WARNING! Graphic Imagery: Mouse Guts and PetSmart?

[jbzapanda]

So I just went to PetSmart to get a mouse for my baby ball python for the meantime while waiting for my RodentPro shipment to come in. WELL. LET. ME. TELL. YOU.

First of all, the mouse in the freezer wasn't even frozen to begin with. Should have been the first sign NOT to get it. But my noodle looked ready to feed, so I gave it a shot.

Second, the sizing of the mouse was incorrect. My ball python is only 2 months and I had to get a large adult mice and it was barely was wide as his widest part.

Third, it was way too overpriced and I ended up paying around $4 for one "large" mouse.

I got home to defrost the mouse, although it was already halfway there, and after thawing it out in warm water for about 10 minutes, I felt the pack and it was oddly way too squishy.

I opened the pack and it was leaking with brown liquid which was old blood that had been sitting in the pack. The mouse had turned brown because it was soaking in its own blood. The lower half was completely detached and the innards were everywhere. AND let's not forget, it smelled like chicken. Not the good kind of chicken, but the mouse kind. The kind you want to gag at when thinking about because IT'S. NOT. CHICKEN.

Anyway, has anyone had this problem or experience with Arctic Mice from PetSmart (or should I say PetDumb)? Or am I just not doing this right? HELP.

[piedlover79]

Looks like the freezer at the store went out.

[Eric Alan]

It sounds like the mouse may have defrosted too quickly. It's common for them to explode like you're describing when this happens.

[jbzapanda]

It sounds like the mouse may have defrosted too quickly. It's common for them to explode like you're describing when this happens.

Maybe, but the mouse itself was already pretty rotten looking. Thanks for your response though!

[Willowy]

Yeah, I had an "incident" with a forgotten mouse in a ziploc. . .yep, that's what they look like when they rot . I would complain to Petco management; they might replace it for you.

They are overpriced but that's big-box stores for ya. They shouldn't be rotten though.

[jbzapanda]

Yeah, I had an "incident" with a forgotten mouse in a ziploc. . .yep, that's what they look like when they rot . I would complain to Petco management; they might replace it for you.

They are overpriced but that's big-box stores for ya. They shouldn't be rotten though.

I actually have a picture of the mouse after warming it up. I don't know how PetSmart kills their feeders, but the bag was pretty bloody. It was the least bloody pack I could find. But the mouse looked like it has soaked in the blood causing the brown coloration. Maybe I just had bad luck.

[Eric Alan]

I actually have a picture of the mouse after warming it up. I don't know how PetSmart kills their feeders, but the bag was pretty bloody. It was the least bloody pack I could find. But the mouse looked like it has soaked in the blood causing the brown coloration. Maybe I just had bad luck.

They don't kill their own feeders. They come from a vendor just like the majority of the other products in the store.

[Willowy]

Freezing damages the skin cells, especially where the skin is thin. So a bloody nose in a frozen feeder is to be expected. But it shouldn't happen until the rodent is thawed, which shouldn't happen until YOU thaw it. So yeah, I think they had a freezer malfunction.

[bcr229]

The whole shipment the store received may also have completely or partially defrosted during shipping. It is rather hot outside this time of year so it's not surprising, and you're not the first person to report that complaint.

I've also found the Arctic Mice sizes were at the low end of the defined range. During the brief period I purchased them I never got a "small rat" that was over 50 grams.

Check Craiglist and your local reptile-related groups on Facebook to see if you can find a private local feeder supplier. The price will be lower and the quality better.

[jbzapanda]

The whole shipment the store received may also have completely or partially defrosted during shipping. It is rather hot outside this time of year so it's not surprising, and you're not the first person to report that complaint.

I've also found the Arctic Mice sizes were at the low end of the defined range. During the brief period I purchased them I never got a "small rat" that was over 50 grams.

Check Craiglist and your local reptile-related groups on Facebook to see if you can find a private local feeder supplier. The price will be lower and the quality better.

Yeah, Arctic Mice was sort of my last resort. I didn't anticipate how long it would take to process the frozen feeders from RodentPro which is my fault. I have a friend who has a cornsnake though and has kindly given me 2 weanlings. I have no doubts that he'll take it in a heartbeat. He's been on the hunt already! Haha