Tonight, as I prepared baby Esmerelda for her cross-Canada journey, I decided to take some photos to show just how the skinks travel.
First, I gather my shipping supplies:
Lovely Esmerelda goes for a warm soak while I prepare her travel accommodations:
The box is put together and the styrofoam is put into place:
The inside is lined with newspaper:
More newspaper is folded up to provide insulation and cushioning:
The first layer goes on the bottom of the box:
The cloth bag is stuffed with some crumpled paper towel; a cozy skink-hide for the trip:
Esmerelda gets some after-bath cuddles:
Then makes her way into the snug cloth bag:
Which is then secured:
And placed into the box, with more newspaper around it:
The original layer of paper is folded over the whole piece, and a top layer is added:
Then the lid is put on. She’s all snug and ready for the long trip:
Soon, she’ll arrive at her new home, and she’ll peek out and come face-to-face with her new, loving family:
Since this was just the pre-shipping prep, you don’t get to see a few additional steps:
– The cloth bag is sealed with a zip-tie for security.
– The heat-packs are pre-warmed the next morning, then one is attached to the top-inside of the box, and the other is attached, inside, on the opposite side.
– Only when the delivery person arrives is the box fully closed up and taped. The shipping label goes into the baggie on the top of the box (the label is scanned regularly for tracking updates), and the extra stickers are added to the box.
– Then she’s handed over, goes on a journey, and the next day she arrives at her new home.
Sam at Reptile Express makes shipping these babies easy, and nothing makes me smile more than to know my babies are safe in their new homes, being spoiled rotten.
Safe trip Esmerelda! And to all my babies who make these journeys 🙂
