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]

Originally Posted by 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.

What do you charge for shipping?

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by kelzerman

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!

[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.

[KORBIN5895]

Originally Posted by infernalis

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.

[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.

[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...