Why I like freezing snake food myself

[NennaMeerkat]

Recently I found a bulk supplier of live feeder rodents. They are a local couple of guys and they are great at what they do. Not only will they deliver to my door but their prices are MUCH cheaper than those prepackaged rodents you can buy.

Now I don't know about the rest of the stages of a mouse, but the pinkies in the "blue box" look like little blobs. Sometimes it is hard to tell what they were/are. Not only that but more times than not I have tried getting them out of those tiny little bags that they end up becoming "degloved" (the skin removed) all over leaving a total mess.

Here are a few pics to show you the difference between "fresh" frozen pinkies and those ones in the blue box. Sorry if the pictures are disturbing for anyone for any reason.


Here is a group of fresh pinkies and the prepackaged ones:
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/4328/p1030456e.jpg

Here is one of the prepackaged ones outside of the bag next to a fresh pinkie:
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4837/p1030458q.jpg

And last but not least...here is the same prepackaged pinkie in the picture before turned on its side. Gotta love the "flat" pinkie:
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6411/p1030460.jpg

[infernalis]

I have always been very pleased with my orders from rodent pro.

Frozen Mice, Frozen Rats, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Chicks and Quail (http://www.rodentpro.com)

[thomas1123]

wow that is crazy! they fresh frozen ones look like they actually have meat on them instead of the blue box ones lol

[NennaMeerkat]

Ah well see the "blue box" people I am talking about you buy at big chain pet stores. Arctic Mice or Arctic Mouse is the name. Their quality is sub par from all I have seen.

[NennaMeerkat]

wow that is crazy! they fresh frozen ones look like they actually have meat on them instead of the blue box ones lol

Ha ha yep no blobs of goo...which is what the blue box ones remind me of after thawing. You ought to consider snagging a reputable local breeder of mice.

[thomas1123]

I have always been very pleased with my orders from rodent pro.

Frozen Mice, Frozen Rats, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Chicks and Quail (http://www.rodentpro.com)

how many snakes do you have because i only have one and i just looked on that website and they were selling like 100 pinks in a bag! lol are they pretty good looking mice that you get? do they ship all around the U.S.? How long does it take for you to get them to your house?

[RandyRhoads]

I see they sell quail, too. Is there any problem with feeding chickens, pheasants, quail to your snakes? Like salmonella?

[infernalis]

how many snakes do you have because i only have one and i just looked on that website and they were selling like 100 pinks in a bag! lol are they pretty good looking mice that you get? do they ship all around the U.S.? How long does it take for you to get them to your house?

I order 800 (minimum) at a time, about every six weeks.

I also breed my own rats, so in all I feed close to 1,000 rodents per month to our reptiles. Not counting the huge amounts of night crawlers, fish, roaches and shrimp.



My milk snakes, corn snake & python are all on rats, the garter snakes are all on mice.

currently maintain somewhere around 70 or so snakes, babies due soon, so it will go up into the hundreds for a while.

http://www.laserpointerforums.info/dryice/mice.jpg

they ship on Mondays, I receive on Wednesday, with plenty of dry ice left over to spare.

I see they sell quail, too. Is there any problem with feeding chickens, pheasants, quail to your snakes? Like salmonella?

No, they are euthanized and immediatly frozen...

[thomas1123]

wow that is crazy i have never seen so many frozen pinks lol

[TeaNinja]

me either lol. at least you have almost all small snakes right? makes it easier to buy HUGE backs of pinkies because the snakes for the most part stay small.

[RandyRhoads]

I'm rasing and breeding pheasants soon. Would they be ok as feeders?

[NennaMeerkat]

Those are some great healthy looking pinks! Great place you found Infernalis, but as I have only one snake my local people do great enough for me.

[infernalis]

me either lol. at least you have almost all small snakes right? makes it easier to buy HUGE backs of pinkies because the snakes for the most part stay small.


99% garter snake morphs, 18-24 inches average.

I'm raising and breeding pheasants soon. Would they be OK as feeders?

Yes, as long as you have a snake that will take birds.

[sickvenom]

um, the blue box ones look like pinkie jerky. bravo, NennaMeerkat, for actually caring about what you put down your snake's throat.

