Feed question

[GyGbeetle]

I have a general question regarding feed for moderate to large collections. I have 10 snakes, and our feed bill is over $100/month at the pet shop we trust getting feed from. But they sometimes are out of the larger sized rats, and I've read in some posts here of people buying bulk from online vendors. I'm really paranoid about feeding a bad rat to one of our snakes, which is why I haven't really looked into online vendors (I've heard from people that their snake died after feeding it a bad rat, and I'm not sure if I could recognize a bad rat).

I'd like to hear what people's preferences are and why. Maybe gain some data to see if buying bulk will be better in the long run. And also, would like to know what else you may be feeding your snakes (I have mostly large body boids) outside of the rat diet. And maybe some pros/cons of feeding something other than rats.

Thanks in advance

[MartinD]

A reputable company will not sell bad rats as good food is paramount to them keeping a good reputation and staying in business. Here in the UK there are a few companies that sell bulk and they are a lot cheaper than the local store. In my experience the local store are more than likely to sell dodgy food. Ask around to see what other keepers recommend, it will work out cheaper in the long run

[TRD]

Only problem with bulk is that after ~6 months the frozen animals lose some nutritional value. I buy mine in bulk, but only from a respectable man who makes sure the mice are fed well and taken proper care off (you even get to view how he keeps them, what he feeds them, his process on how he kills them, freezes them, and so on)

I had some bad experiences buying from some other local vendors and the feeder mice looked rather poor.

And yes, it's expensive...

Currently I buy them for GBP 0.27/hopper (6-11 gr, but most are around 9-11) and 0.43 GBP/small adult (12-17 gr).

I realize this is still cheap for high quality feeder mice, but I live in Hungary and salaries are lower and living cost are much cheaper here :p I can buy the same mice MUCH cheaper, but quality is just a disgrace and I don't want to support such feeder breeders.

I buy in bulk to support for a 3 month period at a time.

$100/month seems excessive though. You must have some large snakes with high metabolism?

[EL Ziggy]

I have 8 snakes. I order all my feeders online and have never had a single issue with a rotten feeder. I use Perfect Prey and Big Cheese. Their prices, feeder quality and packaging are all top notch. They both happen to be out of some of the feeder sizes I need right now but they should be available next week. Here's my last order from Perfect Prey.

http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t674/EL-Ziggy/Mobile%20Uploads/20160720_194942-1_zps10t2s7cd.jpg (http://s1319.photobucket.com/user/EL-Ziggy/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160720_194942-1_zps10t2s7cd.jpg.html)

[SWDK]

Buying in bulk is the way to go. It will save you money in the long run. I'm fortunate to buy direct from the supplier at the reptile show every 2 months.

[EL Ziggy]

Just placed my order with Perfect Prey. This order should last me 5-6 months.

Product Quantity Price
Fuzzy Rats (25/Pack) (#Rat, Fuzzy (Frozen))
1 $18.75
Small Rats (15/Pack) (#Rat, small (Frozen))
2 $45.00
Large Rats (5/Pack) (#Rat, Large (Frozen))
2 $27.50
Rat Pups (25/Pack) (#Rat, Pups (Frozen))
1 $25.00
Weaned Rats (20/Pack) (#Rat, Weaned (Frozen))
2 $50.00
Medium Rats (10/Pack) (#Rat, Medium (Frozen))
4 $70.00
Day-old Chicks (25/pack) (#Day-Old Chicks (frozen))
1 $9.75
Cart Subtotal: $246.00
Shipping: $27.89 via FedEx Ground Home Delivery (2 days)
Out of state - No Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $273.89

[GyGbeetle]

We have 2 retics less than a year, that get 1 small rat/week
We have 1 Burmese that gets 1 medium/week. She's over a year old
We have an 8 year old Columbian red tail that gets a jumbo every other week (but my husband has read that jumbo rats may not be good in older snakes because they're fattier than the snakes can handle. So we're looking into switching to a better source of protein for my Fang)
3 baby boas that take a pinkie a week
2 boas just under a year that we just reduced to every other week (they were getting round). One takes a pup and the other takes a small
And a Woma who takes a small every week.

We buy for all animals a month at a time. For those that we only feed every other week, we will buy 2 months at a time just in case. But the feed will last less than 2 months.

Buying bulk sounds good. I think I'll look into Perfect Prey

[Aaron_S]

Just placed my order with Perfect Prey. This order should last me 5-6 months.

Product Quantity Price
Fuzzy Rats (25/Pack) (#Rat, Fuzzy (Frozen))
1 $18.75
Small Rats (15/Pack) (#Rat, small (Frozen))
2 $45.00
Large Rats (5/Pack) (#Rat, Large (Frozen))
2 $27.50
Rat Pups (25/Pack) (#Rat, Pups (Frozen))
1 $25.00
Weaned Rats (20/Pack) (#Rat, Weaned (Frozen))
2 $50.00
Medium Rats (10/Pack) (#Rat, Medium (Frozen))
4 $70.00
Day-old Chicks (25/pack) (#Day-Old Chicks (frozen))
1 $9.75
Cart Subtotal: $246.00
Shipping: $27.89 via FedEx Ground Home Delivery (2 days)
Out of state - No Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $273.89

Thanks for posting that. It gives a good idea of what someone can expect to pay. If on a bad side it only lasts 5 months it's only $54.78 per month or $6.85 a snake/month.

Cheapest pet you can buy!

[GyGbeetle]

I just want to mention that I really love this forum site. Ever since joining, you guys have all been really great and have provided so much amazing information. It's been so frustrating trying to find local, knowledgeable people in my area, or even a vet that I can pick at their ears with all of these beginner questions. So thank you all for being here!