Tail Travel is a family-owned and operated pet transport business based in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Tail Travel has successfully coordinated air freight transport requirements for 1000s of animals Australia wide. We have agents in the capital city of all Australian states and Territories as well as agents located close to many major regional airports. Although we specialise in reptiles, dogs and cats, Tail Travel can organise air freight from the smallest insect to the largest animal for you. We freight with Qantas and Virgin airlines and their affiliates. Tail Travel understand how precious your animals are and treat them as if they were our own!
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Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 0870
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Birds
Whatever animal you are freighting they will experience some stress, its only natural when out of their comfort zone. To minimize the stress on your bird it’s important to package your bird correctly and minimize the time they bird is in transit.
Large birds such as Macaws, cockatoos and King Parrots are able to be freighted in a small dog/cat carrier with some simple modifications. The larger parrots can either sit on the floor of the pet carrier or a perch can be secured into the carrier to allow the bird to sit on during transport.
Smaller birds such as finches, budgerigars, cockatiels and other smaller parrots a bird freight box is suggested. This is a box usually made out of light weight wood with a mesh that allows for air and light transfer. Generally, there isn’t a perch in the box and the bird stands on the bottom. Due to the box being dark and a narrow fit this usually helps your bird keep calm as they have the instincts to nest in similar conditions in tree hollows.
To make your bird feel more comfortable you can sprinkle some of its favorite seeds or fruit on the floor of the container. Please be aware that if you are freighting the bird interstate some fruits can’t be moved across borders.
Lizards
Again, you can freight lizards the same as snakes which works well for larger lizard species such as Blue Tongue Lizards. For smaller lizards such as geckos and smaller skinks a lot of freighters place a piece of damp tissue paper of paper towel down in a smaller tub. The lizard is placed on the top of the towel and sealed into the container with the lid. This container is then placed into the larger plastic container and packed in with packing or paper to stop it from moving around during transport.
Reptile Freight
Reptile freight can vary depending on what you are sending. We have broken down the requirements in several easy-to-follow sections.
Snakes
Both Venomous and pythons can be packed the same.
They are both required to be placed into a bag within a secured box.
Bags are generally hessian or cotton which allows for the animal to breath through the bag. For larger snakes pillow cases can be used. The bag must be secured for larger snake’s zip ties or tying a knot in the open end of the bag will suffice. For smaller snakes an elastic band will be sufficient to keep the snake within the bag. Place the bag into a container such as a plastic kitchen container. Sistema containers are popular choice due to their clip seal container range which adds another layer of security as they can’t be accidently opened and they are easily obtained from the majority of super markets.
Make sure the container has airholes to allow for air flow as the snake might be in the container for extended periods.
For an extra layer of security, a lot of reptile freighters also use zip ties to secure the lid through holes burnt or drilled. See attached photo.
The only difference is that all venomous snakes need to be clearly labelled “Venomous”
Qantas Staff will usually add a sticker to the package showing what animals are within the container.
Dogs and cats
Dog and cats are very similar to freight. Like all animals there is certain requirements that need to be followed.
