Everyone knows not to use hand warmers for a heat pack in their shipments, even though they seem to be just the right size.
The unfortunate truth however is that they will cook your gecko in transit, potentially (likely).
There are a variety of heat pack sizes available on the market for safe cold weather shipping, and choosing the right pack for your needs is the difference between a comfortable shipping experience versus a potentially tragic one.
Most commonly available for animal shipments in 40, 60, 72, and 96 hour sizes, all of them contain the same ingredients.
The only difference is the size of the pack and the volume of the ingredients inside.
The reaction takes place a lot faster in a smaller pack such as hand warmer, generating higher heat but for a lower amount of time.
This is why a hand warmer heats up super hot but lasts only a few hours.
This neat chart from Ship Your Reptiles shows the difference in peak heat for each heat pack size that we typically see in reptile shipping.
When used properly, heat packs can increase your box temperature by 30deg over ambient temperatures.
If you see notice, the 40hr pack has a peak heat of 160deg.
It is a very common pack due to its availability as a part of most reptile shipping kits available online.
Even so, it is our opinion that a 40hr heat pack is not the ideal pack for gecko shipments.
IF you have the option, we recommend the 60hr packs. They have the best peak heat : time for the types of shipments. Their size allows them to maintain a lower surface peak temp of 115* and stay that temperature throughout the shipment.
Their size might seem inappropriate for the task if you are more familiar with spring or fall shipping where 7*7*7 and up will get the job done but you really should be in a 9*9*9, 12*9*6 for cold weather shipping so it will fit perfectly.
When used in an appropriately sized box in conjunction with a solid state CryoPak (72deg F), your gecko is guaranteed a safe shipment.
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