How to send your sample

Step 1: Buy your test, then choose who it’s for

Purchase your test on the Buy Tests page, then select which reptile it's for (or add a new one). This generates a unique barcode for that animal so the lab knows whose DNA is being tested and links results straight to their profile.

Step 2: Collect the shed sample

• Sample selection: Cut a clean, business-card-sized piece of shed from belly or flank scales.

  Tips from the lab

  • Belly and flank scales hold the gold: The inner layer of belly and side scales has the densest concentration of viable basal cells.
  • Skip heads, eye caps, and tails: These areas frequently trap feeder fluids, water bowl minerals, and cage substrate that interfere with DNA extraction.
• Sample preparation: Make sure it's bone dry. If in doubt, leave it out overnight.

  Tips from the lab

  • Moisture is the real DNA killer: Bone-dry sheds preserve DNA for months, but sealed humidity wakes up bacteria and mold in transit that chew through DNA before it reaches the lab.
  • Air-dry naturally: Lay it on a paper towel at room temperature. Avoid hair dryers or heat lamps, which degrade fragile genetic material.
  • Don't wash dirty sheds: It's tempting to rinse off stuck bedding, but tap water ruptures delicate cells and leaves behind minerals that damage DNA. The lab filters out dry coco coir or aspen easily, so gently brush off loose bits with clean, dry hands.
• Isolation & packing: Put it in its own small zip bag with its label. One shed and label per bag.

  Tips from the lab

  • Keep genetics separate: Try to keep sheds from communal or paired enclosures separated. Microscopic cellular transfer can create overlapping DNA peaks in the lab, leaving you with an inconclusive test.
  • Seal completely dry: A clean zip-top bag keeps the shed protected from ambient dust and contaminants, but make sure it is 100% dry before zipping it closed.

Step 4: Ready to ship: sample + label together

Slip the printed label (or written barcode) right into the zip bag with that specific animal's shed. Keep it strictly one shed and one label per bag. Then place your zip bags into a mailing envelope (standard letter envelopes or padded mailers are both completely fine).

If you're testing multiple animals, just make sure they share the same lab destination before putting the zip bags in the same envelope. Otherwise, follow the exact same process, just use a separate envelope for each destination.

Step 5: Mail it to the lab

Write the lab address from your animal's generated label onto the front of your envelope. Regular post is completely fine.

We partner with specialized labs depending on the species and tests selected, so destination addresses can vary. Always use the specific address shown on that animal's label, and use separate envelopes if samples are heading to different labs.