You can ship fish, corals, and invertebrates, as well as non-venomous reptiles and amphibians, within the United States. We do not do any import or export shipping.

You can ship dry goods related to the aquatic industry, such as food, lighting, filters, and other tank supplies.

You cannot ship illegal drugs, batteries, liquor, aerosols, firearms and ammunition, fireworks, explosives, mammals (no dogs, no cats), birds, dry ice and absolutely no venomous reptiles.

ShipYourAquatics.com is approved for the shipping of live aquatics and aquatics supplies to and from business and residential addresses.

You must follow all ShipYourAquatics.com Shipping Standards.

You must also follow all FedEx rules and restrictions. For more details, see this section of the FedEx site:

FedEx Express Terms & Conditions

Very large or heavy fish may require special crates to support the weight of the animal and the water that it must be shipped in. Such heavy wooden crates must be shipped using a freight service such as Delta Air Cargo. 

FedEx Express services are limited to 150 pounds and up to 119" in length and 165" in length and girth.

If in doubt about whether or not your animal is restricted, contact Customer Service at 303-730-2125 or write to them at info@ShipYourAquatics.com.

ShipYourAquatics offers the following FedEx shipping services:

• Priority Overnight

• 2Day

• Express Saver (three day)

• Ground (to business addresses)

• Home Delivery (to residential addresses)

Live shipments must be sent via Priority Overnight. Failure to use Priority Overnight for live shipments will void insurance coverage. Shipping is within the United States. We do not do any import or export shipping.

All live animals must be shipped FedEx Priority Overnight, Monday through Thursday only. An overnight Friday shipment won't arrive until Monday. That is not acceptable and not permitted.

Absolutely no venomous reptiles are to be shipped through FedEx or ShipYourAquatics.com. Absolutely no mammals.

You must use a new, or like new, cardboard box with an interior of insulating foam. The foam insulation must be tight fitting and at least ¾ inch thick. The box should not bear markings that indicate dangerous or illegal content.

The box must be large enough to contain the deli cup, reptile bag or fish bag, adequate packing material to protect the animal, the heat or cold pack and the foam insulation.

ShipYourAquatics has gotten three different box variations approved for live shipping. An insulated white box with red lettering, an insulated white box with green lettering and preprinted Lacey Act/IATA labeling, and an insulated plain brown box rated at 275lb burst strength.

US Postal boxes, Amazon.com boxes, even FedEx branded boxes are NOT ALLOWED for live shipments. In fact they are specifically prohibited. It’s not just a visual box size issue, it’s also a thickness and materials issue. These commonly available boxes are too thin to meet the FedEx strength requirements for live shipments. Using these prohibited boxes may get your shipment refused, or stopped during transit, endangering the life of your animal, and endangering the status of our FedEx account.  Using a thin cardboard box, or one of the boxes mentioned, nullifies any SYA Live Arrival Insurance coverage. 

All the supplies you need can be found here: Shipping Supplies.

All shipping supplies and shipping kits sold on shipyouraquatics.com are specifically approved and certified by FedEx and meet the aquatic-shipping standards developed by shipyouraquatics.com. If you use a Ship Your Aquatics shipping kit according to our directions, you can feel secure that you’re shipping your animals as safely and reliably as possible.

Order Ship Your Aquatics shipping supplies.

You may use your own shipping supplies, but they must meet or exceed the standards developed by ShipYourAquatics.com, along with the FedEx live aquatic shipping standards and certification:

Cardboard box is new, or like new, with a minimum burst strength of 275 lbs.

No markings that indicate dangerous or illegal contents (no alcohol boxes). Box must not have any kind of warning or hazardous material markings or stickers.

Box should be labeled in accordance with the Lacey Act. See more on that here.

Insulation panel lining must be at least ¾ inch thick. The insulating lining must cover all four sides of the inside of the cardboard box, as well as the top and bottom.

Heat or cold packs must be used according to ShipYourAquatics.com Shipping Standards.

You must use a “triple container.”

The fish bag or aquatic container.

The insulating foam container with a 3mil thickness liner.

The cardboard box.

You must seal the box adequately. All shipping labels must be fully legible.

Boxes from the US Postal service, "Priority Mail" or "Express Mail" boxes, as well as many Amazon.com boxes, are too thin and flimsy.  They do not meet the FedEx box standard and are NOT ALLOWED to be used for live shipments. They are too thin, too flimsy, and do not protect the animals sufficiently. Using a thin cardboard box, or one of the boxes mentioned, nullifies any SYA Live Arrival Insurance coverage. 

