Feeding question~switching to live~

So my girl is getting pretty big now and the place I go to get her rats I have to buy the 'large rats' which are now 4.50 a rat.Well I feed her frozen and that is all that she has eaten her whole life but they are getting to expensive for me. I mean I am running low on money $20 only gets me 3 rats! So I was thinking of switching her to live because I think that they may be cheaper but do you think she will take them live or know when it is for sure dead because she has never eaten live before. Or for those who feed live are live feeders generally cheaper or more expensive then frozen? P.S.My mom suggested breeding the rats but I only have one snake and I would think that it would cost more to breed and then have to take care of rats,buying food and what not, that will only be food in the end. I appreciate the help thanks!

Live is more expensive.

Order your f/t online.

I was paying $4 per small rat at the pet store. If I go through a feeder company, I can get 16 for $28.

Sorry to jack the thread a little, but is that with shipping? I'd order online but shipping costs so much from the sites I've looked at.

You could watch CL a lot of the time people will have frozen feeders on there. Breeding your own is way cheaper when feeding multiple snakes IMO but with only 1 snake you would probably be overflowing with rats & have to sell some off which becomes a pain in the a$$ dealing with people on CL.

Here live rats are $10 and frozen are $6.75...I think if you are trying to save money ordering online is the way to go. But sometimes you can find a snake breeder that sells cheaper feeders.

Don't buy live! They are sometimes twice as expensive as frozen. What you can do is bulk order online. Now, shipping is usually $40-$50, so in order to get the most bang for your buck, you'll need to order a lot in bulk and just store them in the freezer until you need them (That's what I do). The other option is trying to find a rat breeder in your area that charges less or see if there's a large frozen rodent supplier near your area.

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Originally Posted by eskye

Sorry to jack the thread a little, but is that with shipping? I'd order online but shipping costs so much from the sites I've looked at.

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Shipping is so expensive because it requires an insulated box with dry ice, and they have to be overnighted.

The key is to buy a few months at a time I buy 6 months of rodents at a time and save $250-$350 per order vs buying local. You have to buy enough that you overcome the shipping price with the savings per rodent that you get.

Live rats are much MORE expensive than f/t. Order in bulk for a better price.

Live is more expensive than f/t. Breeding your own is great, but for one snake probably not cost effective. As far as worrying about him going from f/t to live, I would say zero worries. I haven't met a bp yet that didn't prefer his food alive over p/k or f/t.

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You could always ask around locally to see if other people would like to go in on a bulk shipment of rats. That way you can order more and save more on shipping.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Shipping is so expensive because it requires an insulated box with dry ice, and they have to be overnighted.

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I've never had to have f/t rats overnighted. In a box with good insulation and dry ice, rats can stay good for at least 3-4 days. Look for a rat supplier in your region of the US and can have them shipped ground. My last order only cost $30 for shipping and handling.

Do not do it. F/T is much more safer for you and your snake. Just try to find a cheaper or local supplier.

Nobody mentioned this yet, but not only are live feeders usually more expensive than frozen anyway, but you have to think about the hundreds of dollars you'll have to spend at the vet if the rat bites your snake, or worse, the money lost if the rat kills it.

I rescued a girl a few months back. So sad to see all the scars from rat bites.
She had a huge open sore on top of her head. :(
I know a ton of people do it, but to me, it's not worth the risk.

Cons:
Live cost more
Risk of bites
Risk of losing an eye
Risk of the snake going off feed after a fight with a live rat

Pros:
?

It's your choice but please stay with the snake when live prey is left in the enclosure.

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Originally Posted by luijibored

Do not do it. F/T is much more safer for you and your snake. Just try to find a cheaper or local supplier.

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Im reading alot of regurgitated myths in this thread. Please, enlighten me of all the ways that feeding f/t is safer for my snakes and... for me? Hows it safer for me? I dont eat the rats.

Guys, snakes are very good at what they do. Even if they get scratched or bit from a wrapped up live rodent, which is rare, it'll usually heal up in a shed or too. Ive never heard of a snake going off feed after getting bit/scratched from a rodent. If you're concerned what you can do is watch and make sure the snake gets a clean strike on the rat and if it doesnt then you can intervene. Also, never leave the rat alone in the enclosure for any length of time. There are risks to feeding f/t as well so neither feeding method is safer for your snake as long as feeding is always done responsibly.

There are pros and cons to live AND F/T.
Both can be safe and dangerous.
Plenty of snakes have died from f/t feeders too.

Personally, live is cheaper for me.
I breed my own and the rats pay for themselves. Just 3 of my dumbos can pay for 2 months worth of supplies. Basically free food for my snakes. The only cost is my time.

Either way, it's all personal preference in the end. You just have to feed responsibly. Be aware and vigilant. If live, there are methods to keep feeding safe. Most serious live feeder injuries come from feeding prey that is too large.

Some responsible live feeding tips:

1) Feed the appropriate size food. I like smaller and more frequent meals than larger and less often. Weanlings and small rats are safe and harmless(to some extent). They're also not as conscious to danger as an adult would be. Adult rats can pack a nasty bite and are much stronger at fighting back, which is why "smaller and more frequent" is the way to go. I feed all of my adults weaned/small rats once a week. And multiple smalls for the big girls. A medium size would be the max appropriate size for a ball python.

2) Keep the feeder well fed and hydrated. They're less likely to see your snake as food. Hungry rats are dangerous rats. They will eat your snake if left unattended for extended periods of time. This is the reason for most snake killing incidences.

3) Don't dangle the live feeder. This puts them in panic mode. A freaked out feeder is a dangerous feeder. Gently place the feeder into your enclosure. Calm feeders are good.

4) Monitor your feedings and keep a tool, such as tongs, on hand to assist your snake in case the feeder tries to bite down. I use a chop stick to stick in the feeder's mouth if its in a bad position.

5) Don't keep the feeder in with your snake longer than 30 mins max or so. Some people have a shorter time frame. If he doesn't eat within that time frame, take out the feeder and save it for next week.


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If you want to continue frozen, check for any reptile shows near you. A lot of times, someone there will be selling frozen feeders. I do both live and F/T. I have two snakes that will only take live so I keep two (mice..they wont eat rats) breeders on hand just for them but I buy my others frozen.

I would stick with frozen. You can buy bulk frozen thawed large rats from websites such as rodentpro.com (that's the website I get all my feeder rodents from) for 2.00 each or a bag of 5 for $10.00. Shipping costs is the only problem, so I usually buy hundreds of rodents at a time to make it worth it.