Shipping Trauma

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CDHarder

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Our new bearded dragon just arrived after 52 hours in transit…should have been less than 24. Never again, FedEx.

His transit heat pack had gone cold and it is in the 20’s here. He was cold to the touch and unresponsive when i took him out of the box. He’s been on his new basking spot now for about an hour and he willingly opens and moves his eyes, has moved his head some (it’s up, not hung down), and has taken some good big breaths. His tail was rigidly up at first but it’s relaxed and draped down now. His chin is still dark and his tail is pale but otherwise his colors are slowly coming back. His back legs are hanging down over the edge of the rock but seem comfortable (he hasn’t moved his body from where I placed him).

What else can we do to support him? He has moistened greens and we sprayed a small amount of warm water over his head just to offer some humidity, but I know he’s not going to be up to eating for some time. It’s been bad enough for 2 days feeling helpless to get him out of shipping hell, i just want to make sure we’re doing everything we can for him now.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Our new bearded dragon just arrived after 52 hours in transit…should have been less than 24. Never again, FedEx.

His transit heat pack had gone cold and it is in the 20’s here. He was cold to the touch and unresponsive when i took him out of the box. He’s been on his new basking spot now for about an hour and he willingly opens and moves his eyes, has moved his head some (it’s up, not hung down), and has taken some good big breaths. His tail was rigidly up at first but it’s relaxed and draped down now. His chin is still dark and his tail is pale but otherwise his colors are slowly coming back. His back legs are hanging down over the edge of the rock but seem comfortable (he hasn’t moved his body from where I placed him).

What else can we do to support him? He has moistened greens and we sprayed a small amount of warm water over his head just to offer some humidity, but I know he’s not going to be up to eating for some time. It’s been bad enough for 2 days feeling helpless to get him out of shipping hell, i just want to make sure we’re doing everything we can for him now.
Make sure his basking spot surface temp taken w/ a digital probe thermometer- 105-110 his uvb is a long tube fixture like a T 5 and it's in the tank directly over him 12-15 inches- give him some time to adjust going to get some more help
@AHBD
@Drache613
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Wow, poor baby ! Who did you order him from because ANYone who is not shipping next day air is a very unethical breeder. If it was Fedex mistake, was the breeder in constant contact ? Did you receive a tracking # and able to see alll points of destination during shipment ? You are deserving a refund of your price of the shipping and if your dragon becomes sick you should get a full refund. How is he breathing ? Please post a video of him.
 

CDHarder

Member
Original Poster
Wow, poor baby ! Who did you order him from because ANYone who is not shipping next day air is a very unethical breeder. If it was Fedex mistake, was the breeder in constant contact ? Did you receive a tracking # and able to see alll points of destination during shipment ? You are deserving a refund of your price of the shipping and if your dragon becomes sick you should get a full refund. How is he breathing ? Please post a video of him.
Ethical breeder, proper shipper who was engaged and helping…all mistakes belong to FedEx. One compounding error after another but basically he was handled as a normal package, not the live animal he was shipped and marked as. Just be aware right now that as a company, FedEx is horrifically overcommitted, under staffed, and ill equipped…and won’t stand by their commitments. Between human error and delays that meant missed flights and trucks, he just got bounced around their system. When those characteristics impact animal shipping, it’s just another “so sorry” to them. He was priority overnight shipped for a within 24hr delivery…when we exceeded the 50hr mark and he had bounced between 3 states and 5 depots (Aka there was no way or intention for him to EVER have arrived in 24hrs on FedEx’s part), we got the corporate shrug of indifference and were told if he didn’t show up in 3 more days, ask for a refund. It took persistence and being physically in front of some local sorting center staff who were willing to help to get him found.

Heat has been a wonder. He is active, has eaten some greens and 5 dubia, and has self-explored quite a bit of his new terrarium. Luckily he was robust and healthy before all this, I can’t help but think that helped tremendously. He’s finding his color again and hopefully just settling in. We’re trying to give him peace and quiet. If there is anything else to keep an eye out for or provide in this transition phase, thank you in advance for sharing!!!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Thanks for the update. I have seen breeders skip out on the next day air option or even use USPS so that's what I thought had happened. It's amazing that your dragon has become active, just keep an eye out for respiratory problems. Hopefully that won't happen and if it does, that it can be remedied ASAP. Glad to hear that it's a case of so far so good !
 

CDHarder

Member
Original Poster
Make sure his basking spot surface temp taken w/ a digital probe thermometer- 105-110 his uvb is a long tube fixture like a T 5 and it's in the tank directly over him 12-15 inches- give him some time to adjust going to get some more help
@AHBD
@Drache613
Thank you!! Check, check, all check. He’s doing remarkably better, I think we were close there but he’ coming around.
 

Badwolfe

Hatchling Member
Sounds like you've been very lucky with how quickly your dragon has started to bounce back considering how long it was stuck in transit. Like AHBD stated just keep an eye on their respiration but it sounds like both you and your pet had a very lucky escape.

Wish you both well for the future
 
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