If you have any doubts, use ShipYourAquatics shipping supplies. 

Remember: What you do affects the entire aquatics hobby and industry. Every time someone ships aquatics with substandard packaging, and that shipment leaks, dies or is otherwise adversely affected, it jeopardizes our future ability to ship easily and economically through the FedEx service. 

Take responsibility. Do your part. Pack your aquatics properly. Make sure it reaches its destination safely. It’s good for the animals, it’s good for the recipient, and it’s good for you.

You may be breaking the law if you ship live species that are considered illegal, invasive or otherwise restricted by state or local authorities.

Penalties can be steep, and there is no legal protection for not knowing.

So do your homework!

To get started, call the destination's local U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service or United States Department of Agriculture office. These links will help you reach the right office:

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service office directory

United States Department of Agriculture service center locator

For information about invasive species, check out United States Department of Agriculture National Invasive Species Information Center.

What you do affects the entire aquatics hobby and industry. Every time someone ships aquatics with substandard packaging, and that shipment leaks, dies or is otherwise adversely affected, it jeopardizes our future ability to ship easily and economically through the FedEx service. 

Take responsibility. Do your part. Pack your aquatics properly. Make sure it reaches its destination safely. It’s good for the animals, it’s good for the recipient, and it’s good for you.

The Lacey Act is one of the broadest and most comprehensive tools in the federal chest to combat wildlife crime. 

It was first introduced in the House of Representatives in the spring of 1900 by Iowa Congressman John Lacey and signed into law by President William McKinley on May 25th, 1900. Its original purpose was to preserve native game and wild birds by making it a federal crime to poach game in one state with the intention of selling it in another. It sought to add weight to state laws already in existence for the protection of game and birds. Lastly, it also addressed concerns about potential problems that can arise with the introduction of non-native, or exotic species of birds and animals into the native ecosystems. 

The Lacey Act has been amended several times since it was first signed into law, broadening its definitions and increasing the penalties it could exact. In 1969, the act was expanded to include mollusks, crustaceans, amphibians, and reptiles. 

Here are some quick facts about the Lacey Act as it stands today: 

Protects both wildlife and plants

Prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold

Works with federal, state, and foreign laws protecting wildlife

Prohibits the falsification of documents for wildlife shipments (criminal penalties)

Prohibits the failure to properly mark wildlife shipments (civil penalties)

Administered by the Departments of Interior, Commerce, and Agriculture, which includes the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service

In March of 2012, the US Fish & Wildlife Service used the weight of the Lacey Act to enact a ban on the importation and interstate transportation of several species of large constrictor snakes. 

Immediately, the United States Association of Reptiles Keepers (USARK) went to work to protest the blatant overreach of the USF&W and its misinterpretation of the Lacey Act. Years of hearings, briefs and appeals followed, even as USF&W added more constrictors to their list. Finally, on April 7th of 2017, the United States Court of Appeals sided with USARK and the ban against interstate travel of large constrictors was lifted. 

Despite the attempt to use the Lacey Act as a means to control exotic pet ownership and trade in the US, it remains a critical piece of legislature for the protection of wild flora and fauna and has a significant impact on anyone wishing to own and trade exotic animals. The rules imposed on us by this act should not be ignored or taken lightly. Doing so can result in the confiscation of animals in transit, fines, and even jail time. 

Make sure you are familiar with state laws regarding the transportation of exotic animals. For instance, if you ship snakes to Hawaii, you are not only breaking Hawaiian state law, you will also be breaking federal law via the Lacey Act, and subject to penalties from both. 

Label all shipments appropriately, with the scientific AND common names of all the animals in the package, as well as quantities of each. Be sure to include the appropriate IATA label.  

As keepers of exotic animals, it is critical for us to do so responsibly. That responsibility lies not only in providing proper food and housing, but also in respecting public safety, being sensitive to common phobias, and obeying the laws of our states and nation. In today’s climate of knee-jerk legislation, let’s not give the law-makers any ammunition to use against us! 

Learn more about the Lacey Act: 

Official federal government guideline documents here and here.

