Cheapest online feeder rats

Looking for suggestions about ordering rats online. I can't rely on PetSmart anymore as they hardly ever have them available, and they're 7 dollars per rat. What's the best website with the cheapest prices ?

Thanks in advance!

I find Big Cheese to be the cheapest. Flat rate shipping and lower prices than the others.

Cold Blood Cafe is also good quality, arguably healthier weight rodents visually, though my experience has their feeders on the smaller end of the range they say, not a variety throughout the range. I.e. For small rats. If the range is 45 to 80g (I forget if this is their range or not, but something similar) 90% of the feeders were approx 50g and the remaining 10% were 60-65g.

Perfect Prey and Rodent Pro are often recommended also. I have used neither. One had higher base prices over Big Cheese and the other had significantly higher shipping costs (roughly double) and if I remember right similar to slightly higher prices.

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Well, it depends...

What sizes you use and where you live can affect shipping costs with those that don’t use flat rate shipping.

My first pick is/was Big Cheese (Texas), who uses flat rate shipping. But in the last two years they were out of stock on the sizes I needed.

Then I went to Perfect Prey (Florida).

Then Cold Blooded Cafe came along with great pricing. But they increased their prices on my last order to be the same or a tad cheaper on some rats as Perfect Prey.

Now Big Cheese and Perfect Prey have the best packaging, vacuum sealed.

I live in Texas, and freight is cheaper with CBC, so that works out for me price wise.

I am a big fan of perfect prey. And for me an added bonus cause I'm in Florida and so are they. From my experience, their prey sizes are pretty spot on as far as the weight they advertise. I have never used any other vendor so I can't comment on them, but cheaper isn't necessarily better a lot of times. I absolutely recommend perfect prey. :gj:

This time of year I would be less concerned with price than transit time, as the temps are hot enough you want the feeders to show up in two days to ensure they are still frozen on arrival. So, I wouldn't order from a vendor on the west coast.

Have you tried your local Craigslist? I got lucky and have built a relationship with a local rat breeder.

I can appreciate good prices too, but sometimes you might not want the very "cheapest"...they might be feeding low quality food or not keeping their rodents
clean & separated from wild species (like when grown in a shed or barn). Best to compare both price & reputation.

Another good one that I have heard from other members here is Layne Laboratories out in California. Others have said that the rats are top notch. However, freight is a killer if you don’t live close by.

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Originally Posted by Bodie

I am a big fan of perfect prey. And for me an added bonus cause I'm in Florida and so are they. From my experience, their prey sizes are pretty spot on as far as the weight they advertise. I have never used any other vendor so I can't comment on them, but cheaper isn't necessarily better a lot of times. I absolutely recommend perfect prey. :gj:

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I use them as well and have never had any issues. Highly recommended! :)


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Reptile deli is pretty good pricewise with $25 flat rate shipping and rats look pretty healthy. But their packaging leaves something to be desired, all the rats are shoved into ziploc bags. And their smalls are consistently in the 40-50g range, I just get the small plus from them nowadays.

I made one order with Rodent Pro and never will again.

Perfect prey is great quality and packaging, a little more expensive on shipping than reptile deli.

Layne labs is absolutely top notch with best quality and packaging by far IME, but shipping is hella expensive

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I'm a Perfect Prey guy.

Great product, fair prices, fantastic shipping/packaging, great customer service.

They might be expensive shipping wise if you're out west

Perfect Prey works best for me.

I've heard lots of recommendations for Big Cheese, Perfect Prey, and Big Cheese. Big Cheese is currently shipping for $29 a box and I dropped my order yesterday. For longer term storage, a non-frost free freezer is preferable to a frost free model :)

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Originally Posted by XPLSV

Big Cheese is currently shipping for $29 a box...

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In my experience ordering from them over the last year and a bit this is their standard price and not short-term deal like it might seem from the way it is advertised on their sight. It's been $29 per box since I first started ordering from them isntead of picking up at local expos. :)



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Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

In my experience ordering from them over the last year and a bit this is their standard price and not short-term deal like it might seem from the way it is advertised on their sight. It's been $29 per box since I first started ordering from them isntead of picking up at local expos. :)



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Haha, yeah, “limited time only”. But I’m not complaining, at least not about the shipping. But it is frustrating that they are ALWAYS out of all or some combination of what I need. I could not place an order today if I wanted to because they out of Mediums and Larges as usual.

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Originally Posted by Reinz

Haha, yeah, “limited time only”. But I’m not complaining, at least not about the shipping. But it is frustrating that they are ALWAYS out of all or some combination of what I need. I could not place an order today if I wanted to because they out of Mediums and Larges as usual.

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Best if you can anticipate & order ahead of summer...with ppl breeding snakes & buying more food, it's common for suppliers to run a bit short.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Best if you can anticipate & order ahead of summer...with ppl breeding snakes & buying more food, it's common for suppliers to run a bit short.

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I totally understand that. It doesn’t matter what time of year I order, Big Cheese has been sold out of my needs for the past 2-3 years. I order 3 times a year, sometimes 4, and I check their website in between, just like I did today. Strange how none of the other companies are sold out.

I've ordered from Big Cheese Rodents, Product was good, no issues with shipping, product was still frozen when it got to me 3 days later.

Just placed an order with Perfect Prey today, being their in Florida their much closer to me (Northern Va).

I do know even with paying the 30.00 avg shipping fee, I'm still paying about 50% less per rodent than the local chain pet stores charge.

Last order was through Rodent Pro and not going there again. The weened and small rats are pretty unimpressive. Poor packaging, no markings of any size or anything. Just tossed into a ziplock and not very clean either. I had good luck with Big Cheese and am going back. My BP’s refuse the Rodent Pro rats every other feeding.

Is Rodent Pro really that bad? I'm a new BP owner and was planning on going back to the local reptile show where I purchased her from to get a supply of frozen as I recall seeing a vendor there. Well, it's this weekend and I just found on the website the vendor is Rodent Pro.

I’ll just say the two frozen thawed holdouts eat today and really quickly too. I received my order from Big Cheese and thought I would try feeding these two a day early. One ate a live rat last week(wouldn’t eat frozen period) and the other refused frozen. The previous rats were from RP and honestly I felt the rats were scrawny and dirty compared to the new shipment. Maybe my experience is different then most because it seems they get great reviews.

Big Cheese seems promising 50 pinky’s $17 dollars is amazing in my opinion. I’m glad I saw this thread [emoji2]


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Check Craigslist in your area. I found a back yard breeder selling rats an African Soft Hairs cheap. Pick your size an she gassed them if you didn't want them live an had some sizes frozen. The kids snakes love the ASH.

Also, run an ad looking for pet rats, rabbits an mice. It's your snakes rodent rescue, LOL.

Big cheese is great. Overnight delivery weighs well within the specified weight. Fattening up our snakes just fine !

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Originally Posted by Jakethesnake69

I’ll just say the two frozen thawed holdouts eat today and really quickly too. I received my order from Big Cheese and thought I would try feeding these two a day early. One ate a live rat last week(wouldn’t eat frozen period) and the other refused frozen. The previous rats were from RP and honestly I felt the rats were scrawny and dirty compared to the new shipment. Maybe my experience is different then most because it seems they get great reviews.

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I had similar issues with RP and was very pleased with BC and PP.