Rat Prices?

I know this is going to be a very broad range in prices due to different areas cost of living etc. But what should I expect to pay for say pre-killed frozen Rat Fuzzies , Rat Pups and Rat weanlings at an Reptile show?

prob 75 cents for the fuzzy/pup and a buck for anything bigger... then maybe closer to 1.75 or 2.00 once you hit Mediums

I was pondering the same thing today. I know they'll be the cheapest at the show this weekend, but how many do I want to buy? How much money do I want to save? How much freezer space to I want to devote to this? . . . .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

I was pondering the same thing today. I know they'll be the cheapest at the show this weekend, but how many do I want to buy? How much money do I want to save? How much freezer space to I want to devote to this? . . . .

---

I buy 6 months worth of frozen rodents at a time, I really don't use my freezer for anything besides emergency water during hurricane season so I use practically my entire freezer. Many people will get a standalone freezer just for rodents.

I'll probably get 3 or 4 months worth of food. I only have 2 infant BPs so that wont take up too much space. And there will probably be another show in a couple months anyway. It beats paying 10.99$ for 4 medium mice at Petsmart. I know they can only get cheaper from there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

I was pondering the same thing today. I know they'll be the cheapest at the show this weekend, but how many do I want to buy? How much money do I want to save? How much freezer space to I want to devote to this? . . . .

---

I know what you mean... I'm still trying to decide what size to buy for our 108 gram BP.. She has only grown 13 grams in 13 days.. Not sure if this is good or bad? Anyways it is hard to determine what size and how many of each size we should get for her? Where's the show you are attending? We're going to one here in Indiana, up in Ft. Wayne.

At 108 grams it should be eating rat fuzzies this is equivalent to hopper or weaned mice

I have a stand alone freezer, and i get 50 mice and 50 medium rats every couple months but i still feed live rats, around here live rats are getting pretty hard to find, so always nice to keep an emergency supply

I do

$0.65 for crawler rats
$1.00 for rat pups
$1.15 for small rats
$1.55 for medium rat

It's not a business for me I only sell to one person to help out, I don't have the room or time or interest to breed for more than myself and another person.

There is a feeder store within 20 miles of me (only selling feeders and a few reptiles) who charges as followed

Pinkie $2.00 - Fuzzy $2.50 - Pups $3.00 - Weanlings $3.25 - Small $3.50 - Medium $4.00 - Large $6.00 - Jumbo $7.00

That should give you a range, look on Cl you might find someone local breeding for their needs and selling extras.

Buying from a local breeder or a show is MUCH cheaper. If you're buying frozen, most of good online companies are fairly prices. I just bought 25 adult mice for $25 at a show. I also buy about 4-6 months worth of food at a time and stick it in my mini-fridge freezer section that stays in my room. I have enough food in there to last me quite awhile! I ordered food back in August I think and it looks like I've barely made a dent in my freezer!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

Buying from a local breeder or a show is MUCH cheaper. If you're buying frozen, most of good online companies are fairly prices. I just bought 25 adult mice for $25 at a show. I also buy about 4-6 months worth of food at a time and stick it in my mini-fridge freezer section that stays in my room. I have enough food in there to last me quite awhile! I ordered food back in August I think and it looks like I've barely made a dent in my freezer!

---

When buying food ahead of time from a show, what sizes would you buy for a 108g normal BP? Just the one snake, she's our pet.

Assuming you feed frozen, Probably 25 rat fuzzies, 25-50 rat pups, 25-50 weanlings, and if you want to purchase more, you can even get small rats. Most people start packages with 25 or 50 in a bag. so, What I do before I go up to the next size is feed two of the size I'm on. Then I'm not wasting rats in my freezer.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

Assuming you feed frozen, Probably 25 rat fuzzies, 25-50 rat pups, 25-50 weanlings, and if you want to purchase more, you can even get small rats. Most people start packages with 25 or 50 in a bag. so, What I do before I go up to the next size is feed two of the size I'm on. Then I'm not wasting rats in my freezer.

---

How long would that last her? Looks like a couple years..?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BillinIndiana

How long would that last her? Looks like a couple years..?

---

That depends, how often are you feeding her? At that size, I would probably only get 25 fuzzies and 25 pups, especially if you know there will be another show in a few months (that's 25 weeks of feeding if you are feeding her 2x/week). And as was already said, you can double up feeding the smaller stuff if she outgrows it. Then, she will probably be ready for weanlings/smalls next time.

Bill, since you are here in Indiana. Try American Rodent Supply or Hoosier Mouse Supply. Both are pretty good. I think HMS setups up at the Noblesville Show each month and both of them setup at the Indy Midwest Reptile Show. Hope this helps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Annarose15

That depends, how often are you feeding her? At that size, I would probably only get 25 fuzzies and 25 pups, especially if you know there will be another show in a few months (that's 25 weeks of feeding if you are feeding her 2x/week). And as was already said, you can double up feeding the smaller stuff if she outgrows it. Then, she will probably be ready for weanlings/smalls next time.

---

We've only been feeding her once a week.. She eats three 6-8 gram fuzzy mice in one feeding. That's roughly 15% of her body weight, maybe a little more. She eats really well taking three small pieces of prey like this, but it someone suggested getting her on rats.. When we bought her we just bought what the vendor said he was feeding her.. We bought 36 ( 6-8 gram) mice.. We have probably 20+ of this size mouse left..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by S.I.R.

Bill, since you are here in Indiana. Try American Rodent Supply or Hoosier Mouse Supply. Both are pretty good. I think HMS setups up at the Noblesville Show each month and both of them setup at the Indy Midwest Reptile Show. Hope this helps.

---

I have that site saved on my computer, nice deal if you buy a lot, Free Shipping if you spend $100.. Neither one of those shows would be to bad of a drive I guess?? Still 1 1/2 though.. I'll see what the Ft. Wayne show has Saturday. I just wasn't sure what to buy as far as to cover the growth rate.. I didn't want to end up with a bunch of small prey mice like we have now.. Even if it is Fun to watch her strike and curl them up.. Someone said one large meal is better then the way we are doing it?? Something about the digestion? I'm not sure on this one, she is still eating them all at one time, not spread out over the day or couple days etc.. She eats them within an 1/2 hour and we put her back in her tank.. She goes in her hide and sleeps them off...haha

There's no issue feeding multiple prey items. It just gets annoying :p

I would finish off the mice fuzzies (though really they are much too small). Try giving her two in one sitting or one every 4 days. Once you're finished with those, go ahead and try and switch her to rats. You can start her on rat fuzzies. She'll be big enough by the time you finish off the mice. I feed my babies 10-15% of their body weight every 4 days and they grow like little weeds. I have one who went from medium mice (she's a mouser and won't eat rats) to large mice in about a week!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bobbafett

There's no issue feeding multiple prey items. It just gets annoying :p

---

We've only had her a month and like I said she's the only one, so we still like to watch her... She gets all S'd up and strikes that little mouse so quick! We're New so it's still entertaining... :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

I would finish off the mice fuzzies (though really they are much too small). Try giving her two in one sitting or one every 4 days.

---

Yeah, that's what we do... she eats three (6-8 gram) fuzzy mice in one sitting or feeding... She strikes and curls each one up without a problem.. We give her time to swallow the 1st and start moving around a little before we offer the next.. The whole feeding maybe last 30 mins..