Petco Frozen Feeders?

I've been buying my feeders from Petco, and the company that supplies them is Gourmet Rodent. I'm appalled at 9/10 bags of mice I open. Broken or falling off body parts, bloody noses that make a big bloody mess, some are squished flat, tails fall off when trying to feed..
I know they're already dead, but these injuries had to have occurred while still alive.
I don't really have the space to keep and breed my own feeders like I'd like to. But the state the feeders are in is getting too much. Many of them need cage cleanings after their feeding because it's just so messy.
Does anyone else have this issue?
Would it be cheaper to just buy live mice and rats and give them a whack? I don't even know if I could bring myself to do that.
Im skeptical of buying online as well. I don't want to support a company that lets their feeders live in such atrocious conditions. Yes they're feeders, but they're also living beings that deserve at least a little respect.

Big Cheese Rodents sell frozen feeders online. I got my first order from them about a month ago and was very pleased with the feeders, their condition, and the quality. I will do business with them again.

The petco mice are my very last resort if I need them. They are terrible quality. I've had many times where the mouse will basically be a bloody, pulpy mess while my snake tries to eat it.

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Originally Posted by LittleTreeGuy

Big Cheese Rodents sell frozen feeders online. I got my first order from them about a month ago and was very pleased with the feeders, their condition, and the quality. I will do business with them again.

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I'll have to check them out. How are they packaged? I always worry buying I bulk that they'll become freezer burnt before I get to use them all.

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Originally Posted by rockonjp76

The petco mice are my very last resort if I need them. They are terrible quality. I've had many times where the mouse will basically be a bloody, pulpy mess while my snake tries to eat it.

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Sounds about right haha. The fact my one ball will just squeeze and squeeze until the poor thing is flat as a pancake. But he also squeezes all the blood and whatever other fluids in the process.

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Originally Posted by Riinei

I'll have to check them out. How are they packaged? I always worry buying I bulk that they'll become freezer burnt before I get to use them all.

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I ordered a bag of rat fuzzies. They came packaged with dry ice in a padded box. There were 20 or 25 in the package I ordered. I think one of them was broken in half, but I didn't see that as a big deal. The rest of them look like they could have been euthanized in the past 24 hours and put in a freezer. They are all very clean, of decent and consisent size, just as I orderd them and are in a sealed bag. Once I opened the sealed bag, I keep them in my freezer in a heavy duty ziploc bag and they have been fine.

If you have a petsmart in your area they usually sell the Arctic mice brand, those tend to be in very good shape

There are a ton of reptile enthusiasts in PA. Look around on the Facebook forums for a local rodent breeder that will sell frozen. You usually get better prices and don't have to pay shipping.

Perfect Prey is another great option. You won't be disappointed. Gourmet Rodent has awful quality. Experienced similar situations with them through Petco.

I too have had horrible experiences with frozen feeders from petsmart and petco. I got a mouse once that was so smashed and rotten that it was immediately rejected by my snake.

Definitely order from Big Cheese Rodents. They have a 29$ flat rate shipping that is best in the business. The feeders come vacuum sealed on dry ice. I have feeders in my freezer from them that are many months old and they still look amazing when I open the package.

I've contemplated ordering online but it seems like the shipping costs would outweigh it for me since I only have one snake. My Arctic Mouse from Petsmart last night did have its tail break off on the tongs when I went to feed, but I figured I just squeezed to tight. My preference would be rats. We have a local chain called Petsway and I will be seeing if they have rats this Sunday for the next feeding.

Here'a question....assuming you do buy bulk and they come vacuum sealed, etc.....what happens when you break the seal? Do they get freezer burnt and less appetizing? For the one snake I like the idea of getting singles in their little "boil-in-bag" pouch, LOL.

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Originally Posted by jack jones

I've contemplated ordering online but it seems like the shipping costs would outweigh it for me since I only have one snake. My Arctic Mouse from Petsmart last night did have its tail break off on the tongs when I went to feed, but I figured I just squeezed to tight. My preference would be rats. We have a local chain called Petsway and I will be seeing if they have rats this Sunday for the next feeding.

Here'a question....assuming you do buy bulk and they come vacuum sealed, etc.....what happens when you break the seal? Do they get freezer burnt and less appetizing? For the one snake I like the idea of getting singles in their little "boil-in-bag" pouch, LOL.

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I honestly would just go with Big Cheese and order enough that it makes it worth your while. Even if you don't buy a ton, it is still cost effective adding in shipping costs per feeder. My local pet store sells small rats as feeders for almost 5$. Even with shipping costs figured in they cost less than 2$ when ordered online.

