ordering bulk food dilema

[ilovemysnake]

im really considering buying the bulk mice just because im simply not going to have much time to do running around doing chores then going to the store with me working 17 hours a day. when im not working, the stores are going to be closed (i work 5 am - 10 pm) or its my only day off and i'd like to kick back, and get laundry ect done..
here's the one thing, both my snakes are growing like weeds.
i expected it from turbo because he was malnourished and skinny when i rescued him and im fattening the little sucker up ;) hahaha ;)
he's gone from a small to medium to a large pinkie within the matter of 2.5 months.
soon to be on fuzzies.
turbine is on fuzzies.

what i want to know is does anyone know a site where i can "mix and match" prey items?
it seems they come in excessive amounts.
100 per order? that's enough for a year! and he'll be way above a fuzzie in a year. they both will be.
i know it's a long shot, but maybe someone on here has heard of it? or where i can input EXACTLY the amount i want/need of a certain size.
anything you know about it would be appreciated.

& yes i've thought about breeding, but i want to wait until i get an apartment so the 6 dogs and 3 cats dont get into the mice.. they're quite nosy :P

thanks guys!

[kwhitlock]

Reptile expo is your best bet probably either that or call the companies for custom orders.

[infernalis]

I do this a lot, for your small needs, a reptile show is the best bet.

Ordering from a big supplier would kill your bargain with shipping, the only way to offset shipping is to buy 500-1000 feeders at a time.

[KORBIN5895]

I sell all of my feeders n whatever number people want but for your size order I doubt the shipping would be worth it.

[kelzerman]

I sell all of my feeders n whatever number people want but for your size order I doubt the shipping would be worth it.

What do you charge for shipping?

[infernalis]

What do you charge for shipping?

Before anyone says anything... ;)

Shipping seems steep, but I'll break it down so it makes sense.

Dry Ice - frozen carbon dioxide gas, available only from a very few sources, roughly $15 of the normal shipping charges applied by anyone is the block of dry ice inside the box.

Insulation - that's right, to keep the contents frozen, the box MUST be insulated, effective insulation will be multiple layers thick, factor another $10 for the insulation.

Express handling - can't take chances on slow moving parcels thawing out in transit, so priority handling charges will always apply. factor in another $20-30

The laws of business mandate that a supplier who is attempting to stay open and turn any profit at all, MUST pass the shipping expense along to the buyer.

[formica]

£10 ($15?) for frozen next morning shipping anywhere in the UK, including dry ice and insulated packaging

yes we're a much smaller island, but I think logistics companies and possibly the breeders, are taking the mic in the US, especially considering your fuel prices are less than 1/3 of ours, doesnt make any sense!

[knox]

I ordered 100 pinkies and 100 fuzzes from Mice Direct. It was close to $80, BUT - that's only 40 cents per mouse. More expensive than an expo, for sure. But to keep me from driving and/or paying retail prices, I am very happy with that.

It's all about what your time is worth, and how close an expo is. We don't have expos of any quality here in TN because of our strict Colubrid laws, so 40 cents a feeding is fine by me.

That's only 80 cents a week for my 4 baby snakes since I feed twice a week. When they move up a size, I will drop it to once a week.

[kelzerman]

Oh I understand that. Even with shipping when I order from other sites I get them for a fraction of the price then lets say local shops. Not to mention quality is better in my opinion. But if I could take my business to a fellow hobbyist then I would rather contribute to him.

[kwhitlock]

I wonder if I can ask them not to insulate or anything right now shipping to the northern states. I think it would be super cheap since the mice at every part will not be unfrozen. A whole whopping -14 out right now ;)

[Starbuck]

think about it this way; 100 fuzzes, feeding 1 to each snake= 50 feedings; and right now you said you are feeding every 5 days? Sure eventually you will move up to 7 days, maybe by then you can feed them 2 fuzzies (though generally most people recommend a single larger prey item) per feeding, and switch them to hoppers, etc...

I feel like when i have looked at rodentpro online you can order in smaller quantities? Or find someone in your area who might be willing to share the shipping and fuzzies with you... or who would be willing to pick you up some feeders at an expo if you gave them some gas money.

[kelzerman]

My last order from Rodent Pro including shipping I paid:

20- small rats @ $1.50 ea.
20- medium rats @ $1.75 ea.
100- large pinkies @ $ .24 ea.
100- white hoppers @ $ .34 ea.

[EL Ziggy]

I use Layne Labs. They have quality feeders and you can order in quantities of 10, 25, 50, 100+. I mix and match sizes according to my snakes current and future needs. The shipping is a little pricey but it's worth it. I'm able to feed both my snakes for 6-8 months for about $100. Roughly half of that was for shipping costs. I got (50) hoppers,
(50) small mice and (25) med mice. The expo is definitely the least expensive source but I missed the last one and had to order online.

