Detailed Explanation of Snake Shipping Methods and Precautions

1. Equipment for shipping snakes

Except for those caught personally, breeding snakes are mostly purchased from snake farms in other places. Before purchasing, prepare containers for holding snakes in advance, such as cloth bags, wire cages, bamboo baskets, snake boxes, etc. Cloth bags can be used to transport a small number of snakes; they are convenient to carry, must not be torn, should be appropriately long, and should not be too large in diameter. At the same time, when carrying snakes in a bag, the bag should be held suspended and the bottom of the bag must not be placed on the ground, to prevent the snake from touching the ground, using it as a support point to leap upward and injure people. When using wire cages to hold snakes for transport, pay attention to ventilation, and they should be easy to rinse. The snake cage must not be too deep, and the mesh should be small, to prevent the snakes from crushing each other to death or escaping from the cage. Using bamboo baskets to hold snakes for transport is light and low-cost, but the transport volume is small and they are not sturdy, being easily broken and allowing snakes to escape. Wooden boxes are better for transporting snakes, as they are not only sturdy and escape-proof but also hold a relatively large number of snakes. However, their breathability is poorer than wire cages, and they are not lightweight. To prevent snakes from escaping through breakage when wooden boxes are used to hold snakes, the wooden box should be about 1.5 cm thick, with the surrounding edges and corners reinforced with iron sheeting. To avoid crushing injuries to one another, two layers of partitions can be installed inside the wooden box for separation. The sides and bottom have breathable wire mesh windows.

2. Shipping breeding snakes

When shipping venomous snakes, be sure to guard against snakebite. To avoid being bitten, wear safety gloves. When catching breeding snakes, if a snake is found forming an "Eight Trigrams formation," first strike a vessel with a stick or first shake the snake cage; while the snake's formation is being disrupted, be ready at any time to catch the snake and transfer it to the box. For safety, it is best to use simple snake-catching tools, such as snake tongs to clamp snakes or a net to catch snakes, etc. When catching snakes to transfer them to cages, first remove the venomous snakes, and then remove the non-venomous snakes, so as to prevent confusion in one's line of sight. When catching venomous snakes, the force used should not be too great, and the position should be appropriate; otherwise, it is easy to be bitten by the snake. Generally, one should grasp the middle and tail of the snake's body, but for cobras, king cobras, and pythons, one should grasp the head. If a snake becomes aggressive, such as a cobra or king cobra flattening its neck, raising its head, and making a "huhu" sound, one may press with force any part of the snake's body from above its head using a flexible bamboo pole or tool, then move the bamboo pole to press its neck and catch it. It is best for two people to cooperate, so that the snake is disturbed and temporarily stops being aggressive, and then seize the opportunity to quickly catch the snake and transfer it to the cage. If taking a snake from a cloth bag holding snakes and transferring it to a box, first pour the snake from the bag directly into a wire cage, let it air out for a while, and then transfer it to the box. If there are only 1 to 2 snakes in the bag, one may feel through the cloth for the rear part of its head, pinch it, and carefully take it out.

Catching snakes and transferring them to boxes should be done in a brightly lit place, because the vision of most snakes is adapted to dark environments. When catching an individual ferocious snake, to ensure safety, medical adhesive tape can be wrapped once around the snake's snout, so that only the snake's tongue can protrude from the mouth, without affecting its breathing, and to the extent that it cannot injure anyone. Snakes to be shipped should be boxed according to species and size. Some particularly ferocious and combative snakes especially must not be mixed casually, to avoid mutual fighting and injuring each other, which is unfavorable for rearing. Generally, a wooden box 80 cm long, 50 cm wide, and 25 cm high can hold about 20 snakes; for short-distance transport and when the snakes are small, 5 to 10 more can be appropriately loaded. The snakes should be able to turn around inside the box. Once they are found to be too crowded, they should be divided among several large wooden boxes for transport.

3. Health care and safety measures for snakes during transport

To ensure safe shipment and survival of snakes, in addition to minimizing the time snakes spend in transit and striving to arrive at the destination as early as possible, one should also frequently inspect to prevent snakes from being crushed or biting each other, and should check whether the shipping containers are damaged. Once a problem is found, it must be promptly refitted or repaired.

Because snakes are afraid of cold, fear heat, and avoid filth, they are generally suited to living in an environment of 20 to 30°C; therefore, the temperature inside the transport box is suitably around 20°C. In summer transport, absolutely avoid sun exposure; tree branches can be used for shade, and the transport containers should be kept cool and ventilated. In hot weather, cool water can be appropriately used to lower the temperature. For long-distance transport, it is suitable to transfer them to another box once every 2 to 3 days. In winter, when the temperature is low, heating is needed; dry grass can be added inside the box for warmth, and the grass should be cut short to prevent snakes from being entangled by the grass and dying, and they should be transferred to another box once every 6 to 7 days. During box-transfer inspections, if the snake's body is found to be dirty, it should be immediately rinsed with clean water. After rinsing, the snake should be put back into the shipping container only after its body has dried, to prevent the snake's skin from becoming damp and rotting. When shipping snakes, one must be especially cautious, take protective measures, and prevent accidents that injure people.

In addition, vehicles and vessels shipping snakes must never be loaded together with chemical substances that can harm the snakes' health; otherwise, it will cause the death of large numbers of snakes and result in serious economic losses.