A young guy phoned me the other day saying he had just bought to T's from a breeder in Cape Town and how should he feed them and house them. I helped him as much as I could. Today he phoned me saying his two T's had arrived in the post. One was very much alive the other was all curled up, hardly moving. Sorry the size being slings. I asked him in what had they been posted in. Two small plastic pill holders and no air vents, rapped in bubble rap and then put into a envelope. Posted on the 28 Feb 2013 recieved today 4 March 2013. Is this how its done or is it that some breeders don't care.

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That's how Ts are posted, I've posted many tarantulas like that, but the one that's curled up he should put it in a moist enclosure ASAP with water droplets so its able to drink but without covering it's book lungs, as long as it's still moving it should make a quick recovery.

allen1303 wrote: ... Today he phoned me saying his two T's had arrived in the post. One was very much alive the other was all curled up, hardly moving. Sorry the size being slings. ...

Get the sick one into a formal ICU . No excess heat! Just put the ICU in a warmer part of your home. This is called shipping shock and is usually the result of rough treatment in transit. If it isn't beat up too badly it should come through this just fine. It just needs a little time out with peace and quiet and a lot of humidity.

allen1303 wrote: ... I asked him in what had they been posted in. Two small plastic pill holders and no air vents, rapped in bubble rap and then put into a envelope. ...

There are better ways, but if the distance isn't too great and your postal service not well known for its unbearable cruelty, that sort of thing normally works well.

Again, the problem is most likely due to rough handling in transit, and baring Herculean efforts, which have a way of becoming very expensive, it would have happened regardless of the shipping container.

There is also a chance that it was shipped during premolt or too soon after molting. Dealers normally try to do a good job of not shipping tarantulas in that state, but when you're shipping dozens to hundreds of tarantulas a day from a collection of thousands of individuals, you can't keep a minute by minute watch on what each little darling is doing. "Stuff happens!"

allen1303 wrote: ... Posted on the 28 Feb 2013 recieved today 4 March 2013. ...

Without the rough treatment, their sojourn in the shipping package would have been just like setting on a shelf in your spider room. They just think and act as though they're in a burrow. They might have lasted a week or more if they had to. That isn't the reason the one is so bad.

allen1303 wrote: ... Is this how its done or is it that some breeders don't care. ...

Actually, I think it was the Post Office that didn't care. But then, maybe they didn't know or shouldn't know, that the package contained living creatures. whistle2

You have no idea how many tarantulas travel as chocolates in this world! And do so quite successfully. :angel:

Best of luck.

At what age should slings be sent. The one he showed me looks like it just came out the egg sac.The slings were sent by normal post as if you were posting a letter. No warning on the envelope as to its contents.

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Well it's actually illegal to send any live animals through the post, but we all do it anyway The way the guy sent them is how everyone does it, also in the vials with tissue inside, in an envelope or a box and through the normal postal service, 90% of the time they come out alright. I've sent 2nd instar slings before, and I'm sure everyone else that sends Ts also does. As the T gets bigger the more dangerous it is on the tarantula.

Okay, thanks now i understand

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