[infernalis]

Best order ever...

http://www.savannahmonitor.net/husbandry/pro.jpg

[EL Ziggy]

Best order ever...

http://www.savannahmonitor.net/husbandry/pro.jpg
Wow, now that's what I call a bang for your buck!

[kelzerman]

Best order ever...

http://www.savannahmonitor.net/husbandry/pro.jpg


wow.... simply amazing

[Aaron_S]

How about re-selling all the extras on craigslist if you don't need 100.

[sharthun]

You can order smaller quantities at Layne Labs. I'm very satisfied with rodentpro.

[CK SandBoas]

You can try ordering from Loxahatchee Rodents....I know their bags of pinkies and fuzzies were 50 per bag, the last I knew.....

[CosmicOwl]

You can always just feed two fuzzies and finish off the supply. You don't NEED to immediately move from fuzzies to hoppers. In the wild, snakes aren't eating perfectly sized prey items, yet they grow fine. There are also some suppliers that sell smaller quantities. I bought 50 large pinkies and 50 fuzzies from Big Cheese Rodents. The quality seems good, and it was a better fit than rodentpro.

[LiL Zap]

Everyone else pretty much nailed it. You're either gonna want to A)Go to a reptile show or B)Order online. I buy from reptile shows.

[KORBIN5895]

Before anyone says anything... ;)

Shipping seems steep, but I'll break it down so it makes sense.

Dry Ice - frozen carbon dioxide gas, available only from a very few sources, roughly $15 of the normal shipping charges applied by anyone is the block of dry ice inside the box.

Insulation - that's right, to keep the contents frozen, the box MUST be insulated, effective insulation will be multiple layers thick, factor another $10 for the insulation.

Express handling - can't take chances on slow moving parcels thawing out in transit, so priority handling charges will always apply. factor in another $20-30

The laws of business mandate that a supplier who is attempting to stay open and turn any profit at all, MUST pass the shipping expense along to the buyer.

Dry ice is $4 a kilo here and that is for the crappy pellets. You need 2 kg a day to keep them frozen. Shipping anything with over 2kg of dry ice will be charged a dangerous materials fee when shipped air. I also will ship ground or second day and just pack accordingly. I reuse boxes from work and insulation to save on that expense.

[ilovemysnake]

Do you guys think it would be more cost effective to just breed when i get an apartment, or to order in bulk?
and with breeding, i heard you can feed the breeder and feeder mice dog kibble, since it's high in protein and you get more for your dollar, it'll last longer. what's your opinion on that??

[Sharlynn93]

My mice won't touch dog food...I tried...haven't tried it on the rats yet...breeding for just 2 snakes may not be the best route..you may end up with more than you need...unless you have multiple tanks to separate them into...I have 3 mouse tanks and 2 rat tubs right now...going to set up a 3rd soon for separating purposes...they take up alot of room...hubby is working on adding heat to our basement so we can move the rodent operation down there and maybe expand since there is no where within a 45 min drive for people to buy feeders around here...not looking to make money, just help out fellow keepers :D

[infernalis]

Do you guys think it would be more cost effective to just breed when i get an apartment, or to order in bulk?
and with breeding, i heard you can feed the breeder and feeder mice dog kibble, since it's high in protein and you get more for your dollar, it'll last longer. what's your opinion on that??

I bred mice and rats for years, it's smelly, time consuming, and difficult to feed them off when you have raised them and cared for them.

It got out of hand, I was selling mice to the pet stores, hardly making back the feeding expense, I finally just took ALL of them to the pet shop, traded for frozen ones, and ended it.

Keeping a bunch in the freezer is easier, cheaper and NO connection to live animals when feeding.

[Aaron_S]

Do you guys think it would be more cost effective to just breed when i get an apartment, or to order in bulk?
and with breeding, i heard you can feed the breeder and feeder mice dog kibble, since it's high in protein and you get more for your dollar, it'll last longer. what's your opinion on that??

Gross. You would really feed that horrible type of food to your snakes?

Don't forget what goes into your feeders goes into your snakes.

Feed them mazuri.

Stop looking for the cheapest way possible. Look for the best option but cost effective.

[spyderk]

I buy from Big Cheese Rodents. I think my last order of 250 mice worked out to be .32 a mouse. I bought large pinkies to weanlings, 50 mice per bag. I've always been happy with them and have ordered 3 times now.

[KORBIN5895]

Do you guys think it would be more cost effective to just breed when i get an apartment, or to order in bulk?
and with breeding, i heard you can feed the breeder and feeder mice dog kibble, since it's high in protein and you get more for your dollar, it'll last longer. what's your opinion on that??

I highly doubt it would be worth you time to breed as they stink, have a high rate of cannibalism and are just gross.

