Where to buy f/t ASF or gerbils?

I want to buy frozen African Soft-furred rats or gerbils for my Ball Python, because he won't eat frozen mice. Where can I buy them/could you link me to an online store? Rodentpro.com doesn't have them. I saw that Perfectpet.com has gerbils for $2/each, which is how much I'm paying for f/t mice now-- Has anyone does business with them? Are they okay to buy from?
Also, which would be best? ASF or gerbils?

I'm not sure if you can buy f/t gerbils. I don't know about ASF's either. I would try fuzzy f/t rats first. I recently bought from Loxahatchee in FL. The rodents were fresh and very well packed. Don't do business with RodentPro! They have had a lot of issues lately. Some of my best feeding bp's absolutely refused any food from them and I had one snake mysteriously die after she ate some of their rats. That's when I found a different supplier myself.

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Originally Posted by artist&writer

I'm not sure if you can buy f/t gerbils. I don't know about ASF's either. I would try fuzzy f/t rats first. I recently bought from Loxahatchee in FL. The rodents were fresh and very well packed. Don't do business with RodentPro! They have had a lot of issues lately. Some of my best feeding bp's absolutely refused any food from them and I had one snake mysteriously die after she ate some of their rats. That's when I found a different supplier myself.

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As I said, Rodentpro doesn't have any. Thanks for the warning, though, I definitely won't do business with them. I found some here (http://www.perfectpet.net/prices.html) and here (http://www.reptilesandreefs.com/feeders.php) but I don't know if I should buy from them or not. It's only $2 for a f/t gerbil at perfect pet, which is what I'm currently paying for f/t mice (the only difference is that I'm just wasting money on the mice-- He doesn't actually eat them.)

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Originally Posted by Arcapello

As I said, Rodentpro doesn't have any. Thanks for the warning, though, I definitely won't do business with them. I found some here (http://www.perfectpet.net/prices.html) and here (http://www.reptilesandreefs.com/feeders.php) but I don't know if I should buy from them or not. It's only $2 for a f/t gerbil at perfect pet, which is what I'm currently paying for f/t mice (the only difference is that I'm just wasting money on the mice-- He doesn't actually eat them.)

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I would definitely try a frozen rat before you go to gerbils. I've heard that once a BP gets a taste of gerbils, they don't want to eat anything else. And when they get bigger, a gerbil or two or three just won't cut it.

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Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

I would definitely try a frozen rat before you go to gerbils. I've heard that once a BP gets a taste of gerbils, they don't want to eat anything else. And when they get bigger, a gerbil or two or three just won't cut it.

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It says they're large gerbils (don't know if that makes a difference, but I thought I'd put it out there), but I will most definitely give a f/t rat a try! What size? Small, or pup or what?

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Originally Posted by Arcapello

What size? Small, or pup or what?

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How big is your snake?

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Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

How big is your snake?

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I don't have his exact weight in grams, but he's a 2012 baby, maybe 3-5 inches shy of 2 feet. The mouse hoppers I've been feeding him are maybe 1/2 the size around than his thickest point, if that tells you anything. I keep meaning to buy a scale-- It will hopefully get done tomorrow.
Also, it's been about a month since he ate, and I've been paying attention, and he hasn't lost any (noticeable) weight.

He sounds like he's about the same size as my girls. One is about 80g at 16.5in the other is 100g at 18in. If your boys is almost 2ft long, he's probably 100-150g. I would be feeding him a rat that's about 10-15g (usually a rat fuzzy). If you can get a scale and weight him, try to feed him about 10%-15% of his body weight every 4-5 days. My 100g girl gets a rat fuzzy every 4 days and my 80g girl gets a couple of rat pinkies or a very small rat fuzzy.

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Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

He sounds like he's about the same size as my girls. One is about 80g at 16.5in the other is 100g at 18in. If your boys is almost 2ft long, he's probably 100-150g. I would be feeding him a rat that's about 10-15g (usually a rat fuzzy). If you can get a scale and weight him, try to feed him about 10%-15% of his body weight every 4-5 days. My 100g girl gets a rat fuzzy every 4 days and my 80g girl gets a couple of rat pinkies or a very small rat fuzzy.

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I'll get a scale before I try to feed him again. Thanks :)

You can get a very nice digital one at Walmart for like 20 bucks. That's what I have and it works great.

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Originally Posted by WarriorPrincess90

You can get a very nice digital one at Walmart for like 20 bucks. That's what I have and it works great.

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How often would you suggest weighing him? Daily? Or is that overkill? Weekly?

Most people weigh after they poop. I weigh them every time I feed.

I weigh monthly, at the same time (or near).

Why not try a small rat or a live mouse instead? Not eating for a month is not a reason to switch to gerbils or asfs, those are harder to find and usually more expensive, what happens if he gets hooked on those and you don't have a supplier anymore?

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Originally Posted by GoingPostal

Why not try a small rat or a live mouse instead? Not eating for a month is not a reason to switch to gerbils or asfs, those are harder to find and usually more expensive, what happens if he gets hooked on those and you don't have a supplier anymore?

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I'm planning to try a small rat next feeding day. I'm trying everything before I switch to live.

A snake that size usually only refuses food if there is something wrong with the food or his environment that is causing him stress. Although there is nothing wrong with trying a fuzzy rat, you might want to post up pics of your setup and give us temps and your feeding methods before switching him to something drastic like gerbils. Oh, and a scale is an invaluable tool in BP husbandry - get one.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

A snake that size usually only refuses food if there is something wrong with the food or his environment that is causing him stress. Although there is nothing wrong with trying a fuzzy rat, you might want to post up pics of your setup and give us temps and your feeding methods before switching him to something drastic like gerbils. Oh, and a scale is an invaluable tool in BP husbandry - get one.

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I have a scale now. What would you say that a 20-22 inch BP should weigh? Just an estimate. I'm measuring his weight in grams.

I have an 18in (93g) and a 20in (122g) females. However, each snake grows at their own rate. It's also about perspective. My 93g spider is only about 6 weeks old whereas my 122g normal is 7months old (she was a very thin rescue). As long as your snake doesn't look thin (like with a triangular shape), then it's probably at a good weight.

how hot are you making your mice/rats? Some bps, need hot rats to become interested in the f/t. I heat up all my rats to 100 degrees on their body(around the avg temp of a rat) and 105-110 head to use as a target. it could be your not heating up the rats to a correct temp, so the bp is just not interested.

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Originally Posted by 1nstinct

how hot are you making your mice/rats? Some bps, need hot rats to become interested in the f/t. I heat up all my rats to 100 degrees on their body(around the avg temp of a rat) and 105-110 head to use as a target. it could be your not heating up the rats to a correct temp, so the bp is just not interested.

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I haven't been measuring how hot the rat gets, but I let it sit out and thaw by his enclosure, then I blow dry it for awhile.