# Ball Pythons > General BP's >  Do petsmart offer live mice feeds?

## theartofsolitude

Do petsmart offer live mice feeds?

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## RichsBallPythons

Most dont which is why the high price. Find local breeders through craigslist if possible. You can find mice cheap if you have a supplier.

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## bsash

No, Petsmart will not knowingly sell live mice as feeders. The one near me just made a new rule, if you come in three times in a row (Three weeks) to buy mice, they will ban you from buying small animals.

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Kyle@theHeathertoft (08-11-2010)

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## Shenzi Sixaxis

They sell live animals, but mice are 7 or 8 bucks apiece and rats are 12-20.

You're better off finding another store.

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## HERETiC

My local Pet Smart doesn't even offer cheap live mice, but they do have frozen "Arctic Mice".

My local Petco has live though, they're $3 a mouse I believe, not sure on rats. If you have Petco local, you could call and ask.

I'd recommend trying to find a local breeder, post some Wanted ads on CL and stuff.

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## cordell

I go to PetCo as well. They are $3 for a full blown mouse. They also dont care if its snake food, as long as you are on th DL about it, just so other customers dont hear basically. It was funny because last time a new girl was working. She got adoption papers and was starting to ask our names and stuff to fill this adoption paper out. My son (7 years old) blurts out "its just snake food!" LOL The girl left and came back and was like, OK we dont need to fill out the adoption paper. She was a little  :Embarassed:

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## Quiet Tempest

> I go to PetCo as well. They are $3 for a full blown mouse. They also dont care if its snake food, as long as you are on th DL about it, just so other customers dont hear basically. It was funny because last time a new girl was working. She got adoption papers and was starting to ask our names and stuff to fill this adoption paper out. My son (7 years old) blurts out "its just snake food!" LOL The girl left and came back and was like, OK we dont need to fill out the adoption paper. She was a little


  :ROFL:

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## mechnut450

yeah pecto are too high  if got the room and can spare he set up time it worth aquiring your own breeding colonies. I just don't like the smell mice
 or rats  create compared to the asf.   but I know the asf  just take longer ot reach  feeding size.

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## Theartisticgemini

> No, Petsmart will not knowingly sell live mice as feeders. The one near me just made a new rule, if you come in three times in a row (Three weeks) to buy mice, they will ban you from buying small animals.


That is just stupid...smh

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## bsash

> That is just stupid...smh


Tell me about it, but I'm not complaining. I breed my own rats, and buy mice from locals to feed my one picky eater.

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## Kyle@theHeathertoft

> That is just stupid...smh


Ech, it's their policy. *shrugs* I've never even bought a rodent from the PetSMART I work at, but since they know I keep snakes I've been told they'll never sell to me. Whatever, I wouldn't feed their rodents to my snakes anyways, I like my snakes to have more wholesome food.  :Wink:

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## theartofsolitude

awesome.. for some reason i'm searching sfbay.craigslist.org for breeders i cant seem to find any.. maybe i'm using the wrong keyword.

i'll prolly just go to petco. i like that place though, its cheaper than petsmart

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## theartofsolitude

i never fed live.  is it possible for a small adult mouse can jump out of 36qt sterilite container during feeding?

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## wax32

> I go to PetCo as well. They are $3 for a full blown mouse. They also dont care if its snake food, as long as you are on th DL about it, just so other customers dont hear basically. It was funny because last time a new girl was working. She got adoption papers and was starting to ask our names and stuff to fill this adoption paper out. My son (7 years old) blurts out "its just snake food!" LOL The girl left and came back and was like, OK we dont need to fill out the adoption paper. She was a little


That's funny right there, I don't care who you are!

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## Kingofspades

I will never enter a Petsmart again and here is why...

I went to Petsmart for the first time a few years ago. I looked around for a bit, then asked an employee where the feeder mice where. He stared at me for a second...like I called his mother a bad name, and in the rudest tone ever responded "We don't sell FEEDER mice HERE!" and stormed away. 

First and last time I'll ever step foot in their store.

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## mainbutter

That's funny kingofspades.. Because they sure do sell snakes there.

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## HERETiC

> I will never enter a Petsmart again and here is why...
> 
> I went to Petsmart for the first time a few years ago. I looked around for a bit, then asked an employee where the feeder mice where. He stared at me for a second...like I called his mother a bad name, and in the rudest tone ever responded "We don't sell FEEDER mice HERE!" and stormed away. 
> 
> First and last time I'll ever step foot in their store.


That is crazy! I asked the same thing at my Pet Smart, they just pointed me to a freezer full of feeder mice and rats. The lady actually seemed quite fond of snakes.

I wouldn't of returned either if I was treated like that though.

I have noticed they don't carry live feeders. I was going to pick up some for a breeding project and all they had were gerbils and hamsters. I ended up getting them from Petco across the street.

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## Lolo76

> i never fed live.  is it possible for a small adult mouse can jump out of 36qt sterilite container during feeding?


The tub shouldn't be open during feeding, so that won't be possible! I feed live to all of my BPs, and you just open the tub a crack to throw in the mouse - then close it before they have a chance to escape. I have had a few LEAP out of the tub before, and had to send my dog after them... he's a herding dog, so I can trust him to corral the rodent without killing it.  :Wink:

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theartofsolitude (08-12-2010)

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## theartofsolitude

thanks so much, Lolo!!

