Perishable and Live animal shipping

General:  

• Springtails, isopods and live critters ship separately from the rest of your order.
• You will receive separate tracking information when it ships. 
• Someone must be home to receive the package for the Live arrival guarantee. 
• We may choose at our discretion to hold your order due to weather or holidays. 
• We can arrange for pickup at Fed Ex Ship Centers when necessary. 

Live Plants:

• The Bio Dude is NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DEAD PLANTS when temperatures are below 35F or above 90F. Please order responsibly. 
• Live plants will always be individually wrapped.
  
• If there is an issue with your plants, the Bio Dude must be contacted within 24 hours after plants are received. We will request photos and likely ask you to plant them and see if they recover. 
• The Bio Dude may offer store credit or a refund at their discretion.

Lizards, Snakes, Frogs: 

• After placing the order, we will reach out to you for the following: 
  • Setting up a proper shipping date that correlates with ethical and safe shipping. 
  • Approving your habitat (we will ask for photos, as well as lighting information). 
  • Email an animal purchase contract that covers our warranty and our standard of care. This must be completed prior to shipping any live animal. 
• The Bio Dude has the right to cancel any live animal order.
• All of our animals comes with a 14 day thrive guarantee. 
• In the event of a DOA, the Bio Dude must be contacted at 717-305-0684 or via customercare@thebiodude.com within 15 minutes after delivery. Claims after this window will be denied. We will ask for photos of the packaging and specimens.

Springtails: This covers all Springtails shipped via FedEx Express.

• In the event of a DOA, the Bio Dude must be notified within 1 hour after arrival. We can be reached at customercare@thebiodude.com
• Claims made after this window will be denied. 
• The Bio Dude will require pictures and/or video of the culture. 
• Upon arrival, if no springtails are observed in the culture, The Bio Dude will request you to open the culture for a few minutes, feed the springtails, then reseal the container and wait for approximately 3-5 days. Once all life stages are established within the culture, eggs will hatch after the arrival date, resulting in a new generation of springtails. It's important to note that carbon dioxide can accumulate during transit, which may cause adult springtails to perish.
• If the culture fails to recover within the given time frame, The Bio Dude may offer store credit or a refund at their discretion, provided that all guidelines are adhered to, and the culture is given adequate time to recuperate.

Isopods: This covers all Isopods shipped via FedEx Express.

• In the event of a DOA, the Bio Dude must be notified within 1 hour after arrival. We can be reached at customercare@thebiodude.com 
• Claims made after this window will be denied. 
• The Bio Dude will require pictures of the carcasses of the deceased Isopods. 
• Isopods are shipped in a 3-ounce deli container with moist sphagnum moss. 
• The Bio Dude may offer store credit or a refund at their discretion.