Feeding Athena is breaking me!

[Unsung-melody]

Does anyone know where I could buy medium-large frozen rats for relatively cheap without breaking the bank on shipping costs? I have been buying ONE medium rat each week from petsmart for $13 EACH!! That adds up to almost as much as my energy bill each month! Am I the only one who finds this ridiculous for one ball python? I could understand that feeding a giant would cost quite a bit, but not a measly 3 foot ball python.

[iiPink]

i have been thinking of buying from this website for sometime and have looked into it and it seems like its alot cheaper to buy from i havnt got to feeling my bal pythond rats yet but i am hoping to buy from this website... maybe it will help u as well

https://secure.rodentpro.com/index.asp

[Rogue628]

Go to Animal House on Cypress in West Monroe. IIRC, medium rats are like 7...maybe 8 bucks. Talk to the older thin woman in there (I can't remember her name). If you prepay, they will freeze them for you. I'd suggest getting a month or so worth of frozen rats prepaid and go by the next day or so and pick them up. That way you will only have to go there every so often. :)

Also, make sure she gives you a little card to punch out your spending as you get stuff free once you spend a certain amount. And tell her the lady with all the big snakes sent you and that I said "hi!"

[Unsung-melody]

Thanks! I'll definitely look into that!

[Unsung-melody]

Go to Animal House on Cypress in West Monroe. IIRC, medium rats are like 7...maybe 8 bucks. Talk to the older thin woman in there (I can't remember her name). If you prepay, they will freeze them for you. I'd suggest getting a month or so worth of frozen rats prepaid and go by the next day or so and pick them up. That way you will only have to go there every so often. :)

Also, make sure she gives you a little card to punch out your spending as you get stuff free once you spend a certain amount. And tell her the lady with all the big snakes sent you and that I said "hi!"


Thanks. I'll visit them tomorrow.

[KORBIN5895]

Rodent pro is great. I have used them before. I will also recommend American rodent supply. They have free shipping on orders over $100. A large rat is like $3 bucks.

[OSMDEATHOWNER]

if you feed medium rats, why do you feed weekly? I feed my adult female 1 medium every 14 days

[marvelfreak]

i have been thinking of buying from this website for sometime and have looked into it and it seems like its alot cheaper to buy from i havnt got to feeling my bal pythond rats yet but i am hoping to buy from this website... maybe it will help u as well

https://secure.rodentpro.com/index.asp

I use them and they are great. I like how they calculated how much space you still have in the box. I just order enough to last me 3 to 4 months at a time. i been using them for almost a year now and they are great. Even with paying shipping it alone cost me 1/4 as much as when i use to buy them from the pet store.

[Rogue628]

I've used Rodent Pro in the past, but with free shipping from American Rodent Supply, I've gotten a better deal from them.

I've never had issues with either company. I just wish American Rodent sold rabbits.

I also wish there was a place online that would show an estimate on what size rabbit I need if I'm feeding certain sized and quantity of rats. I have no clue what size rabbit I would need if I'm feeding one or two jumbo rats or I would have bought a few from Rodent Pro already.

[marvelfreak]

I've used Rodent Pro in the past, but with free shipping from American Rodent Supply, I've gotten a better deal from them.

I've never had issues with either company. I just wish American Rodent sold rabbits.

I also wish there was a place online that would show an estimate on what size rabbit I need if I'm feeding certain sized and quantity of rats. I have no clue what size rabbit I would need if I'm feeding one or two jumbo rats or I would have bought a few from Rodent Pro already.
I was just figuring this up the other day. Their 1XL rats are right around .84 lbs, and their 2XL are 1.24 lbs. So if you are feeding say 2 Jumbos you could feed one 2lb rabbit.

[TeaNinja]

i saw someone suggest this one a while back Snake Food, Reptile Food, Feed Carnivores, Birds of Prey : Layne Labs.com (http://www.laynelabs.com/)
i compared the shipping and overall costs of things to rodentpro and for ME laynelabs is better. i just put in a shipment to them actually.

[Lankyrob]

By buying online our monthly feed cost has gone from just over £40 to just over £20, just wish i did it earlier. Tho i did enjoy going to the reptile shop once a month to chat and see their new stock :)

[Rogue628]

I was just figuring this up the other day. Their 1XL rats are right around .84 lbs, and their 2XL are 1.24 lbs. So if you are feeding say 2 Jumbos you could feed one 2lb rabbit.

A ha! Thanks! That helps alot! :D

[marvelfreak]

A ha! Thanks! That helps alot! :D
What i did was go to this site and you just enter the gram size and it tells you what it would be in pounds.Grams to Pounds (g to pounds) converter (http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/grams-to-pounds.htm)

[Unsung-melody]

if you feed medium rats, why do you feed weekly? I feed my adult female 1 medium every 14 days

Well, she acts hungry right around the week mark. And I'm not so sure that these medium rats I'm buying are actually medium. They don't seem that much bigger than an adult mouse. There isn't really a lump in her stomach after she eats either. So idk. Large frozen rats aren't sold at my petco or petsmart so I also don't have anything to compare to.

[Lankyrob]

How much bigger round are the rats compared to the snake?

