Education Hub · Guide 44

From Doorstep to Tank: Handling a Live Feed Delivery Safely

The first ten minutes after your parcel arrives matter more than almost anything else in the whole process. Here's exactly what to do, in order.

Bring It In Straight Away

Don't let a parcel sit on a doorstep, in a hallway, or in a hot or cold porch any longer than necessary. Direct sun through a window, a cold porch in winter, or a warm car boot can undo a lot of the work our packaging is doing within an hour. Bring it inside and open it as soon as you reasonably can.

Open Carefully, Check Before You Panic

Unpack gently and check for any obvious leaks first. Then look at what's actually inside — and here's the part people get wrong most often: a snail that looks lifeless in the bag often isn't. Stress from transit can cause a snail to withdraw fully into its shell and stay there, appearing dead, for longer than you'd expect. Don't discard anything on sight. Give it time in settled water before drawing any conclusions.

Shrimp are more clear-cut — if they're not moving at all after settling, that's a genuine concern worth acting on. But even then, give them a few quiet minutes in still water before assuming the worst.

Then Follow the Full Acclimation Process

Once temperatures have equalised, the drip or gradual-mixing method from our full Acclimation guide takes over from here — this guide is specifically about the moments before that begins, not a replacement for it.

If Something Genuinely Hasn't Survived

Transit loss happens occasionally, even with careful packaging — see our guide on how we pack every parcel for what we do to minimise it. If you've genuinely lost stock in transit, get in touch promptly with a photo — the sooner we hear from you, the easier it is to sort out under Replacement Insurance where applicable.

• —  Bring the parcel inside and open it promptly — don't leave it in extreme temperatures
• —  A withdrawn snail isn't necessarily a dead one — give it time before deciding
• —  Equalise temperature for 15–20 minutes before starting acclimation proper
• —  Contact us promptly with evidence if there's a genuine loss to report