TORTOISE SHIPPING!

[Irwin4530]

Hello everyone ...I need your help.
I live in NJ and am trying to give a
Russian to another TFO member but cannot find anyone to ship for me!!

They say I need a licence to ship...anyone have any experience with this??

 

[Yvonne G]

No, you don't need a license. You pack the tortoise up safely and clearly mark the box on all four sides:

CAUTION!! HARMLESS LIVE REPTILE THIS SIDE UP (with an arrow pointing up)

Then take the box to the nearest UPS shipping terminal, in the afternoon, not in the morning, and they should take it from there. No permit required. You don't even have to say what kind of "live reptile" is in the box. Just that its harmless and legal. Don't ship after Wednesday...so Mon thru Wed.

 

[Irwin4530]

No, you don't need a license. You pack the tortoise up safely and clearly mark the box on all four sides:

CAUTION!! HARMLESS LIVE REPTILE THIS SIDE UP (with an arrow pointing up)

Then take the box to the nearest UPS shipping terminal, in the afternoon, not in the morning, and they should take it from there. No permit required. You don't even have to say what kind of "live reptile" is in the box. Just that its harmless and legal. Don't ship after Wednesday...so Mon thru Wed.

I tried that. I called before I left because they are about 20-30 minutes from my house. I spoke to reps from both UPS and FedEx who both told me no. So I tried their respective "1-800" numbers and they told me the same thing. I AM SO FRUSTERATED!

 

[LuvmyGreenSon]

Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

Okay so I am in the process of trying to get a RT from a wonderful fellow TFO member well she was going to ship him overnight today so I could receive him tomorrow using UPS. Well because she lives in New Jersey they are saying she needs a license to ship him.

I had already contacted UPS and asked them if they required the shipper to have a license and they had said no... Does anyone have any idea how to get past this? If not how hard is it to get a license to ship him?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

I have used a well established and known dealer to ship for us before to New York and do not recall any license issues or requirements. It might be something to do with the species or if the person shipping has an account with UPS.

 

[froghaven5]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

I don't know about shipping. I just know it is illegal to buy or sell turtles or tortoise in the state of NJ.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/exotic_apps.htm

 

[dmmj]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

I thought that law only applies to native species such as box turtles.

 

[froghaven5]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

I thought that law only applies to native species such as box turtles.

No it applies to all species. That's why breeders go out of state to sell.

 

[dmmj]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

Do you know about shipping from another state? is a license and or permit of some type required? Just trying to make sense of bureaucratic red tape.

 

[MORTYtheTORTY]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

oh no...how sad...guess it's similar to how Californians can't have exotics like sugar gliders and ferrets etc etc

 

[froghaven5]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

I really don't know. We got our tortoise at a Pennsylvania show from a breeder from NJ. Go figure. I was allowed to get a permit to own our tortoise as a hobby owner. This was before I knew the rules. Ridiculous. Best bet is to actually talk to someone from the state to get more info.

 

[Irwin4530]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

I know that we (NJ residents) are allowed to have tortoises and recive them from out of state...(I have done this several times) but we must only keep NON NATIVE species AND be able to prove that they are captive bread form sonewere else.
I had no Idea about shipping them.

I have sent an e-mail to "garden state tortoises" and hope to hear back soon.

 

[jaizei]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

§ 8:23-2.1 Sale or distribution of viable turtle eggs and live turtles
(a) Subject to, and except as otherwise provided at, 21 C.F.R. §1240.62, viable turtle eggs and live turtles with a carapace length of less than four inches shall not be sold, held for sale, or offered for any other type of commercial or public distribution.

(b) Live turtles of carapace length of four inches or greater shall not be sold or in any way distributed or offered for sale or distribution within the State unless the person or entity seeking to sell or distribute the turtles warrants to the satisfaction of the Department of Health and Senior Services that each shipment of turtles is free from Salmonella contamination.

( c) The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, in his or her discretion, may waive the requirements of (b) above for live turtles sold or distributed within this State for the purposes of research, other zoological purposes, or for food.

 

[froghaven5]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

§ 8:23-2.1 Sale or distribution of viable turtle eggs and live turtles
(a) Subject to, and except as otherwise provided at, 21 C.F.R. §1240.62, viable turtle eggs and live turtles with a carapace length of less than four inches shall not be sold, held for sale, or offered for any other type of commercial or public distribution.

(b) Live turtles of carapace length of four inches or greater shall not be sold or in any way distributed or offered for sale or distribution within the State unless the person or entity seeking to sell or distribute the turtles warrants to the satisfaction of the Department of Health and Senior Services that each shipment of turtles is free from Salmonella contamination.

( c) The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, in his or her discretion, may waive the requirements of (b) above for live turtles sold or distributed within this State for the purposes of research, other zoological purposes, or for food.

There it sounds like you just have to prove the tortoise doesn't have Salmonella.

 

[Irwin4530]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

I am not "selling"...I am "giving".....but I am not sure that "they" care

 

[jaizei]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

I don't live in New Jersey, but from the way that everyone talks about it, I don't think they make it easy to do so. It would most likely be prohibitively expensive when you can just sell out of state. Or buy out of state.

I just thought it would be helpful to have the actual text there for everyone to read. Too often people go off 'word of mouth,' etc. and that can be wrong a lot of the time.

 

[Jacqui]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

Any way they could just cross state lines and then ship?

 

[wellington]

RE: Shipping a Tort from New Jersey?????

You could do what they would do. Play off the words, make them work for you. Explain you are GIVING not selling. It is over their 4 inches, and its a TORTOISE, not turtle. Or if you can ship lizards, tell them it is a lizard. Do they need to see what is in the package? If not, package him up just before you get to the UPS station to ship. People that make laws and rules, etc, usually aren't too smart. I am sure there is a way around it. You just might have to fudge the truth a little. They do, a lot. Good luck.

 

[Yvonne G]

Maybe they need to read their own regulations:

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/re...nes/animals.html?srch_pos=3&srch_phr=reptiles

It says in plain English that tortoises are accepted...down towards the bottom under "Accepted animals."

---

We're talking UPS now, NOT the USPS. United Parcel Service, NOT U.S. Post Office.

 

[Tim/Robin]

Go to www.shipyourreptiles.com. Print up a prepaid Fedex label and drop the box off. You could contact Robyn and SYR for additional information. They are fantastic people and have permission to ship reptiles via Fedex. I have shipped many tortoises through them. I am not in NJ, but I can't see how any laws in NJ would inhibit you from giving away a non-native species and shipping it out of state.