availability reptile supplies and stores in my area (rant)

Ok, so we live near probably the 2nd biggest city in kentucky. Lexington, its about a 20 min drive for us dependin on where we wanna go. Well I just moved here about 4 months ago. Until I found this forum, We knew nothing about all the different things you can do, its really unlimited to how you can cage, feed etc....

We were going on solely on what petco said when we first got him/her. Ok fine, so the only place that sells frozen mice in our area is petsmart. It costs me 11.00 for 6 frozen fuzzies etc. If I go up in size to a bigger mouse, ill get less quantity which means more money, more trips to the store.

I want to get what he needs but dang, its like breaking fort knox to feed him this way. But I posted on here about frozen's from the web and someone said the frozens can get freezer burned if in the freezer too long. But yet the only way to get them off the net is too order extremely large quantities, which is fine since i know some of you guys feed like larger quantities of snakes. But it seems the one snake home is screwed.

So we went to the local reptile expo today that they have once per month. This is the first expo ive ever been to, but i wasnt thrilled. There was a guy there selling frozen but he doesnt sell individually wrapped or smaller quantities. Not only that, but there was not very many ball pythons for sale and most were only normal balls. I'm not knocking corn lovers or even people with kingsnakes, cause to each is there own with what they like, but dang, there were tons of these, if I counted the amount of balls in that expo it probably be like 12 to 15 at the most.


The only place that I have found to shop locally is petsmart which we all know they are limited. There is guy that just open up about an hour away, but he's not started selling frozen yet. Hopefully soon.


I guess im just in a bad mood and need to complain lol so please over look me

Hi,


Well I think frozen miceicles should last about 6 months in a good home freezer if you keep them well bagged etc.

So that works out at between 26 - 36 mice depending on your feeding schedule I think **takes socks off to check**.

It might be worth checking around the various suppliers and seeing how much it would cost you to order the mix of sizes you think you will need in the next 4-6 months (say 15 hopper mice and 10 small adults ?) and if they think they could get them to you still frozen.

Smaller bulk does tend to defrost quicker but they should be able to tell you before you order.

If they think it is a good idea then make plans to try it if you can but make sure you have enough food to tide you over if they turn up as stinky mush.

Hopefully the most you can lose is $30-$40 and some time.


dr del

I can sympathize. It took me a little bit to find what I believe is the ONLY ball python breeder in minnesota(at least, the only one with a website), and also I believe the only true reptile supply store in MN as well. Luckily it's only about a 15 minute drive away. I wish there was more variety so I could shop around a bit, but at least I can use online retailers for anything I need other than feeders.

If it's costing you nearly $2 a piece for frozen fuzzies, and even more for something bigger(how much more expensive are bigger feeders? lots, or like $0.25?).. I remember when I had a corn snake in Alaska I was paying $5 per feed for a few weeks when my feeder supplier had some issues with his colony and I had to go to a different place. I was lucky enough to be able to find a more affordable place not that much later. You might look into the possibility of having a small breeding group of mice, rats, or ASFs. I know that eventually I'll want to breed my own feeders.

Well, I drive 45+ minutes each way...once a week...to get mice for my snakes. I try to combine other errands in the same area on the same trip to make it a little more economical...but it still sucks. But sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. It's more than worth it to me.

ouch JLC, I wonder how much that costs per feeder animal when you include gas prices??

i totally know who you feel...there is one shop here and its petco...i did get lucky and find a breeder that is willing to sell me mice if i need them...and last night at petco...the lady almost did not sell me my mouse cause of what i was doing. I told her that is what they sell them for...for pets and for feeders...it is no her personal decision to decide what petco sells and does not sell and when they are used for...if she was not going to sell it to me i wanted to talk to the manager. she sold it to me. and i totaly understand an animal lover...i love mice...i use to have several..but i had to do what i had to do cause my bp was not going to eat a f\t...
and the petco here does not carry crap.....I totaly feel your pain....

well until he stops eating f/t, thats what he's going to continue to get. I dont want to deal with the pain of a live mouse and having to kill it and keep them in cages etc... i just dont have the room...

if it gets to the point where he will no longer eat frozen... then that may change until then its frozen regardless of how i have to get them.