I'm rasing and breeding pheasants soon. Would they be ok as feeders?

i personally wouldn't recommend feeding any avian to snakes. they carry nasty parasites and diseases. if you are breeding them, then you would need to keep them indoors, in a controlled environment to make sure they don't contract anything nasty. if you are keeping them in an outside enclosure, then i wouldn't risk it.

[NennaMeerkat]

um, the blue box ones look like pinkie jerky. bravo, NennaMeerkat, for actually caring about what you put down your snake's throat.


Well when you have only one thing to eat your entire life it pays to have that one thing be worth eating. That and the availability and price of the live pinks that I am buying from these guys are perfect.

[Lankyrob]

Thannks for this thread nenna, the prey items we buy look like perfectly healthy specimens that are just asleep, seeing the ones you buy they loook exactly the same, we have had to buy from a different reptile shop once and they looked like the packaged pinkies you showed, thankfully we only bought one feeds worth from them and went back to our normal supplier after, we now buy a months worth at a time works out£20 per month to feed seven snakes but tbh i would pay double or even triple that for healthy well fed snakes.

[NennaMeerkat]

Yeah I was shocked when I bought the blue box pinkies and used them. Little ugly blobs. Just just could not see myself wanting to eat one if I was a snake but not having a choice was even worse. I just hope my hoggie takes to them considering they are gonna smell different than the ones she is used to.

[ilovemypets1988]

totally agree with you there rob, i get my mice from my local pet shop and they aint too bad on the quality side of things but if it meant my snake getting a better diet, then i would go to a rep shop thats an hour away and pay extra for them.

the better quality of food = more healthy snake and im some cases, lizards to

[sassy_snake_lady]

I breed my own :D

[ilovemypets1988]

if your hoggie doesnt want he blue box pinkies, offer the occasional 1 to your gecko girls, they may benefit from them more than your hoggie anyway

[sassy_snake_lady]

totally agree with you there rob, i get my mice from my local pet shop and they aint too bad on the quality side of things but if it meant my snake getting a better diet, then i would go to a rep shop thats an hour away and pay extra for them.

the better quality of food = more healthy snake and im some cases, lizards to

Where do you buy your rats for the boa?

[ilovemypets1988]

Where do you buy your rats for the boa?

i feed him on 2 xl mice atm, but gunna get his rats from cpr

[NennaMeerkat]

if your hoggie doesnt want he blue box pinkies, offer the occasional 1 to your gecko girls, they may benefit from them more than your hoggie anyway

I might try that later on...though my hoggie does seem to love those durn blue box blobs >.< However I think that when my girls get a little bigger I will offer them up to them.

[sassy_snake_lady]

i feed him on 2 xl mice atm, but gunna get his rats from cpr

He should be on rats now! Order them online in bulk :)

[Lankyrob]

Best part of our local rep shop - they open the bag on the counter for whatever size you want and you choose your own (like pick 'n' mix!!!) we all know that within say XL mice the sizes can vary massively so by hand picking and knowing what ypur animals can take you get the perfect sizes.

[sassy_snake_lady]

Best part of our local rep shop - they open the bag on the counter for whatever size you want and you choose your own (like pick 'n' mix!!!) we all know that within say XL mice the sizes can vary massively so by hand picking and knowing what ypur animals can take you get the perfect sizes.

Very true which is why I breed my own. Can have whatever size the snake needs :)

[stephanbakir]

Best part of our local rep shop - they open the bag on the counter for whatever size you want and you choose your own (like pick 'n' mix!!!) we all know that within say XL mice the sizes can vary massively so by hand picking and knowing what ypur animals can take you get the perfect sizes.

Wish we had anything like this here :(

[NennaMeerkat]

That is what my guys do when they are at a show. They have all the pinkies in one bin ect. ect. Just pick and choose. Some of the pinkies are more pricey than others depending on size but only by a few cents. However frozen (bag of 50) are one price no matter what size the pinkie.

[infernalis]

One member of this forum lives just a couple milesaway, he stops by and buys his from me, I couldn't let a neighbour continue buying gold plated pinkies from PETCO.

[NennaMeerkat]

One member of this forum lives just a couple milesaway, he stops by and buys his from me, I couldn't let a neighbour continue buying gold plated pinkies from PETCO.