When I open the package I simply put them in a sealed gallon freezer bag. Over a month later I don't have any freezer burn and they still all look amazing.

I personally don't like to keep meat or food for longer than a couple of months so my freezer is pretty empty but to make ordering rats online worthwhile I have a little over a years supply.
Does anyone know if/when rats go bad?

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

I honestly would just go with Big Cheese and order enough that it makes it worth your while. Even if you don't buy a ton, it is still cost effective adding in shipping costs per feeder. My local pet store sells small rats as feeders for almost 5$. Even with shipping costs figured in they cost less than 2$ when ordered online.

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Dang that's high! Granted mine sells to me at wholesale prices because I buy a lot of feeders each week - and they produce their own - so I pay $1.50 for a small. My price on jumbo rats is $3.50 and rabbit for the retics is $2/pound. If the local retailers were all charging $5 for a small rat I'd shop online too.

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When I open the package I simply put them in a sealed gallon freezer bag. Over a month later I don't have any freezer burn and they still all look amazing.

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This. I've had feeders 3-4 months in the freezer that are still fine.

Yep. Believe it or not we only have a couple stores in the Denver area that will sell rodents as feeders. With the trapped market they just jack up the prices. It is 3$ for fuzzy rats. Unbelievable I know.

In mid-2015 I did the math on Arctic Mice from PrtSmart vs. Big Cheese, including shipping *and* a vacumn sealer, and Big Cheese won fairly quickly - IIRC in a couple months with a half-dozen snakes (sorry, apparently didn't save the numbers). And now we have 17 snakes, and a shelf full of rodents in the freezer.

Occasionally there will be a tail or paw damaged, but it's minor. Likewise, sometimes one will leak a little bit, but not enough that I've ever been concerned.

We've used the vacumn sealer in people-food, too, so it's been a win all around.


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I would be shocked if any big brand pet store feeders were more economical than Big Cheese. Also, their rodents seem to be even better looking than live feeders from the pet store, even after months in the freezer.

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Originally Posted by jack jones

I've contemplated ordering online but it seems like the shipping costs would outweigh it for me since I only have one snake. My Arctic Mouse from Petsmart last night did have its tail break off on the tongs when I went to feed, but I figured I just squeezed to tight. My preference would be rats. We have a local chain called Petsway and I will be seeing if they have rats this Sunday for the next feeding.

Here'a question....assuming you do buy bulk and they come vacuum sealed, etc.....what happens when you break the seal? Do they get freezer burnt and less appetizing? For the one snake I like the idea of getting singles in their little "boil-in-bag" pouch, LOL.

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I too only have one snake, and I feel it was more cost effective and convienent to order online. Like I said, I got my order over a month ago and they still look the same as the day I got them. I keep them in a ziploc bag in my deep freeze and they seem to be fine and the snake seems to think they are tasty. :)

I once used gourmet rodents and was very dissapointed :tears:
Big Cheese is a good option only bought there once but the mice where in good shape. My favorite feeder brand is Reptile Deli, rodents are in good shape and snakes love them. The link if you want to check them out is at the bottom. I normally just buy bulk at an expo so shipping isn't a problem.

Have a mice day.:rofl:

http://www.reptiledeli.com/

The Gourmet Rodent facility is located just down the road from where I live, and less than two miles from my parent's house. If you saw the condition of the building, you'd think twice before ever buying anything from them. Back when the original owners were running the show, they did put out a quality product, but sadly, that is no longer the case.

Good call on the expo, Lovebugs. We have a Repticon coming close in March. I'm hoping to attend and will see about that then. If I haven't ordered online before that.

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Originally Posted by imitha

If you have a petsmart in your area they usually sell the Arctic mice brand, those tend to be in very good shape

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We don't have any Petsmarts anywhere near us, only Petcos.

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

I too have had horrible experiences with frozen feeders from petsmart and petco. I got a mouse once that was so smashed and rotten that it was immediately rejected by my snake.

Definitely order from Big Cheese Rodents. They have a 29$ flat rate shipping that is best in the business. The feeders come vacuum sealed on dry ice. I have feeders in my freezer from them that are many months old and they still look amazing when I open the package.

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No wonder, I would reject that too! But that's great, it was always my main concern buying in bulk that they'd get freezer burn. I'll definitely check them out.

