On shipping alligators to Alaska

[Molch]

so I figured that if I ever want to set up a tank with Bombina at my home in Nome, I will have to mail the critters to myself from the big city where I would get them (Anchorage or Fairbanks) to where I live (Nome). Nome is off the road system so anything has to go there by plane somehow. The airlines are very complicated about this, so...

....I called the gool ol' US post office for their shipping rules regarding critters and they were baffled and clueless. One lady looked it up in her "catalog" and said that shipping all live animals was not allowed, except alligators (!). Yeah. According to the US Post Office.

I explained that a few little fire belly toads in a styrofoam box are likely to be much less trouble than a cranky 6-foot alligator packed in bubble wrap and with his jaws taped shut with duct tape. She had absolutely no sense of humor about it ("that's the regulations, Ma'am...").

So..for you experts and frequent herp shippers out there, how does one get 3-5 fire belly toads from one town to another in the same state??

Or should I give up on the toads and just get the alligator instead?

 

[Jennewt]

Yes, USPS does accept live animals. Since many of their own employees don't have a clue, it's best to mark the box "perishable", not as live animals. If you need to protect against freezing, use an insulated container with a cold pack, but start the cold pack at room temperature; it will thus prevent freezing.

Could you take the animals with you when you travel? Airlines only allow animals as checked baggage, but if you pack them as mentioned above they should be OK as checked baggage. Ask the airline before attempting.