Papaya Pythons
Science You Can See

Shipping Policy

All animals are guaranteed to be 100% healthy and feeding upon shipping unless otherwise noted or agreed upon.

Animals are shipped inside a secured bag which is placed inside of an insulated, padded box. Depending on the weather, a hot or cold pack may be included.

Once you've placed your order, we will arrange a shipment date within the next 14 calendar days. Please note:

  • We do not ship if the destination high is above 95° F (35° C) or the destination low is below 41° F (5° C) in the weather forecast. Temperature restrictions apply to the FedEx hubs at Memphis and Indianapolis.
  • You are responsible for checking the weather at your planned shipment date before ordering. If it is too cold or too hot to ship, we will not ship.
  • We reserve the right to delay shipment for the safety of the animals for any reason.
  • We only ship on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays (therefore, arriving Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday). This ensures a shipment error does not leave your new critter in a box at a warehouse over a weekend (we've heard tales).
  • Signature delivery is always required. Someone must be home to receive the animal.
  • If, for whatever reason, it is unsafe for the animal to ship to you (and this was predictable via weather forecasts at the time of purchase) or you are unable to receive the animal in the 14 day window, you will be charged a $10 feed and housing fee every Monday, per animal, until we can ship unless you have made arrangements with us in advance.
  • All fees must be paid in full before shipment

Once we've shipped your animals, you will receive a tracking number and you should receive your animal the next day.

International Shipping

International orders are all subject to CITES Appendix II export restrictions. This means that via US Fish and Wildlife we must fill out form 3-200-24, which has a processing time of 60-90 days which approves us for export only. You'll need to seperately fill out your country's CITES import form.

If you decide to go this route, you'll be asked to pay for the animal + $100 application fee (USFW) + $25 processing fee up front via invoice. The actual shipping price will then be asked to be paid seperately once all our paperwork is in order (we'll just charge you the direct price of shipping).

If you have any concerns, we suggest you directly read the paperwork we'll be filling out to send the animal to you: https://papayapythons.com/CITESII-3-200-24.pdf and follow up with us if you have any other questions.

DOA / Illness

While we have yet to encounter issues with shipping animals, we acknowledge that life is often unpredictable.

  • If the animal is DOA, or looks sick, we must receive photos and a 10-30 second video within 2 hours of arrival; no exceptions.
  • Animals that are DOA are eligible for credit or for replacement (depending on stock).
  • Sick animals must be given access to water and temperature-appropriate caging immediately (photo verification necessary). If the animal fails to thrive within 48 hours, you are eligibile for a refund, credit, or replacement (depending on stock).

Again, we only ship 100% healthy animals and we have yet to encounter issues of this type with shipping.

Deposits

We are happy to take deposits on a hatchling that is not yet ready to ship (we strongly prefer hatchlings to eat at least three meals before shipping).

In these cases, you will be asked to place a $50 non-refundable deposit on the hatchling; these deposits are transferable in the event that you prefer a different animal we have listed for sale or in the unlikely event that the hatchling fails to thrive. The remaining balance for the animal, plus shipping costs and any applicable taxes will be due two weeks after the hatchling has digested the third meal.

Please note that while we do not take deposits on animals that have yet to hatch, we do have a waiting list for folks who want a specific morph - just email us and we're happy to keep you informed (and we don't send 'extra emails' -we hate that).