Am I being charged more than normal?

I buy my rats from my local reptile hobbyist store (that I like to support even if they're sometimes over-priced). I was just wondering, is this a normal price for rats or would I be better off buying somewhere else?

It's $5 per small frozen rat. This means I'm spending $100 dollars every 4-5 months on feeding my 1 Ball Python. I would of course pay that if necessary, just wondering if it's usually cheaper for you guys?

They're definetly cheaper than petco/petsmart, that's for sure.

I think a lot depends on how many you want to store in your freezer. It's not so practical for just one snake to order from online companies that are cheaper,
because you have to figure in the cost of shipping on ice too, which adds a lot to the overall price, especially if you don't buy for many snakes or for that long.

I usually buy 25 at a time, and pay about 2 bucks each for small rats. With shipping would be about 3 if that was all I was buying, but I pick them up at the expo to save on shipping

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That seems very expensive. We order bulk online through Perfect Prey, which charges $1.95 per small rat. Shipping has been a bit more than $30 each time, but it's worth it if you're buying in bulk. I can't say enough good things about the quality of their rodents.

The per-rat price you pay for feeders will be determined by a lot of factors, including whether you purchase one rat or in bulk, whether you purchase locally, whether you pay for shipping, etc. Also if you buy locally from retailers in areas where the cost of living is high, they will have higher overhead which gets factored into the price, versus if you purchase from someone locally who breeds rats as a hobby and sells off the culls as feeders.

Now that said, if your ball python is large enough to take a medium rat and it's a pet, not something like a breeder female that just laid eggs so she's super hungry, then your snake doesn't need to eat every week. You may find it more cost-effective to feed a medium rat every 2-3 weeks than a small rat every week.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Now that said, if your ball python is large enough to take a medium rat and it's a pet, not something like a breeder female that just laid eggs so she's super hungry, then your snake doesn't need to eat every week. You may find it more cost-effective to feed a medium rat every 2-3 weeks than a small rat every week.

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My male BP just switched over to small rats a few weeks ago (one of my price concerns since weaned was $4 and small is $5. I bought five and it was around $32. Yikes!) In Septemeber there's also an expo so I might see if it's any cheaper there. And I've calculated that buying $100 worth of small rats at the reptile store will last 4-5 months, and ordering $100 worth of small rats from online will last around 11 months.. it's very tempting..

If you've got the freezer space then I say buy bulk. I buy from perfect prey and I will continue to as long as their quality and prices remain the same. It costs me about a dollar more (just a quick ballpark in my head) per month to feed my 4 snakes than it costs you to feed one.

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Originally Posted by 55fingers

My male BP just switched over to small rats a few weeks ago (one of my price concerns since weaned was $4 and small is $5. I bought five and it was around $32. Yikes!) In Septemeber there's also an expo so I might see if it's any cheaper there. And I've calculated that buying $100 worth of small rats at the reptile store will last 4-5 months, and ordering $100 worth of small rats from online will last around 11 months.. it's very tempting..

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Except over the next 11 months your snake will likely have a hunger strike because he'll want to go find a girlfriend this winter. Also unless they're vacuum-sealed whole prey only lasts about six months in the freezer.

I would look up the vendor list for the expo and see who is selling feeders. Some will let you pre-order and pick them up. I would only get six months worth because your BP should be big enough for mediums after that.

I wouldn't buy in bulk unless the rats are vacuum packed, as they are from perfect prey. Otherwise, they can lose nutritional value before you can use them all.

$5 for a small rat?! Wow! I pay $2 for the same from my local snake store.

Thanks for all the help! Yeah I got my boy in april so I haven't yet experienced the notorious male BP hunger strike. I should keep that in mind.

Just wondering, I thought that male BPs don't usually get big enough to eat anything more than a small rat? He's almost 3 ft right now, and almost 2 years old.

Yeah I should check the vendors. I also didn't know they went bad after 6 months! I'm glad I know, now. I also get kind of scared of keeping too many in my freezer at a time just in case there's a power outage. I'll have to think about what's best to do, cause at this rate it seems stupid when a few months' worth of what I'm paying for his food could get him a better thermostat!

Most males won't outgrow smalls.

I have purchased from vendors at expos before. I've tried 2 companies and was content with both.

Perfect Prey is fantastic though. I just take some time to re-package them in ziplock bags of 3 or 4 per bag. This way the rest are staying air-tight til I need them.

Alright, I think I might order online. Where's the best place with the best prices? And how many do you think I should get for my 1 male on small rats (note the winter fast and how long they'll keep). Do you think maybe 20 would be okay?

I use perfect prey. I've been happy with every order and will continue to buy from them.
You may see your savings dwindle to the point that you're not saving much only ordering 20, though, due to shipping costs.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I use perfect prey. I've been happy with every order and will continue to buy from them.
You may see your savings dwindle to the point that you're not saving much only ordering 20, though, due to shipping costs.

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Hmm yeah.. there's not much way around it when you have 1 snake I think.. if only I could use it as an excuse to get another haha

Well if I order from coldbloodedcafe.com it should only be $60 for 20, whereas 20 from the reptile store is $100..

If you vacuum-seal the rats they will last longer. You could put 3-4 in each bag and just open a new one every few months.

Also don't just look at the price per rat from each vendor; shipping cost will be higher coast-to-coast than if you find a vendor a state or two away.

Also if you can hold off for a few months when the daytime temps are lower you could safely do 2-3 day shipping instead of overnight express. This is the worst time of year to purchase b/c it's just so flipping hot, especially in the back of the delivery trucks.

Best product to buy....... FoodSaver and their bag rolls as well.

Man I wish you guys were around me when I was breeding rodents. Sold smalls for $1.25 breathing or not! At the prices y'all are paying, if I was charging/getting those prices it might have made it worth while to keep breeding. Then again I am liking my free weekends.:rofl:

Big Cheese Rodent Factory currently has smalls available, and they only charge $29 shipping!

I personally stock frozen feeders for up to a year and all of my snakes still eat year-old feeders. They won't actually go bad in a freezer, they just lose some extent of the appetizing scent. If you order 30 smalls, it's still cheap per rat.

I always try to order from Big Cheese when possible, the only problem is they're often out of the sizes I need.