of air that you fill the container up with like you see in a LFS when a fish is being bagged? Or is it okay to have them in a container for a few days without doing this. 

Thanks! Any answers are helpful!


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## boringname (Nov 11, 2010)

sampster5000 said:


> Hi everyone. I recently had a huge assassin snail outbreak and was thinking of selling them from this forum. Before I do that I would like to ask for some help from people who have sold or currently sell snails like this and ship them all over America.
> 
> 1. I have an idea how to package the snails but I do not know what to place them in. When I've ordered snails and inverts off of the internet I always see them in Kordon breather bags but I have no idea where to get these and have never seen these sold anywhere.
> 
> ...


If its an airtight bag you fill it up with mostly air because air has more oxygen in it than the same volume of water. If its a breather bag you fill it with mostly water because this is supposed to help gas diffusion into the bag.


edit: by airtight I mean a non-breather bag.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I've never received anything in Kordon breather bag. Bettas come double bagged in basic plastic fish bags with air at one end. Snails have all come the same way, and that's how I shipped the ramshorns I unloaded on the S&S.


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. What do yall use to fill the bags and where do you get them?


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## toddnbecka (Sep 4, 2006)

Snails don't need to be covered in water, just a wet paper towel in a ziploc bag or a little water in a breather bag to keep them wet in transit. I buy breather bags and heat packs from kensfish.com, he also sells various sizes of poly bags and loads of other stuff. Snails don't need to be double bagged, but they do need to be shipped in a styro-lined box with a heat pack (60 or 72 hour for Priority Mail) in the winter.
I cut 6 pieces of 1/2" styro to fit the inside of a box, place the bag in and pack with styro peanuts, then poke a pencil through the middle of the styro "lid". Tape the heat pack to the inside of the "lid" with the hole directly over red stripe on the heat pack. The styro isn't likely to be 100% air tight, but venting the heat pack will help with air circulation inside the box. 
Incidentally, I've also packed/shipped hundreds of fish the same way with 100% live arrival so far. Main difference is that fish do need to be shipped in water and double bagged (yes, breather bags work fine doubled) and I also use a small piece of polyfilter to absorb ammonia in transit.


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Thank you so much toddnbecka! You've helped me so much  I'm going to check out the website for the bags. Seems easy enough to ship, just needed a little extra info like you gave.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

I use a zip lock bag and a damp napkin...works fine for me...


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Caton said:


> I use a zip lock bag and a damp napkin...works fine for me...


 
Ditto, but mine was a one off, not a start of something I planned on doing regularly.


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Caton said:


> I use a zip lock bag and a damp napkin...works fine for me...


This seems like the simplest idea but risky. Did you do this for 1 day shipping only or for maybe even up to 4 or 5 days? I guess I've never read anything about aquatic snails being out of the water for a long time. Every article just says that they can breathe air and water due to their gill and lung.

Do you put the zip lock bag/napkin in styrofoam and in a box? Or directly in a box? Thanks!


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## toddnbecka (Sep 4, 2006)

Ziploc bags are good for 2-3 days, snails don't actually use much O2. Just make sure you trap a good amount of air in the bag when you seal it shut. You need to insulate the box w/styro to keep them warm enough. An uninsulated box will lose heat too fast, even with a heat pack in there.


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## Franzi (Dec 7, 2009)

I sold some assassins 2 months ago. I double-bagged them with a little water and a plant leaf in there for them to hold on to and closed it with plenty of air in there (no oxygen can or anything like that) to make a nice bubble/cushion. No need for styrofoam, just a heat pack (72hr is your best bet) and crumbled newspaper for insulation (it works very well). I sent it in a USPS priority mail box...cube shaped, I think 8"?

The person I sold to, up in extra-cold Maine, said they arrived in good shape and the heatpack was still warm.

Hope that helps.


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Awesome! Thanks everyone!


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