Where do you get rodents from?

sattva · 12-14-16, 08:34 PM

I ordered my first online rodent purchase from Rodent Pro...
50 Rats: Fuzzies @ $.75 ($37.50)
20 Rats: Small @ $1.50 ($30.00)
20 Rats: Medium @ $1.75 ($35.00)

Sub-Total: $102.50

S&H: $29.00 (Cost of packing materials, dry ice, and insurance are included.)

Order Total: $131.50

I had been getting my rats from my local reptile store and last time they asked me to preorder my rats so I don't run them out... So I called last week and they said they could not take my order over the phone... Well.... I have been wanting to try Rodent Pro so they made it easy on me.... I didn't want to spend $131.50 this time of year but this will last me 4 to 5 months...

It got me think! Where is everybody else getting their rodents from?

trailblazer295 · 12-14-16, 08:44 PM

I've bought from local stores but now I stock up at expos. We don't have the same shipping options you do south of the border. Expos are much cheaper, last expo small rats were $1.75 and they are $6 at local store. So now I have a deep freeze in the basement for feeders and my own food lol

bigsnakegirl785 · 12-14-16, 10:07 PM

I usually get them from Big Cheese, but Big Cheese is currently out of all rats small or larger, and my back up Perfect Prey is also out of small rats...which is extremely inconvenient for me as I have 0 rodents atm thanks to a fridge failure. I can get everything BUT small rats at Perfect Prey, but the only other source I trust is Layne Labs and their prices are ridiculous. Just to order the small rats will give me an additional $170. I could probably get all of my food for half a year at Perfect Prey for right around $300 with the small rats included, but Layne Labs everything will run me over $500 for half a year.

With Christmas coming up if I don't order them this week, I won't be able to get any in until January, and many of my snakes will have gone a month without food now. :/

At this point I may have to trust Rodent Pro won't kill my snakes and get at least the small rats from them because $170 for a handful of small rats is excessive.

ThirteenRavens · 12-14-16, 10:25 PM

If I order online, I order from Layne Labs (I think they're located in California) I can order smaller quantities of different types (mice and rats) since I have 7 snakes of various sizes...good quality, quick shipping with dry ice still in the box upon arrival (which is fun to play with!). Since I have moved back to my home state I've been getting my rodents from PetSmart (so expensive...) for the time being as both of my freezers are full of other things so I don't have room for big bulk orders atm.

**EL Ziggy** · 12-14-16, 10:26 PM

Good luck with RP sattva. I didn't have the best experience with them. I use Perfect Prey as my primary supplier and I'm very happy with them. I only wish they carried quail. Big Cheese is great too but they're often sold out of the medium and large rats I need. Layne Labs was the first online supplier I bought from. They're top notch but a bit more expensive than the others.

**Minkness** · 12-14-16, 11:27 PM

I am also a perfect prey advocate. Even tried to sell my local reptile store on them but they stay with RP because they get a killer deal and get massive loads. I goto them when I need to fill a gap, but mostly, Inonly go through Perfect Prey.

**Tsubaki** · 12-15-16, 12:29 AM

And here I go driving for 3h to get my snakefood...

sattva · 12-15-16, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

I usually get them from Big Cheese, but Big Cheese is currently out of all rats small or larger, and my back up Perfect Prey is also out of small rats...which is extremely inconvenient for me as I have 0 rodents atm thanks to a fridge failure. I can get everything BUT small rats at Perfect Prey, but the only other source I trust is Layne Labs and their prices are ridiculous. Just to order the small rats will give me an additional $170. I could probably get all of my food for half a year at Perfect Prey for right around $300 with the small rats included, but Layne Labs everything will run me over $500 for half a year.

With Christmas coming up if I don't order them this week, I won't be able to get any in until January, and many of my snakes will have gone a month without food now. :/

At this point I may have to trust Rodent Pro won't kill my snakes and get at least the small rats from them because $170 for a handful of small rats is excessive.

What do you mean when you said that you may have to trust Rodent Pro won't kill your snakes? Am I missing something here?

dave himself · 12-15-16, 02:40 AM

Wow I didn't realise I lucky I am I just pick mine up any Saturday when I'm in the shop

akane · 12-15-16, 04:43 AM

Local breeders. For now I don't use that much and my snakes are growing so I buy about 6 of a type at a time. Within the month they might be ready to go up a size or switch from mice to young rats.

eminart · 12-15-16, 06:21 AM

I'm lucky enough to have a good local reptile store. They're nice people who do things the right way. I like supporting them and I really don't have enough snakes to make it worthwhile to order online anyway.

serpentgirl123 · 12-15-16, 08:59 AM

1st: Big Cheese
2nd: Reptile Deli
3rd: Rodent Pro
4th: Perfect Prey
5th: American Rodent
6th: Local Herp Show (only comes twice a year and others are States' over and not at convenient times for me).

**Minkness** · 12-15-16, 03:40 PM

Why is rodent pro before perfect prey? Just curious. =)

Aayrick · 12-15-16, 04:34 PM

I get mine a few at a time from a local store. Shipping them to Alaska through the suppliers others have mentioned is prohibitively expensive for me. Shipping is stupidly expensive when coming to Alaska. I looked into it, order itself was about $100.00, shipping was around $150.00.

SWDK · 12-15-16, 05:24 PM

I only buy at the Hamburg reptile show. It's every other month so I need to buy enough to last 2 months at a time. I get some good prices so I don't try to buy elsewhere.