Mice from Big Cheese Rodent Factory Question

[maverickgtr]

So I've done a bit of research and talked to a couple people on here and decided to start ordering from The Big Cheese Rodent Factory since I can get live feeders for cheap when I order f/t and it's just down the highway a bit.

My question is basically how big are the boxes or packs? I can't really tell from the website but I think the small rats come in packs of 15 priced per rat so if I order two "packs" it's $0.95 per rat so it's like $29 dollars. I'm not really asking if that's right because I can ask them when I call. But how big are the packs/boxes? I need to do some freezer cleaning so I'll have room haha Also does anyone that's been there know how they give you the live mice? Will they give me a small box or will I need to bring a critter carrier?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

I'm not sure what they do. I asked for a bag of 50 fuzzy mice and 50 hopper mice and got that.


However, I recommend buying from someone else. The fuzzies were any size from large pink to small hopper, and the hoppers look skinny. I also found more bedding in the bags than I like, and some of the mice had diarrhea and normal poop stuck to them. The fuzzies also went bad in about two months, though that may be because I hadn't vacuum sealed them.

So I think you're better off ordering somewhere else. Unless you can go to the factor, since I know they're in Texas somewhere.

[loonunit]

BIG CHEESE DOES NOT SHIP LIVE RODENTS. It's f/t only!

That said, I order from BCR, and I like them. Their "jumbo" mice are small compared to the retired breeders I can get locally, but they're still a MUCH better deal price-wise ounce for ounce. Doubly so for rats. And some of the rodents do a have little poop-pellets attached, but you can really just knock them off. (I don't order fuzzies or pinkies, so I don't know about those. I have noticed a little bit of bedding on the hoppers when I order those.) I've never had them go bad--I suspect the poster above either has non-ideal freezer temps, or is opening and closing the door too often? Mine last 2 months, no problem.

Price-wise, WITH SHIPPING, I'm paying just under $100 for 100 mice, or around $135 for 50 XL mice + 50 small rats. That's between 4 and 7 trays, and it can take up to 1/4 of my freezer. (I'll be buying a small chest freezer soon, partly to make space for food in the real freezer, partly because of the salmonella scare. I don't really like having the mice in there anyway, tell you the truth.)

The shipping box is HEAVILY insulated and comes with a chunk of dry ice--watch out for that! It's fantastically awesome shipping, but I always burn my finger tips on the dry ice. Plus, you don't want it evaporating inside the house, and driving the oxygen out--it's a good way to kill live rodents, but you don't want to join them. So find a safe spot outside to leave it.

[maverickgtr]

You are correct that they don't ship live, but if you pick up your f/t order, they will sell live as well, but only if you pick up your order at the beginning of the week.

I already ordered and picked up from the facility. They're only 20 minutes from my house so we picked them up and saved on shipping and they do sell live but only at the beginning of the week and only if you pick up the order. I'm pleased with the quality of the rats so far and I haven't seen any bedding in with the rats and they are appropriately sized. Also, Idk about bags, ours came in vacuumed sealed trays, like meat trays you buy meat in from the grocery store. The live mice seemed healthy and my male readily ate them all.

Thank you for your help.

[Shenzi Sixaxis]

Sounds like you're doing good then. I remember I sent them an e-mail telling them about what I found in my bags and didn't get a response. Every other email had been replied to, so there's no chance I'll do business with them again, even if I lived next door to them.

[zina10]

I hope I receive my order well frozen and in good condition. I ordered on Monday and was told it would ship on Tuesday to arrive Thursday, FedEx.
I asked to be sent an email with tracking and told, no problem.

Never got the email so I called yesterday. Lady answered the phone and I asked her I would like to find out if it shipped and when its due to arrive, or basically , a tracking number. She told me not to worry, it would arrive frozen, they shipped to Arizona (I'm in AL) I said, thats good to know, but could I please have a tracking number. She was grumbly and finally looked it up. I guess she was ready to go home, and not thrilled I kept her longer. Had they emailed me the tracking as they said, I wouldn't have had to call and "bug".

Tracking does say its supposed to arrive today, but it wasn't shipped FedEx 2 day. It was shipped Home Delivery (ugh). It still shows having left TX yesterday, no updates since. I haven't had good luck with FedEx home delivery and can only hope the shipment does arrive today and in good condition. Not sure how it will get from TX to AL on the cheapest shipping option within one day, but we'll see. I have hope

[zina10]

edited

[maverickgtr]

Goo. I've never had a good experience with FedEx. I think the same lady that's grumpy on the phone is the same lady that's in the office and I think she's just always grumpy. The guy in the office is really cool. My bf talked to him on the phone and when we went to pick up the order he was really nice.

[zina10]

Yes, the guy on the phone is really nice, I just talked to him.

Fedex sux, though. They told me it looks like the shipment will NOT arrive today. When I track it, its still not updated though, still shows as supposed to be delivered today. Still no update since yesterday.

So who knows. Probably won't come today. What a worthless tracking. If they don't update it, why even bother having tracking.

Guy from Big Cheese said the shipment should still be frozen, even if it doesn't arrive until tomorrow. I hope so.

Fedex stinks. Saw in the news how they doubled their profit but will cut 1700 jobs ??? Great, their tracking and CS already sux, so cutting jobs should improve that, huh.