And thank you to everyone for all the response, I'll definitely consider online. I'm happy I'm not the only one with these issues. I have several Petcos in my area and all feeders are the same. I don't see how my snakes get very much nutrition or much of a meal from a rather flat and pathetic looking mouse.

I love both Big Cheese and Layne Labs, both have very clean and well packaged feeders.

I used to keep extras in zip locks but was finding freezer burn after a month or so (which could be due to my freezer). I bought a vacuum sealer and now I pre-portion out the bags into the quantities I need per feeding. Those will last 6 months. This is one of the best things I've done and wish I had done it years ago.

An option you might want to look into is finding someone local to you, then you can go in together on a buy, split the feeders and split the cost of shipping that way it's not such a big hit to the wallet.
Good luck!

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Originally Posted by imitha

If you have a petsmart in your area they usually sell the Arctic mice brand, those tend to be in very good shape

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I've actually had horrible luck with this brand. Every once in a while I'll get a decent one but the last one was kind of the last straw. I got desperate for feeders to get by till I could drive out to my usual place. I bought a box of four and they were all mangled, half bald, and the white fur they did have was actually really yellow. I'm assuming from that and the smell that they were covered in urine. But the worst part was the one turning green with a big fatty tumor on its side. I have since sworn off the Arctic brand.

I actually called Big Cheese and spoke to a sales person before I placed my order with them. I wanted to make sure that they humanely euthanized and that no chemicals were used. From what I was told, they have a huge breeding facility and they only ship the prey on Monday's and Tuesday's. Through the week they collect orders and then euthanize batches to fill the orders, then the rodents are flash frozen, packages in a little styrofoam tray (like beef cuts at the grocery store) and shipped to you with plenty of dry ice. They use a carbon dioxide chamber to dispatch them.

All of mine arrived clean and very fresh, some occasionally bleed from the nose a little after thawing, but not much. I work at a wildlife veterinary facility that feeds tons of frozen prey, everything from mice to rabbits and quail, and both the "gourmet rodent" and "arctic mice" brands remind me of mice that have fully or partially thawed and then been refrozen...ewww

Do you have a locally run pet store in your town? I buy live every week from the one we have, but they sell frozen too. Very good quality and really cheap.

I might not be the norm here but I prefer to buy live and pre kill them myself. I see frozen as like a tv dinner. Good once in awhile but cant beat good old fashioned home cooking aka freshly killed live ;)

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

My local pet store sells small rats as feeders for almost 5$. Even with shipping costs figured in they cost less than 2$ when ordered online.

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WoW!!!
Smalls run $2 or less around here. Then again we don't buy from pet stores either.
Nice to know local breeders and breed your own. :gj:

Do you not like feeding live? My local small pet shop sells me mice I think for $1.59, so that's definitely my first stop.

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Originally Posted by rockonjp76

Do you not like feeding live? My local small pet shop sells me mice I think for $1.59, so that's definitely my first stop.

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Some people have a lot of snakes in their collection, and do not have the time to go around and supervise every single snake to ensure that they do not get injured. Some people just don't like to feed live regardless. Also, why mice? Rats are a lot better.

Where at in Pennsylvania are you located? I get mine from a breeder in chambersburg and they are good quality and a good price.

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Originally Posted by Streller

Some people have a lot of snakes in their collection, and do not have the time to go around and supervise every single snake to ensure that they do not get injured.

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What would you consider too many. I have too many to deal with thawing out 60+ rats and hope they get eaten so that there is not a life wasted in the trash.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

I have too many to deal with thawing out 60+ rats and hope they get eaten so that there is not a life wasted in the trash.

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I feed about that same amount, stagger feeding days and have 'garbage disposals' (king, corn and boas) for anything not taken, which is quite rare, maybe I'm lucky. no waste plus no risk of injury. :gj:

If you do have a store that gives you live for pretty cheap maybe you should look into fresh kill using your own Co2 tank. For $50 dollars I got into an exchange program for a 20lb Co2 tank (lasts forever). When empty i just pay $20 and trade it for a full one. Never have to recertify as all the tanks i exchange it with are already certified. Get your live rat, Co2 it, and feed it fresh. Works for me. I breed my own rats so this is how i do it but if you buy live you can do it this way too. My fiance will not allow rats anywhere there is people food lol so frozen is pretty much out unless I get another freezer. Also with this method if the snake refuses you can always freeze the rat and try again next time. I have never had to do this as i have never had a rejection out of my 18 snakes. Just lucky i guess (knock on wood). :cool: