Live Animal Policy

By placing an order with Big Apple Herp, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to this Live Animal Policy. Failure to read this policy, whether intentional or accidental, does not alter, waive, or void any of the terms below.

Big Apple Pet Supply makes every effort to offer reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, and scorpions that are captive bred whenever possible. When animals are not captive bred, we make best efforts to note them as farm raised (FR) and/or field collected (FC) in the option selection. However, Big Apple Pet Supply is not responsible for errors or omissions in those notations.

Because live animals are perishable, time-sensitive shipments, strict reporting deadlines and documentation requirements are necessary for every claim.

Most customer questions are answered by the three requirements below. Please read them carefully before requesting a Live Arrival or Health Guarantee claim.

Claim Notification Requirements

Any issue must be reported within the required time period:

• DOA Claims: Must be reported within 6 hours of delivery.
• 3-Day Health Guarantee Claims: Must be reported within 72 hours of arrival.

Claims may be submitted by text only, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Required claim photos must include:

• Top view of the animal.
• Side view of the animal.
• Belly-up view of the animal.
• Shipping label clearly visible in the photo next to the animal.

Big Apple Pet Supply may also require a 10-second video of the animal on its back on top of the original shipping box with the shipping label visible.

Failure to provide the required photos and/or video exactly as requested will void the claim. No exceptions.

Proper Housing Requirement

All guarantees are void if the animal is not housed in a proper environment. Proper housing includes appropriate heating, lighting, humidity, bedding, enclosure, ventilation, security, diet, and accessories for the species purchased.

Big Apple Pet Supply may require a photo or video of your complete setup if a Live Arrival or Health Guarantee claim is made.

Example: Housing a Bearded Dragon in a plastic storage container without proper heating, UVB lighting, and proper enclosure conditions is not acceptable husbandry.

Replacements, Store Credit & Refunds

Big Apple Pet Supply uses professional live animal packaging methods to help ensure that reptiles, amphibians, tarantulas, and scorpions arrive in good condition.

In the rare event of an approved Live Arrival or valid Health Guarantee claim, Big Apple Pet Supply will provide either a replacement animal or store credit. The method of resolution will be determined by Big Apple Pet Supply based on inventory availability and the circumstances of the claim.

Approved live animal claims are eligible for replacement or store credit only. Shipping costs for replacement animals are the responsibility of the customer. Original shipping charges are not refundable.

Incorrect addresses, customer address errors, refused shipments, missed deliveries, customer routing changes, or customer-requested delivery changes void all guarantees.

Carrier Delays

Big Apple Pet Supply is not responsible for carrier delays, service interruptions, service failures, routing errors, weather delays, mechanical failures, or any other carrier-related problems involving FedEx, UPS, USPS, or any other carrier.

Shipping charges are transportation fees and are never refundable because of late deliveries, carrier delays, service interruptions, or missed delivery windows.

Any claim involving a delayed shipment remains subject to all terms of this Live Animal Policy.

Weather Condition Requirements

Shipping to a home or business address is permissible when overnight lows exceed 32 degrees and daytime highs are 90 degrees or under.

Temperatures outside those ranges may require live animals to be shipped for pickup at a main FedEx Ship Center nearest to you. At our discretion, if your local temperatures are too cold or too warm, we may ship your order to the nearest FedEx Ship Center for pickup as long as that location is within a 15-mile drive from your shipping address.

Animals are best picked up within 4 hours of arrival at the FedEx Ship Center.

Most orders arrive by 12:00 PM in metro areas, but some remote areas may not be guaranteed until end of day, typically late afternoon or early evening.

If Google Maps shows the route from your shipping address to the nearest eligible pickup center is within 15 miles, we may process the order and notify you of the pickup location by email and/or text. If the route is more than 15 miles, we will first obtain your permission.

It is your responsibility to check your local weather and understand these shipping guidelines before placing an order.

For FedEx Ship Center pickup, you must have a valid U.S. driver's license with the same name entered on the order and you must be over the age of 21.

Orders processed for pickup cannot be canceled. Not picking up your order may result in an additional $45 return fee, a 35% restocking fee, and no refund of the original shipping charges.

Refused or Returned Shipments

If a shipment is refused, not picked up, or returned to us, Big Apple Pet Supply reserves the right to withhold the original shipping fee, return shipping fee, additional handling fees, and a 35% restocking fee for any animals received back in sellable condition.

If animals are not received back in sellable condition, no refund, replacement, or credit will be issued.

Veterinary Expenses

Big Apple Pet Supply is not responsible for veterinary expenses or any costs assumed by the buyer. If you choose to take an animal to a veterinarian or animal specialist, you do so at your own expense.

Local Laws & Regulations

It is your responsibility to know and follow your local, state, and federal wildlife laws and regulations. Big Apple Pet Supply will not knowingly ship an animal in violation of state or federal law, but final responsibility rests with you, the buyer.

Animals for Sale

At any given time, Big Apple Pet Supply may have thousands of animals for sale. Photos on our website are often representative photos and are not necessarily the exact animal available unless we specifically state that the photo is of the exact animal.

Animal appearance, color, size, pattern, markings, and overall aesthetics vary from one animal to another. In some cases, that variance can be significant.

We are happy to pass along reasonable requests to our animal picking staff; however, requests are never guaranteed.

Field collected animals are not perfect specimens. If exact appearance, temperament, or condition is extremely important to you, we recommend choosing captive bred animals whenever available.

Fraud Prevention

Due to the significant number of fraudulent orders we receive, Big Apple Pet Supply uses fraud prevention systems and reserves the right to request a driver's license and/or other verification before shipping any order.

We reserve the right to delay shipment until all requested verification has been received and approved.

Credit card fraud is a serious violation of Federal Law and all fraud may be reported to the proper authorities.

For fraud prevention reasons, we cannot change the shipping address on an order after it is placed. If a customer wishes to ship to a different address, a new order must be placed with the correct shipping address.

Credit card orders must ship to the billing address associated with the card unless an approved alternate payment method is used.

No Cancellation Policy

Once a live animal, live feeder, or frozen feeder order is placed, it is a final commitment to purchase.

Live reptile, amphibian, tarantula, scorpion, live feeder, and frozen feeder orders cannot be canceled, changed, refunded, or reversed once submitted.

Please make sure you are fully committed to the purchase before placing your order.

Special Non-Guaranteed Shipping Days

During periods of extremely high carrier volume, including the week preceding Thanksgiving and Christmas, Live Arrival and Health Guarantees may be suspended. Orders shipped during these periods are shipped at the customer's risk.

Holiday Season Non-Guaranteed Shipping Days

Due to extremely high carrier volume during the holiday season, Live Arrival and Health Guarantees are suspended for orders shipped on the following dates:

December 15–18, December 22, and December 29.

Orders shipped on these dates are sent without Live Arrival or Health Guarantees. By selecting shipment on any of these days, the customer acknowledges and accepts this risk.

December 29 is the final shipping day of the year. Orders placed after 2 PM EST on December 29 will ship beginning January 5.

All orders are final. No cancellations, changes, or refunds are permitted once an order is placed. Please only place an order if you are fully committed to the purchase.

Sexing Requests and Options

All sexing is completed by experienced staff using best efforts. However, no gender identification is 100% guaranteed.

When you pay for our sexing service, we provide our best efforts to determine the gender of the animal. If the animal is later determined not to be the gender requested, Big Apple Pet Supply does not offer refunds, exchanges, replacements, credits, or compensation of any kind for that service.

We appreciate your understanding that identifying the sex of many reptiles and exotic animals can be complex.

Sizing

All sizing is approximate. Terms such as hatchling, baby, small, medium, large, juvenile, sub-adult, and adult are used as general guides and points of reference only.

Animals grow at different rates, and there may be differences in the size of the animal you receive. Big Apple Pet Supply does not guarantee the exact size of any animal shipped.

Feeder Insect Policy

While Big Apple Pet Supply uses proper packaging methods and boxes for live insects, there are no Live Arrival Guarantees on live feeder shipments sent by Priority Mail.

If you would like a Live Arrival Guarantee for feeder insects, you must select the overnight delivery option available on live feeder pages of our website.

We're Happy to Help With Your New Pet

When you order a reptile, amphibian, tarantula, or scorpion from Big Apple Pet Supply, our goal is to provide you with a healthy, top-quality animal. However, it is your responsibility to educate yourself on the proper care, setup, diet, heating, lighting, humidity, and enclosure requirements for the species you purchase.

Small changes in an animal's environment can often correct or prevent health issues. When an issue appears, do not wait to correct it, as even a single day can make a major difference.

If you have a question about an animal purchased from us regarding heating, lighting, enclosures, diet, bedding, or general husbandry, we are happy to provide guidance based on our experience.

Big Apple Pet Supply is not a veterinary practice and cannot prescribe medication or provide veterinary treatment. If your pet is ill, you should consult a qualified veterinarian who specializes in reptiles and exotic animals.