Threnody wrote:
I have some three-month old apple snails that a friend is interested in
getting from me, but I need to ship them to her. How on earth does one
go about shipping these little guys? Priority mail, I'm assuming, but
what's the best spill-proof method for a group of five snails? Each
snail is roughly 1 cm.

I have never mailed a live animal before and I'm completely at a loss
here.

Ship them like the pros, in double fish bags. First, take your snails
in some tank water to LFS and see if they will bag them for you with
oxygen for a small fee. If not, most LFS will sell small fish bags for
a very small amount of money. Without oxygen, I'd double bag each snail
in its own bag since they'll have to go for two days.

To bag, put some tankwater and a snail in the bag. Hold the top open,
grab around it quickly, and slide your hand down the bag to catch some
air in it. You want about 1/3 water and 2/3 air. Twist the top and tie
it in a knot. Put that bag knot-down in the second bag and knot that
one too.

Then pack with peanuts or something to cushion and ship them priority as
you would anything else. It's summertime so you don't have to worry
about temps and doubled fish bags are pretty sturdy. Good luck!

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com