Late delivery on feeders

FedEx was supposed to deliver on 9/3, delivered today 9/7. no dry ice left but rats were still pretty cool. not frozen solid anymore. are these garbage now?

"Cool"? Yuck! Yes, I would say they're garbage, BUT first contact the source- they may want proof before replacing- I assume & HOPE this order is guaranteed to arrive "on ice"???

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

"Cool"? Yuck! Yes, I would say they're garbage, BUT first contact the source- they may want proof before replacing- I assume & HOPE this order is guaranteed to arrive "on ice"???

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it was from Big Cheese and they guarantee on ice. tracking said friday with no update saying there was going to be a delay so im thinking this is on FedEx. Emailed BC so i guess we'll see what they say

Yes, I would say it's on FEDEX too. I have no love for FEDEX, they misdeliver my pkgs all the time- they're correctly addressed, but they don't read what's in front of them. :(

Prey such as frozen rats need to stay frozen- otherwise there's a loss in quality- even if technically safe enough to feed, your snake can only eat one right now. When you re-freeze them, then try to thaw & feed them later, they turn to mush, may split apart when the snake grabs (bites or constricts) them, & may also be spoiled. Freezing doesn't kill the bacteria in the rodent's GI tract- it just keeps it from growing. All bets are off once they are thawed- that's why we don't re-freeze & re-offer rodents that a snake happens to reject. So IF you kept these & froze them, you'd not likely be getting your money's worth- your snake will be refusing them & they'll be gross, possibly spoiled. None of which is your fault. So I wouldn't accept them- no way. Insist they replace your order, & I don't think they'll argue, anyway. They can verify from FEDEX that the delivery was made today- a FAR cry from Friday.

Once you get the all-clear from BC to dispose of this order, you might check with any zoo nearby, in case they could feed them off right away to hungry predators in their care. Otherwise it depends where you live- if there's a woods/wild open area where buzzards or coyotes would consume them, that might be a good use for them. That's what I'd do, anyway. I used to live in the desert- the coyotes & such there would be happy-dancing over a "find" like this.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Yes, I would say it's on FEDEX too. I have no love for FEDEX, they misdeliver my pkgs all the time- they're correctly addressed, but they don't read what's in front of them. :(

Prey such as frozen rats need to stay frozen- otherwise there's a loss in quality- even if technically safe enough to feed, your snake can only eat one right now. When you re-freeze them, then try to thaw & feed them later, they turn to mush, may split apart when the snake grabs (bites or constricts) them, & may also be spoiled. Freezing doesn't kill the bacteria in the rodent's GI tract- it just keeps it from growing. All bets are off once they are thawed- that's why we don't re-freeze & re-offer rodents that a snake happens to reject. So IF you kept these & froze them, you'd not likely be getting your money's worth- your snake will be refusing them & they'll be gross, possibly spoiled. None of which is your fault. So I wouldn't accept them- no way. Insist they replace your order, & I don't think they'll argue, anyway. They can verify from FEDEX that the delivery was made today- a FAR cry from Friday.

Once you get the all-clear from BC to dispose of this order, you might check with any zoo nearby, in case they could feed them off right away to hungry predators in their care. Otherwise it depends where you live- if there's a woods/wild open area where buzzards or coyotes would consume them, that might be a good use for them. That's what I'd do, anyway. I used to live in the desert- the coyotes & such there would be happy-dancing over a "find" like this.

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Kind of what i thought. they felt cold enough to not be spoiled but it was the freeze thaw refreeze that had me worried. Thanks

It's not like BC will want these shipped back to them or anything, but they might want a photo? I'd expect that just proof of when FEDEX delivered should be enough for them, though. And btw, I say that based on many years of buying all sorts of things that need shipped- I don't buy feeders though, since I raise my own. But since you're dealing with a big & well-respected company, I wouldn't expect you'll have any problem from BC.

It's handy to have a temp gun available for your shipments too.
That way you can possibly get video or photo reference of the temps as well.

talked to chad at BC this morning. He asked if the feeders were bloody. i said no but that had a bit of stank to em. he said he will re ship monday. im a fan of this company

I was quite sure you wouldn't have a problem over this- it wasn't your fault, not one bit.

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Originally Posted by rzeppy

FedEx was supposed to deliver on 9/3, delivered today 9/7. no dry ice left but rats were still pretty cool. not frozen solid anymore. are these garbage now?

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Glad Big Cheese made it right, I had an order from Perfect Prey ship Feb 07, arrive Feb 15 no dry ice left but still frozen solid.

Again fedex was the delivery system.

Big Cheese and Perfect Prey are my go too's for rodents can't go wrong with either of them.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...t=perfect+prey

Another tip, I dont know how many animals you have but its a good idea to stock up and order during the cooler parts of the year. That way you avoid excessive heat in case they delay your package!

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Originally Posted by Snow Balls

Another tip, I dont know how many animals you have but its a good idea to stock up and order during the cooler parts of the year. That way you avoid excessive heat in case they delay your package!

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Not only that, but as a long-time rodent breeder, I can tell you that suppliers are more likely to run short in the summer anyway. For 2 reasons: pet snakes EAT more in summer, plus rodents don't breed as well during the hottest time of the year.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

For 2 reasons: pet snakes EAT more in summer, plus rodents don't breed as well during the hottest time of the year.

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I didn’t know that rodents didn’t breed as much during summer. That’s some good advice


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Originally Posted by Snow Balls

I didn’t know that rodents didn’t breed as much during summer. That’s some good advice


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Air conditioning is expensive & essential- some may cut corners, or perhaps suffer a power outage. Stuff happens. Rodents don't breed as well when it's too cold either- fall & spring are the "sweet spots" when they're most prolific. But since many pet snakes also eat less in the winter, there's fewer shortages by rodent suppliers at that time of year.

You can bet that the really large suppliers have adequate A/C & heat as appropriate for seasons, but large storms can knock out power, for example. Local pet stores often rely on local breeders, & that's where shortages also happen, because they're often raising rodents in a shed that has poor temperature control.

Ironic, since I stocked up on rodents during this summer. Package was even a day late but there was still enough dry ice left to keep the rats solid.

Though it was more of just awkward timing since I needed more stock and decided to get a big amount to store all at once because of how crazy things have been ever since last year. Never know when supply chains are randomly going to get blocked off or run dry in this crazy period of time... :worry:

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

Ironic, since I stocked up on rodents during this summer. Package was even a day late but there was still enough dry ice left to keep the rats solid.

Though it was more of just awkward timing since I needed more stock and decided to get a big amount to store all at once because of how crazy things have been ever since last year. Never know when supply chains are randomly going to get blocked off or run dry in this crazy period of time... :worry:

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You're right- in our current situation with the pandemic, some ppl not working, & storm damages- there can be shortages of many kinds, so I hope everyone plans ahead for feeding & caring for their pets.

Every time I think longingly of just buying rodents (not raising my own) I chicken out because I have 19 snakes to feed & I love to be self-reliant.