Frequently Asked Questions

SHIPPING

  • Prior to shipping, every animal is hydrated and thoroughly inspected to ensure that they are ready for their trip. They are then carefully packed in a specially designed insulated box and dropped off at the shipping facility. Live animal shipments are normally dropped off in the evening to minimize the amount of time they will spend in their shipping container.

    Once the animals have been dropped off, they are shipped overnight and are scheduled to arrive at their destination the next day. Since shipping is done overnight, the animals are normally sleeping throughout the entire process. This method makes shipping live animals as stress-free as possible.

  • Shipping to a FedEx Ship Center is the safest option for live reptiles because it minimizes time spent on delivery trucks, reduces handling, and keeps animals in a climate-controlled environment until pickup. It also allows for earlier pickup on delivery day, helping reduce stress and exposure to temperatures while ensuring the best possible arrival conditions.

    Shipping directly to your home offers the convenience of doorstep delivery, eliminating the need to travel to a FedEx Ship Center for pickup. If someone is available to receive the package immediately upon arrival, your animals can be safely brought inside and settled into their new habitat without any additional transportation.

    Please note that FedEx delivery vehicles have no AC in the back. That being said, all animals are shipped with the supplies needed to help maintain them at comfortable temperates during transit. However, if the forecasted temperatures exceed 85°F, shipping to a FedEx Ship Center is required to protect the health and safety of the animals.

    * Do not use a FedEx facility address at checkout. Not all FedEx facilities accept live animal shipments. Always use your preferred delivery address at checkout. If for some reason we need to ship to a ship center, we will contact/notify you ahead of time to arrange a pickup. *

  • The health and safety of the animals always comes first. We only ship live animals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to minimize the risk of delays and ensure they arrive as quickly and safely as possible.

    Unfortunately, FedEx does not provide overnight deliveries on weekends, so if a shipment sent on Thursday experiences an unexpected delay due to weather, mechanical issues, or operational disruptions, it may not be delivered until Monday. This can significantly increase the amount of time an animal spends in transit.

    Monday shipments also carry a higher risk of delays. FedEx facilities often experience heavier package volumes after the weekend, and many federal holidays fall on Mondays, which can further disrupt transit schedules.

    By shipping out on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we avoid these issues and provide the safest possible transfer of animals from our hands to yours.

  • At Everything Scales your animal’s health and safety is our top priority, not just while they’re in our hands, but also the moment they move onto yours. To enforce this, we have added a healthy, 100% live arrival guarantee on every live animal shipment. By doing so, we are guaranteeing that there will be no issues with your animal(s) upon arrival.

    In the event that there is an issue, like a DOA, you can contact us and we will fully refund you the value of the animals purchased. Please feel free to look through our Store Policy for more information regarding our live arrival guarantee.

  • Orders are considered pending until your shipping label has been created and you have been provided with your tracking number. Once you receive your tracking number, your order will be shipped out, and it’s status will change from “pending” to “fulfilled”.

  • In most cases, tracking numbers will be provided on the day your order will be shipped out, which would be on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on your selection at checkout.

    Why do we do this? Because your animal’s health and safety depends greatly on your local forecast and current weather events, so we constantly monitor them to assure that shipping out on the selected day will be safe for your animals.

  • The estimated time of arrival for a shipment varies greatly depending on where the package is being delivered. In most cases, if a package is being shipped to a hub and held for pickup, it will arrive in the morning and be ready for pickup after 8:00 AM. If being delivered to a home or business address in city limits, packages tend to arrive in the morning by 12:00 PM. For shipments being delivered outside of city limits the ETA is normally in the afternoon by 5:00 PM.

    Please keep in mind that this is only an estimated time of arrival, and delivery times may vary depending on your exact location. For a more accurate ETA, feel free to check your emails, where we will provide you with status updates, and a tracking number to check your order’s progress.

  • Though every animal is inspected and well hydrated prior to being shipped, we do recommend hydrating them as soon as they arrive. The best way to do this is by placing them in a container with shallow, lukewarm water. Do this for a period of 15-20 minutes.

    Once they have been hydrated, place your animal in its enclosure and avoid making any major interactions. This is to allow them to get accustomed to their new environment as quickly as possible with minimal stress.

TURTLES & TORTOISES

  • Sexing a turtle or tortoise depends on the species and age. Males often have longer tails, concave plastrons, or other physical characteristics, while females may be larger or have shorter tails.

    * In most cases, baby turtles and tortoises cannot be accurately sexed *

  • Regular scute individuals have the typical shell layout. While the exact number of scutes varies slightly by species, most turtles/tortoises have: 5 vertebral scutes, 8 costal scutes, and 22-24 marginal scutes. Some species also posses a nuchal scute.

    Unique scute individuals tend to have extra, divided, and/or joined scutes. This is NOT a health problem, but a physical distinction that makes them unique among other individuals, sort of like a fingerprint!

  • Feeding frequency depends on the species and age of the animal. Hatchlings and juveniles typically eat daily to support growth, while many healthy adults can be fed every other day. In most cases, offering the proper diet in appropriate portions is more important than simply feeding often.

  • Many tortoises, especially Mediterranean species, should receive little to no fruit because of its high sugar content. Some tropical tortoise species can enjoy fruit occasionally as part of a balanced diet. Likewise, some turtles may eat fruit as a treat, but it should never replace a species-appropriate staple diet.