Good on you Infernalis. They were probably buying the same thing as pictured above. I know the Petco and Petsmart around here...that is all they sell. Arctic Mouse...or whatever it is called.

[infernalis]

They sell these horrid things for way too much money..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/3147600757_4c80c9a50b.jpg

[NennaMeerkat]

Oh good god. How many are in there and how much does it cost. Cause that is different than the blue box stuff I have.

[infernalis]

For mouse pinks they charge roughly $5 for 3 pinkies.

His baby corn snake is growing fast, so I let him pick from my assorted sizes what he thinks will be best for his snake, and I only charge him 50 cents a pinkie.

[stephanbakir]

Mice on ice are pretty expensive aswell, and half of them have missing feet and tails.
Every 1-2 packs you get a mouse thats broken in half=/

[NennaMeerkat]

Oh man that is really expensive! Not only that but to get some broken in half...gruesome! They might be frozen and dead but come on! Lets get some quality standards!!

[dshin963]

One member of this forum lives just a couple milesaway, he stops by and buys his from me, I couldn't let a neighbour continue buying gold plated pinkies from PETCO.

That is awesome I wish I was your neighbour :D
:yes:

[infernalis]

In defense of the suppliers, the broken mice come from them being frozen way colder than you are used to.

Anyone remember Terminator 2 ?? the scene where the liquid metal was frozen with liquid nitrogen and then easily shattered like glass?

My pinkies arrive packed in dry ice, substantially colder than a common freezer could achieve. and yes, there is an occasional broken one.

[NennaMeerkat]

I dont think the guys I use do it that way. With the liquid nitrogen or whatever. Think they just use a normal deep freeze. Then again at the last show this past weekend I saw some of their pre-frozen ones with broke feet and tails. One reason why I bought my 15 live so I could just do the job myself.

Not that missing feet or tails is any real big deal.

[infernalis]

I don't mind broken pinkies, I chop them up for my wee babies all the time anyhow.

If you look, that's one pinkie mouse chopped up, Poor little baby snake could never fit a whole pink in that mouth otherwise.

http://www.mypetforums.com/photos/melvin.jpg

[NennaMeerkat]

LOL I forget you have strings with faces sometimes Infernalis. Though I thought you fed your little ones minnows?

[infernalis]

LOL I forget you have strings with faces sometimes Infernalis. Though I thought you fed your little ones minnows?

Minnows at first, but the sooner I can get them on rodents, the better I like it.

[NennaMeerkat]

Considering that they will be making a diet of rodents for their entire life I would imagine you would want them on it ASAP. Have you ever had one come out of the egg ready to eat rodent? And how to you chop up the pinkie with making a nasty mess? Those bits in the picture above look so neat and bloodless.

[infernalis]

Thamnophis bear live young, there is no eggs aside from the ovulation process.

The young develop inside a membrane contained within the mother's womb until she delivers her litter.

To get a mess free "goulash" I chop the pinkies up while they are still frozen with a single edge industrial razor. The consistency is very similar to hard ice cream, and since the body fluids are still frozen solid, it's mess free.

[NennaMeerkat]

Oh didn't realize they birthed live...learn something new every day :)

What keeps it from being a mess after being heated though? I mean looks like it would just turn to goo...so to speak.

[sickvenom]

They sell these horrid things for way too much money..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/3147600757_4c80c9a50b.jpg

actually, those aren't too expensive and the quality is pretty good. they cost way less than their live feeders.

[infernalis]

Oh didn't realize they birthed live...learn something new every day :).

A good friend filmed this.. enjoy


CRBERDB8GoA

What keeps it from being a mess after being heated though? I mean looks like it would just turn to goo...so to speak.

There is about 25% trout mixed in there, then I just let it thaw out, I don't heat it, I serve at room temperatures.

Garter snakes are fishermen by trade, so they prefer cold food.

[NennaMeerkat]

Oh that is cool that they will eat something at room temperature :) Must be nice not have to heat everything.

Thanks for the video as well!

OMG Just watched that video...SOOO cute! I love your friend as well. Glad that he talks to his snakes. I thought I was the only one to do that.

