Shipping a live animal is not the same as shipping a package. We ship by train with a personal escort — here is exactly what we do, why we do it, and what you should expect when your animal arrives.
Every animal we ship is guaranteed to arrive alive. If it does not, we replace it. This is not a marketing phrase — it is our operational commitment, backed by the escorted-transit and packaging approach described on this page.
Most courier networks sort live-animal parcels through the same conveyors, warehouses, and vehicles as any other package — and that handling is exactly what stresses or kills a sensitive animal in transit. Instead, for most orders, a person carries the animal with them on the train, keeps it at a stable temperature and orientation the entire journey, and hands it directly to you (or a trusted local contact) at the other end. For some routes and smaller, hardier animals, we may instead use a courier partner we trust — we will tell you which applies to your order before dispatch.
Whether escorted by hand or sent via courier partner, every live animal travels in a two-layer system designed for both safety and welfare:
Tarantulas travel in ventilated deli cups with moist substrate to maintain humidity. Snakes and larger reptiles travel in cotton cloth bags tied securely. Both formats are opaque to reduce stress from light exposure during transit.
The inner container sits inside a polystyrene foam box that maintains a stable internal temperature regardless of ambient changes. This is the critical layer for summer and winter journeys.
Depending on the season and route, we add heat packs (48-hour sodium acetate type) for winter journeys, or cool packs (gel ice, never water-ice) for summer. Both are positioned on the wall of the box, not directly against the animal container.
The polystyrene box is placed inside a rigid double-wall corrugated outer box, taped with reinforced tape. The outer box is marked LIVE ANIMALS — THIS SIDE UP and FRAGILE on all sides — useful even when an escort is carrying it personally.
Inside every box: species declaration, seller's existing MoEFCC declaration copy, care sheet, and our WhatsApp number for immediate post-delivery support.
We check route conditions and forecasts before every dispatch. We will not ship if the temperature along the route is forecast above 42°C during the journey, or if there is a severe weather advisory or major train disruption on the route. Indian summers in cities like Delhi, Rajasthan, and parts of Gujarat regularly breach this threshold — orders may be held for a few days until a safe window opens.
Holds are always communicated via WhatsApp before they happen. We never hold an order silently, and we never charge extra for weather or schedule delays.
Do not accept the box if it is visibly damaged or crushed. Photograph it and contact us immediately.
Open the box slowly in a closed room — escape-proof, especially for tarantulas. Do not shake or tilt rapidly.
Let the animal settle in the unopened inner container for 30–60 minutes to acclimatise to room temperature.
Transfer to the prepared enclosure gently. Do not handle the animal on delivery day — give it 48 hours to settle before attempting interaction.
Do not offer food for 5–7 days after delivery. Transit is stressful; the animal needs to settle before it will eat safely.
WhatsApp us within 24 hours to confirm safe delivery. We will check in anyway — but your message triggers the support window officially.
Yes. If your animal arrives dead — which is extremely rare given our escorted train transit and packaging — we replace it at no cost. You must photograph the unopened package and the animal, and report this to us within 24 hours of delivery. This guarantee does not apply if the animal died because of unsafe handling after delivery.
Live animals are sensitive to temperature, handling, and transit time. Standard couriers cannot guarantee how a parcel is handled in transit. By travelling with a personal escort on the train, we control the animal's environment the whole journey — no warehouse sorting, no rough handling, and direct hand-to-hand delivery at the destination station.
For most orders, yes — a person travels with the animal on the same train and hands it over at the destination, either at the station or via a short local delivery. For some routes and smaller animals, we may use a trusted courier partner instead; we will tell you which method applies to your order before dispatch.
We avoid dispatching when the route would expose the animal to extreme heat (above 42°C) or severe weather disruption (flooding, train cancellations). During Indian peak summer (usually April–June) or heavy monsoon, orders may be held by a few days until a safe travel window opens. We will notify you via WhatsApp before holding any order and will not charge extra for the delay.
Yes. In-person handover can be arranged — contact us on WhatsApp to schedule. In-person pickups are preferred for larger animals (adult tarantulas, reptiles) and allow you to inspect the animal before accepting it.
No. Exotaria ships within India only. International shipment of live animals requires CITES export permits and species-specific documentation that our current setup does not support. We are India-first — all our stock is domestic captive-bred.