shipping mantis shrimp

[lionbacker54]

so gieser has offered to send me one of his four n.wennerae, and i want to make it as easy as possible for him. i have never shipped nor received a mantis shrimp, but i read dr. roy's article on the lurker's guide. he noted that heat is the great enemy in shipping mantis shrimp, and recommended medical grade foam containers. he also noted that it is important to

1. only fill the container 1/4 full of water
2. to use freshly mixed saltwater, not tank water
3. to not feed the stomatopod the day prior

my question- is it possible to just send a thermos bottle? seems easier to get than medical grade foam. my idea would be to send a prepaid packing slip, but that takes some guesswork as to the ultimate weight. has anyone done this before? any tips on logistics?

 

[Koshmar]

Get medical grade foam, trust me, I use to work in shipping. That mantis is gonna go for one wild ride.

 

[Mentat]

Would make sure bag (min. 4 better 6 bags) are cushioned with packing material inside the insulating container. Mechanical damage is an issue and what I think is responsible for 2 dead Mantis received last Friday. Only one that made it was further protected inside a holed-up plastic container (prevents Mantis from puncturing bags).

 

[lionbacker54]

hmm, this seems more complicated than i thought. i don't want a mantis death on my conscience. i'm having second thoughts about this.

 

[Koshmar]

Naw, it's not that complicated. Did you buy from Stomatopod.com? The way they did it was excellent, you could always try to contact one of the staff over there for advice and where they get their material.

 

[351winsor]

If you know anyone who works for coke/dr.pepper/big red....ect the one litter bottles are made out of a clear tube called a P.E.T. I have used these to ship things back to my self from the coast. My buddies used to take them by habit, and i ended up with a ton a few years back, i only have one or two now.....if i can find them.

 

[Gonodactylus]

We ship Neogonodactylus wennerae all the time. The simplest method is to place the animal in a clean one liter water bottle 1/4th full of sea water. You don't need medical grade styrofoam. A six-pack cooler will do. Then place that in a cardboard box that just fits with some foam peanuts, bubble wrap or crumpled paper to make it secure. If you are worried about leakage, seal the bottle in a plastic bag (a one gallon zip-lock works well)..

Send the package overnight and lable it "Live tropica Fish". Do not say shrimp. Occasionally the carrier service with assume that shrimp means "frozen food" and you packages is refrigerated.

Roy

 

[lionbacker54]

wow, that is much easier than i thought. ok, i will give it a try!