Who ever recommended dog food gave you terrible advice. Higher levels of protein is thought to lead to higher rates of cancer. Me and a friend got our breeding stock from the same source. He feed his mostly dog and cat food while I fed mine a scrap diet supplemented with seeds. He had many rodents with cancer and tumors and their coats were disgusting and oily. I had maybe one with cancer and I was producing about 50 a week.

[ilovemysnake]

I highly doubt it would be worth you time to breed as they stink, have a high rate of cannibalism and are just gross.

Who ever recommended dog food gave you terrible advice. Higher levels of protein is thought to lead to higher rates of cancer. Me and a friend got our breeding stock from the same source. He feed his mostly dog and cat food while I fed mine a scrap diet supplemented with seeds. He had many rodents with cancer and tumors and their coats were disgusting and oily. I had maybe one with cancer and I was producing about 50 a week.

will they always stink? i like to keep things very clean, so the cage would always be clean. i also trained my hamsters to go to the bathroom in a "litter box" so i might be able to do that with mice. is it just the urine and fecal matter, because that i could work with.
& what was in the 'scrap diet' you fed them?

[KORBIN5895]

will they always stink? i like to keep things very clean, so the cage would always be clean. i also trained my hamsters to go to the bathroom in a "litter box" so i might be able to do that with mice. is it just the urine and fecal matter, because that i could work with.
& what was in the 'scrap diet' you fed them?

If you are seriously working 17 hours a day you don't want to clean cages everyday. As far as the scrap diet I feed them a lot of fruits and veggies I got from my local grocery that they were throwing away, they loved pop corn I used to get from the movie theater and breads from a local bakery. I had two males and 33 female breeders in on enclosure plus all of the off spring smaller than adult size. They could eat me out of house and home for a joke. I would only give them protein sparingly.

[ilovemysnake]

If you are seriously working 17 hours a day you don't want to clean cages everyday. As far as the scrap diet I feed them a lot of fruits and veggies I got from my local grocery that they were throwing away, they loved pop corn I used to get from the movie theater and breads from a local bakery. I had two males and 33 female breeders in on enclosure plus all of the off spring smaller than adult size. They could eat me out of house and home for a joke. I would only give them protein sparingly.


one question- you said you have 33 females and 2 males in one enclosure, but do you have to separate the females when they have the litter of pups? i read the other females will eat and kill the babies that dont belong to them.

[KORBIN5895]

The enclosure was quite large and I would put five gallon aquariums in it for the birthing mothers and had up to three 5 gallons in it at once with three nursing mothers in each.

[MDT]

will they always stink? i like to keep things very clean, so the cage would always be clean. i also trained my hamsters to go to the bathroom in a "litter box" so i might be able to do that with mice. is it just the urine and fecal matter, because that i could work with.
& what was in the 'scrap diet' you fed them?

ILMS....you are, without a doubt, one of the more passionate reptile owners I've come across. It is apparent that you really care about your animals, and are extremely vigilant (almost excessively so) about the well being of your animals.

That being said, dude...you gotta let some of this stuff slide. Let them just do their thing. You'll sleep better at night. As far as food goes, like folks have said, go to a show or buy online...get various sizes and buy a bucket full for the year if that's what you want to do...It's $$$ upfront, but will save time and effort for you in the long run. Don't breed your own mice in an apartment, it will stink more than you can imagine. Your neighbors would not appreciate it.

[TheZoo]

trust me do not breed mice i had 6 females no babies and they needed cleaning every 4-5 days they eat alot they poop alot and there prone to canibalism when you dont take care of them right ie 10 gallons for the first 2, 30gal for 6. people who have no ideal will tell you everything that is wrong. They need to be seprated at birth and boys need to live in there own enclusers (never put males together) and there sexually active at 4 weeks but that dosnt mean you should start breeding them then. Oh and no amounth of training will get them to poop and pee in a litter box

[KORBIN5895]

trust me do not breed mice i had 6 females no babies and they needed cleaning every 4-5 days they eat alot they poop alot and there prone to canibalism when you dont take care of them right ie 10 gallons for the first 2, 30gal for 6. people who have no ideal will tell you everything that is wrong. They need to be seprated at birth and boys need to live in there own enclusers (never put males together) and there sexually active at 4 weeks but that dosnt mean you should start breeding them then. Oh and no amounth of training will get them to poop and pee in a litter box

How did you introduce your males and females?

[MDT]

How did you introduce your males and females?

Typically just with some small talk, maybe going out for a pizza, and exchanging numbers. Why?


Oh...wait....

[Sharlynn93]

I put mine together in a neutral container while I change and clean their "home tank" and then put them in together...haven't had an issue...yet....

[TheZoo]

How did you introduce your males and females?

I never bred them but I did alot of reserch on breeding from experenced breeders. when I did have boys around they didnt spend time with the girls they just got extra attention. I just wanted to stress you are young with alot on your plate this probably isnt the best option for you.