Ok so I sent out the blood samples to U of M on Wednesday (then went camping with the kids). I ended up doing the following for anyone who is interested (this was required packaging for FedEx delivery).
Taped the stoppers on the EDTA tubes.
Wraped each tube (4) in bubble wrap.
placed in a tupperware with two small cold packs.
tapped up tupperware and wrapped with a large cold pack
placed in a ziplock bag
placed in a box with paper towels
sent it off.
Hope this helps anyone looking at shipping themselves.
Also I found a wealth of information on the FedEx site, turnes out it was a good thing I researched this as the guy at the FedEx place wasn;t sure how to deal with animal blood and had to call a regional manager.
Lucky for me I was able to tell the manager that, yes I did have the stoppers taped and they were in a ziplock as a secondary barrier, and had enough paper towels to absorb anything that might spill if the tubes broke.
Wish me, and Zaire luck as we wait for the results. I will let you all know how they turn out.