USARK Lawsuit 

Lawsuit Update, Responsible Herpetoculture, Shipping and More

Overview of the Lacey Act

To be compliant with the Lacey Act, legally a live package needs to be labeled with the word Wildlife and include quantity and species listed either externally or immediately available on a packing list under the top flap. To meet expectations of the most stringent states, we strongly suggest labeling all domestic U.S. live animal packages with "Wildlife - Live Harmless Animals" with quantity and species listed with both scientific and common names clearly visible on the outside of the box. Failing to do so may lead to delay, return, confiscation, fines or legal summons. 

You can add this labeling manually but the easiest way to do this is with our Lacey/IATA label, which can be purchased at our store, or downloaded and printed at no charge upon check out.

Yes you do.

IATA stands for International Air Transport Association. This association works with its airline members and the air transport industry as a whole to promote safe, reliable, secure and economical air travel for the benefit of the world's consumers. They have developed a variety of standardized labels indicating potentially dangerous or hazardous materials being shipped via air.

The US Fish & Wildlife Service has ruled that all shipments containing live animals must be labeled according to IATA standards. For our purposes, this includes only aquatic or reptile creatures. A label with an image representing aquatic or reptile animals must be included on every live shipment.

You can purchase our Lacey Act/IATA labels as stickers or you can print your own using our format during check out.

Be sure to include one of these labels on every live shipment and check the appropriate box indicating its contents.

The FedEx shipping label is first and foremost. It should be placed in an easily visible location.

When ordering the shipping label, do NOT put a PO Box in the address fields. Only US postal trucks can deliver to a PO Box and FedEx will not be able to complete that delivery without an address correction.

In addition to your FedEx shipping label, it's important you mark your package to indicate its contents.

The Federal Lacey Act and various state regulations require specific labeling. You are required to mark the outside of the package with a complete list of the animal(s) inside, including quantities, common names and scientific names. An IATA label must also be included. These can be ordered from SYA as stickers, or you can print your own on plain paper and tape it to the box where it can be clearly seen. Different states may have different requirements. This labeling direction meets all state requirements on these points. Contact individual state Fish & Wildlife offices for any additional requirements regarding labeling, health certficiates, permits or restrictions. 

It is IMPORTANT that you clearly indicate quantity and species and label your live package appropriately, according to both Federal and State laws. This includes meeting the IATA labeling requirement and the Lacey Act labeling requirement. Failure to label your live shipments accurately and/or completely may result in delays, inspection, confiscation, and/or monetary fines. Florida and California are especially vigilant about inspections and citations. It is YOUR responsibility, and it only takes a moment!

To assist you in compliance we can provided you with a Lacey Act/IATA label that includes our FedEx Reference Note and space for listing the contents of the box. Complete it and place it on the side of any live reptile/aquatics package where it can be clearly seen.

Order Lacey Act/IATA label stickers in our store

To meet the IATA labeling requirement you must check/circle the appropriate Live Animal Indicator- Aquatics or Reptiles.

To meet the Lacey Act labeling requirement you must list your species by quantity, and both scientific and common name. Florida is requiring BOTH scientific and common name listings, complying with the Florida requirement will ensure that you are labeled appropriately throughout the country. Failure to label completely may result in delays, confiscation, and/or fines.

If you use plain paper to print the Lacey Act/IATA label, be sure to cover it with tape to prevent tears or weather wear (or use a label-envelope).

The FedEx Reference Note on this label is provided for those rare moments when a FedEx employee balks at accepting a live shipment. It is intended to alleviate concerns and instructs the employee to contact the FedEx Live Animal Desk through their internal system for clarification if they need it.

Be sure to include your paperwork* inside the top flap of the box, on top of the foam insulation.

*Sales receipt or packing list, as well as the species and quantities of live harmless reptiles contained in the package.

Be sure to enter a complete, accurate destination address, as well as accurate package dimensions and weight.

Do NOT put a PO Box in the address fields. Only US postal trucks can deliver to a PO Box and FedEx will not be able to complete that delivery without an address correction.

FedEx charges an extra fee for an incomplete or inaccurate address. This "address correction" fee is currently $16.00.

FedEx measures every package and charges for the greater of the dimensional weight (L x W x H / 139, rounded up to the nearest pound) or actual weight. If you enter 1 pound when you book your shipment, but FedEx measures your package at 10 pounds, FedEx charges us the difference -- and we will charge you the difference.

All additional fees charged by FedEx will be charged to the credit card or Paypal account you used to book the shipment. If your credit card company declines the charge, we will charge the additional fees to another card we have on file. We reserve the right to charge for the time spent processing these fees.