[Coffee Black]

I had to resort to Arctic Mice once when I ran out of rat pups. $11 for 4 large mice. Size and quality was fine but the price is insane, especially when I needed rat pups and had to settle for mice. I found a place with live rat pups that suggested I just toss them in the freezer! Luckily I found someone on Craigslist who I now split Rodent Pro shipping with. works out well.

[Coffee Black]

Also, Great vid! What would you say the average litter ( correct word?) size is for a garter?

[infernalis]

Also, Great vid! What would you say the average litter ( correct word?) size is for a garter?

average around 20 babies.

usually somewhere between 12-28 depending on how big the mother is.

[NennaMeerkat]

I had to resort to Arctic Mice once when I ran out of rat pups. $11 for 4 large mice. Size and quality was fine but the price is insane, especially when I needed rat pups and had to settle for mice. I found a place with live rat pups that suggested I just toss them in the freezer! Luckily I found someone on Craigslist who I now split Rodent Pro shipping with. works out well.

What exactly is wrong with that? Just baggie them up and throw them in the freezer. It is what I do. Is it a humane factor that you are worried about?

[ineedsoap16]

The big pets stores really kill you for prices. Most of my snakes are much larger than garters so the rat bill is hefty. Waynes garters sound great but I bet he feeds more rodent pound for pound. I figured it out once and it would cost upwards of $50-60 a week to buy all my frozen at Petco.

Wayne, You really are the man, after your babies arrive, how do you keep up with feeding, it must be nuts with hundreds of mouths to feed?

[drewkore]

@ Coffee Black. A "litter" of reptiles is generally refered to as a clutch.

[Coffee Black]

What exactly is wrong with that? Just baggie them up and throw them in the freezer. It is what I do. Is it a humane factor that you are worried about?

Freezing an animal to death just seems a tad cruel to me. Bop its head or put it to sleep first, in my opinion.

[Coffee Black]

@ Coffee Black. A "litter" of reptiles is generally refered to as a clutch.


I generally associate clutches with eggs. Was thinking live birth may be different.

[NennaMeerkat]

Freezing an animal to death just seems a tad cruel to me. Bop its head or put it to sleep first, in my opinion.

Well life is just cruel. Could just let them starve to death before freezing them. They are pinkies...no easy way to kill them before freezing them. Besides if they go through what most other mammals go through they are probably asleep first before they actually die. At least I think that is what happens.

However either way I am not overly worried about it. May be cruel, may not be...either way I have better food for my snake.

[infernalis]

The big pets stores really kill you for prices. Most of my snakes are much larger than garters so the rat bill is hefty. Waynes garters sound great but I bet he feeds more rodent pound for pound. I figured it out once and it would cost upwards of $50-60 a week to buy all my frozen at Petco.

Wayne, You really are the man, after your babies arrive, how do you keep up with feeding, it must be nuts with hundreds of mouths to feed?

Lots of little feed boxes, split them up into groups and do 1/2 on one evening and the other 1/2 on the next.

It's not that hard.

[sickvenom]

Well life is just cruel. Could just let them starve to death before freezing them.

that would be more cruel.

They are pinkies...no easy way to kill them before freezing them.

completely wrong. check out mykee's method in this thread: http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/food-thought-forum/86237-humane-feeder-killing.html

Besides if they go through what most other mammals go through they are probably asleep first before they actually die. At least I think that is what happens.

that doesn't justify animal cruelty.

However either way I am not overly worried about it.

so you have said.

May be cruel,

it is.

may not be...

it is.

either way I have better food for my snake.

better because you froze them to death? uh.... ok.....

[infernalis]

I confess, I froze a batch of pinks once, I can't do it again.
(My Personal preference only)

They suffered, I could see it when I looked at my "finished product" I wound up hating myself for it.

When I cull my rats, I toss live pinks to the snakes and never feel remorse, but freezing them bothered me.

C02 is cheap, Heck I get 10 pound blocks of dry ice with my frozen orders, just load up a tight sealing tote with a couple small vent holes on top, put a bowl like margarine is packed in, put in a cup or two of warm water, drop the dry ice in there and secure the lid.

Now just leave the room, go outside for a walk, erase your mind of what's going on in that room, come back in about 45 minutes later and pack them up and freeze them.