[OSMDEATHOWNER]

Well, she acts hungry right around the week mark. And I'm not so sure that these medium rats I'm buying are actually medium. They don't seem that much bigger than an adult mouse. There isn't really a lump in her stomach after she eats either. So idk. Large frozen rats aren't sold at my petco or petsmart so I also don't have anything to compare to.

If she eats a medium, im pretty sure she could go.no problem an extra 7 days before feeding. As snake owners, we probably feed more often then they would eat on their own and also they dont do a whole lot of moving anyway, you dont want her just fatt and slugish like do you??

[OSMDEATHOWNER]

my female could eat a large but she will be fine and not starved with a medium. this is not about the money either because i used to spend the same 13$.at petsmart.and now i spend 4.35 on my medium live or frozen at a pet store only 10 extra mins from my house. Its just i dont think its healthy for anything to be over fed but im not an expert and this.is my personal opinion. i guess i could be wrong

[Unsung-melody]

How much bigger round are the rats compared to the snake?

They don't seem bigger around than her at all. If they are, it is very slight.

my female could eat a large but she will be fine and not starved with a medium. this is not about the money either because i used to spend the same 13$.at petsmart.and now i spend 4.35 on my medium live or frozen at a pet store only 10 extra mins from my house. Its just i dont think its healthy for anything to be over fed but im not an expert and this.is my personal opinion. i guess i could be wrong

I definitely don't want to over feed her! I'll wait an extra week and see how that goes. If everyone agrees that I need to hold the feelings back, I'll do so. I just thought that once a week was ok. If not, I'll cut back.

[DeesBalls]

Use rodent pro... find outif they are going to be at a reptile show near you and go there, saves on shipping.

[kreaturekeeper]

My ball was pounding back a medium a week too and was getting a tad pricey. She always seemed hungry. Now I switched to a large rat every 14 days. She has been very content with the switch. But all snakes are different I suppose. Find what works for yours. :)

[TeaNinja]

how much is rodentpro actually costing you and how much do you buy to make the shipping worth it? i calculated rodent pro and it was crazy expensive for me. the laynelabs website i posted seemed way more worth it. i did roughly the same order on the rodentpro site and got less product for more cost. i just ordered these from layne.

You ordered these items:

- 1 25 Medium Frozen Rats $53.75

- 1 10 XL Frozen Rats $35.00


Total Tax: $7.77


Total Shipping: $31.90

Total: $128.42

[lady_bug87]

Haha my male eats one XL rat every month or so I believe he may be an 09 hatch

[asgrande]

Use rodent pro... find outif they are going to be at a reptile show near you and go there, saves on shipping.
They stay north. Like Ohio and that area.

[Rogue628]

If I remember correctly, the medium rats at the place I suggested you visit are a little larger. If the ones you're feeding now are not leaving a much of a food bump, if any, at all, I suggest you go a size bigger. Try a medium at the store I suggested and see how big of a lump it leaves in her. If it's a nice food bump. you do need to go up another size. Trust me, it's not going to hurt her.

And yes, I would feed her every 14 days once you get a better size meal in her. The general rule of thumb with a ball python is they can take up to 1 1/2 times their largest area in food size.

[Pareeeee]

if you feed medium rats, why do you feed weekly? I feed my adult female 1 medium every 14 days

Exactly what I was going to say. That and: why are you buying from Petsmsart? They are more expensive than......ANY other pet store?! I'd go broke too if I shopped there, lol.

[Nobodyspecial]

I personally use layne labs and absolutely love them, nice healthy rats, great customer service, and are cheaper in shipping than rodent pro for me. But if you guys are recommending feeding a medium rat every other week I have to ask. I have a 1 1/2 - 2 year old female who is eating a medium rat every week as well. I always read that you feed them once a week until they're 3 years old? She doesn't seem to be over weight or anything, and she gets obviously hungry every week. I'm not over feeding her am I? D:

[Rogue628]

She has one snake so it may not be feasible for her to buy in bulk, especially if she doesn't have the room. The pet store I suggested is a very small mom and pop place. Someone else told me they sold snake food. They don't advertise it. Theyre mainly a dog/cat store with a really good groomer. One of the ladies that works there is the one that breeds mice and rats. They only have a small supply but they've never ran out...at least theyve always had food for mine when I used to go there weekly.

[iiPink]

am i the only one that when u starting to buy online you are still a little unsure about the size that you will be gettin? this helps a little but i still cant being myself to see it before know what to buy Frozen Rats for Sale | All Sizes of Feeder Rats : Layne Labs.com (http://www.laynelabs.com/frozen-rats)

[Lankyrob]

am i the only one that when u starting to buy online you are still a little unsure about the size that you will be gettin? this helps a little but i still cant being myself to see it before know what to buy Frozen Rats for Sale | All Sizes of Feeder Rats : Layne Labs.com (http://www.laynelabs.com/frozen-rats)

I went into a local pet store, handled their prey items, asked them for the weights of the ones i would need then left the shop and ordered the prey online ;)

[iiPink]

:D sounds like it could work but i buy F/T in a pack u cant see what u are getting untill u get home and cut the pack open i feel the bag before hand but still dont really know till i cut it open

[Aaron_S]

Look for a rat that's in the 150 - 199 gram range. Should satisfy your ball python on a weekly basis for life.

[Unsung-melody]

Thanks for all the info, guys!! I really appreciate it! :)