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## mlperryman

The Petsmart here only sells frozen mice. I asked about live and was told that it wasn't "humane". But that was fine with me because my BP takes the frozen at every feeding. Hopefully, she never decides she wants live or I may have trouble finding them.

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## Jacob1023

My petco here doesn't care if you are buying the mice for feeding, but the petsmart only carries frozen. I don't think that the petsmart here even feeds their snakes, judging by looking at them, I think that they think it is inhumane. Can somebody let me know how to switch your BP over to corn on the cob? Been trying but having no luck. I only buy corn that has fallen from the plant though, as I don't want to hurt the plant from picking it.

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## dmtrpt11988

Funny this post came up...I just went to petco the other day since I was desperate to feed my snake.  Usually I'd drive down to Chicago Reptile House but since I didn't have my car my mom didn't want to drive there with all the road work on the way.  Since I knew I would be busy later I was like okay fine petco.  The guy sold me a small rat which was probably closer to a medium but yeah way more expensive...although the price of gas to drive to CRH probably balances it out.  They had this really nice Betta though that I ended up getting and is now happy in his 5 gallon home.  I haven't been there in years though and nothing has really changed.

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## cordell

Went in to PetCo today for a mouse. I bring in my own container for them, a small critter cage, a worker was standing at the mice with a customer who had a milk snake around them. She asked if she could help me, I said just 1 mouse, she smiles and asks "what flavor does he like, male or female?" LOL  :Very Happy:

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## ChuckSM

Find a local independant pet store, if they sell snakes then more than likely they will sell feeders without a problem.

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## Krista

I used to work at Petsmart and (at my location anyways) this was their stance on live feers...
They don't sell the live mice and rats as feeders because they (supposedly) give all of the mammals they sell as pets their shots and advantage flea treatments, thus making them harmful to feed to your reptile.

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## Fatman

At the Petsmart I work at we were told it was for the safety of the snakes. Since feeders can cause harm if they fight back. Not to mention that Freezing the rodent will kill any parasite that it might have. 
I think the company as a whole sees it as more of an ethical thing though since the only live feeder animals we sell are fish and insects.
We're not even supposed to sell the ghost shrimp to people that plan on feeding them to fish lol...

I don't see a moral issue with it though. I have just heard too many horror stories of prey injuring a snake. I plan on switching mine over to F/T once she is eating normally for me.

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## AcePythons

> I go to PetCo as well. They are $3 for a full blown mouse. They also dont care if its snake food, as long as you are on th DL about it, just so other customers dont hear basically. It was funny because last time a new girl was working. She got adoption papers and was starting to ask our names and stuff to fill this adoption paper out. My son (7 years old) blurts out "its just snake food!" LOL The girl left and came back and was like, OK we dont need to fill out the adoption paper. She was a little


LOLOL!! Cute! <3 gotta love kids.




> awesome.. for some reason i'm searching sfbay.craigslist.org for breeders i cant seem to find any.. maybe i'm using the wrong keyword.
> 
> i'll prolly just go to petco. i like that place though, its cheaper than petsmart


I go into the pets section rather than the general for sale section and just type in feeder or feeders. Usually something comes up. Keep trying cuz you never know when somethin's gonna pop up! Even typing in Ball python or snake will pop something up sometimes.




> I will never enter a Petsmart again and here is why...
> 
> I went to Petsmart for the first time a few years ago. I looked around for a bit, then asked an employee where the feeder mice where. He stared at me for a second...like I called his mother a bad name, and in the rudest tone ever responded "We don't sell FEEDER mice HERE!" and stormed away. 
> 
> First and last time I'll ever step foot in their store.


Wow lol 0.o




> Funny this post came up...I just went to petco the other day since I was desperate to feed my snake.  Usually I'd drive down to Chicago Reptile House but since I didn't have my car my mom didn't want to drive there with all the road work on the way.  Since I knew I would be busy later I was like okay fine petco.  The guy sold me a small rat which was probably closer to a medium but yeah way more expensive...although the price of gas to drive to CRH probably balances it out.  They had this really nice Betta though that I ended up getting and is now happy in his 5 gallon home.  I haven't been there in years though and nothing has really changed.


Ooh have fun with your betta! I used to breed them  :Smile:  such fun little guys. They all really do have their own personality if you spend enough time watching them!




> My petco here doesn't care if you are buying the mice for feeding, but the petsmart only carries frozen. I don't think that the petsmart here even feeds their snakes, judging by looking at them, I think that they think it is inhumane. Can somebody let me know how to switch your BP over to corn on the cob? Been trying but having no luck. I only buy corn that has fallen from the plant though, as I don't want to hurt the plant from picking it.


ROFLMAO!!!




> Went in to PetCo today for a mouse. I bring in my own container for them, a small critter cage, a worker was standing at the mice with a customer who had a milk snake around them. She asked if she could help me, I said just 1 mouse, she smiles and asks "what flavor does he like, male or female?" LOL


LOL!!!




> I used to work at Petsmart and (at my location anyways) this was their stance on live feers...
> They don't sell the live mice and rats as feeders because they (supposedly) give all of the mammals they sell as pets their shots and advantage flea treatments, thus making them harmful to feed to your reptile.


Psh....I bought a pair of rats once as pets from Petsmart and they ended up giving my dogs ear mites, which ended up costing me $400.....never did that again.

Last time I bought a rodent (for my cousin's snake) at Petco it was about $3 and they made me fill out adoption papers each time. I think that as long as you (as someone else said) keep it on the DL, unless you have some uppity manager you should be able to buy live mice from Petco.

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