[NennaMeerkat]

You can criticize me all you like for freezing a pinkie mouse, or any other feeder animal. Fact is there are many more crueler things I could do to them besides freezing them. One way or another they will get eaten. If you don't like the fact that I freeze them myself in a freezer then you have the right to not like it. However I do not plan on changing what I do any time soon. As long as the food is good for my snake then that is all I really care about. Freezing them like I am doing just doesn't bother me.

[sickvenom]

You can criticize me all you like for freezing a pinkie mouse, or any other feeder animal.

nobody is criticizing you. it's your choice. i was merely pointing out facts.

Fact is there are many more crueler things I could do to them besides freezing them. One way or another they will get eaten. If you don't like the fact that I freeze them myself in a freezer then you have the right to not like it. However I do not plan on changing what I do any time soon. As long as the food is good for my snake then that is all I really care about. Freezing them like I am doing just doesn't bother me.

your justification is pretty silly. that's more painful to read than your chosen method of murdering your snake's food.

[infernalis]

Please let it rest.....

[sassy_snake_lady]

Freezing an animal to death just seems a tad cruel to me. Bop its head or put it to sleep first, in my opinion.

I second this. Just flick them on the head before you freeze them. Freezing them live is cruel and a horrid death for them :mad:

Edit:, sorry didn't see all of page 4 so didn't realise this had already been discussed!

For the record, I still think what your doing to the pinkies is sick. Doesn't take much to kill them before you freeze them. I breed my own feeder mice and would never put any of them live into a freezer! The suffering they would go through is just awful.

Over and out! :D

[sickvenom]

I second this. Just flick them on the head before you freeze them. Freezing them live is cruel and a horrid death for them :mad:

Edit:, sorry didn't see all of page 4 so didn't realise this had already been discussed!

For the record, I still think what your doing to the pinkies is sick. Doesn't take much to kill them before you freeze them. I breed my own feeder mice and would never put any of them live into a freezer! The suffering they would go through is just awful.

Over and out! :D

someone put me in a freezer once. i didn't like it too much.

[RandyRhoads]

someone put me in a freezer once. i didn't like it too much.


They should have left you there. :) Joking.

[sickvenom]

They should have left you there. :) Joking.

That could be a blessing in disguise.

[TeaNinja]

where's the disguise!? lol

but on a real note, i too would feel way too bad freezing rats alive. i feel bad enough breaking necks for instant death.

[sickvenom]

where's the disguise!? lol

but on a real note, i too would feel way too bad freezing rats alive. i feel bad enough breaking necks for instant death.

Instant death? Lol. There's no such thing.

[infernalis]

Instant death? Lol. There's no such thing.


If you were sitting on a nuke, and it detonated, you would go from human to vapour in a nanosecond flat.

does that not qualify for instant death??

I think what we are looking for here is "humane euthanizing"

[sickvenom]

If you were sitting on a nuke, and it detonated, you would go from human to vapour in a nanosecond flat.

does that not qualify for instant death??

I think what we are looking for here is "humane euthanizing"

There is no way to prove instant death. I would say that breaking their necks, if done correctly, is somewhat humane. We're still murdering them.

[infernalis]

We're still murdering them.

Precisely, so now we have cleared that up there should no longer be any need to further criticize each other for our differences in what we consider "humane" now should there?

[sickvenom]

Precisely, so now we have cleared that up there should no longer be any need to further criticize each other for our differences in what we consider "humane" now should there?

Correct. I think my criticism was regarding something else. But who cares now.... time to move on.

[RandyRhoads]

I put mine in a frying pan full of hot oil and cayanne. Seems human to me. :S

[infernalis]

always some joker who wants to rock the boat :)

[RandyRhoads]

:elvis:Had to break the tension.

[NennaMeerkat]

I put mine in a frying pan full of hot oil and cayanne. Seems human to me. :S

I am not a fan of cayanne. But otherwise that is one way to enjoy them. Try some bread crumbs coating them next time. Maybe a little bit of garlic or diced onion. Heard that lemongrass goes well with them also.

[RandyRhoads]

.................

[NennaMeerkat]

.................

KICK IT UP A NOTCH!!! BAM!!!

LOL That is totally right