But what makes me so irritated about it is, this is the 2nd biggest city in kentucky....... why on earth does no one sell frozen??? other than petsmart.

I think what we are going to do is go through rodent pro and order 50 large mice, they are individually wrapped so less chance of freezer burn if you bust open a big pack of 50 mice, it will be cheaper in the long run as long as they dont ruin. If they get to the point all i gotta do is place an ad on craigs list to sell them i suppose.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sweetcheeks

well until he stops eating f/t, thats what he's going to continue to get. I dont want to deal with the pain of a live mouse and having to kill it and keep them in cages etc... i just dont have the room...

if it gets to the point where he will no longer eat frozen... then that may change until then its frozen regardless of how i have to get them.

But what makes me so irritated about it is, this is the 2nd biggest city in kentucky....... why on earth does no one sell frozen??? other than petsmart.

I think what we are going to do is go through rodent pro and order 50 large mice, they are individually wrapped so less chance of freezer burn if you bust open a big pack of 50 mice, it will be cheaper in the long run as long as they dont ruin. If they get to the point all i gotta do is place an ad on craigs list to sell them i suppose.

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your gonna have to breed snakes and sell em to your neighbors then they,ll need frozen and the demand will go up so the supplly goes up and prices drop and your makin money selling snakes wich pays for your frozen !! im tellin you its a win win !

Count yourself lucky

I have one supply store in town in which the owner and head sales guy told me that he would never have a BP in his store because they grow to 10 ft and potentially can kill a person. ( I told him 4' is common, and he wanted to argue) The rest of the conversation only was more bizzare

The other option is PETCO. The other day when I went in they had 0 CHE's and 0 UTH's

I would have to drive a few hours to get to a Petsmart/Petco. People complain about those places, and I know they aren't great, but you take them for granted. For the most part you can get a F/T feeders or other required items at decent prices.

One local pet shop wants $3 a piece for "jumbo adult mice" which in reality are barely hoppers. The other shop is filthy, and another member here, who lives in my area, told me at one point they had a chameleon, a BP, and a box turtle all in the same terrarium. (Or it may have been an iguana, and some type of other tortoise, but you get the idea.)

I would like to support the mom and pop shops but they make it very difficult, at least in my town. Between the lack of selection, exorbitant prices on what they do carry, and the one shop being disheveled, dirty, and having horrible husbandry I would much rather order online. It's pretty sad when having stuff shipped from Tampa to Upper Michigan is still cheaper than buying local.

In an emergency situation I might have to buy local, but that would probably be it. I do feel bad about this, and I know that the little guys can't price like the big chains and still make money, but ultimately I have to look out for number one.

People on this site knock petsmart and petco alot.. But I for one am a fan of Petsmart at least(been too long since I've been in a Petco, so no opinion there) and here's why:

1) Unlike all other "Generic pet stores", they don't sell cats and dogs. Cats and dogs sold in the generic pet stores are always mistreated, purchased from irresponsible breeders, and kept in dirty tiny cages. The dogs are never walked, the cats are never played with.. it's just horrible. Petsmart on the other hand has adoption centers where on the weekends or something local rescue centers bring in cats and dogs that need to go to caring homes. I don't think Petsmart makes any money off an animal being adopted. Of course I'm sure they don't do it 100% for charity, they probably expect new pet owners to use their in-store groomers and purchase food/supplies there. But still, they don't support the "pet store dog/cat sales".

2) I've had great luck with fish bought there. I'm sure that it differs from store to store and probably has more to do with the employees working at the one near here, but I have to say that at least that one has clean tanks with healthy fish that have stayed healthy after being purchased and brought home.

3) You can find one near most large cities in the US pretty much.. So you always have something to fall back on if needed.

4) I saw a Petsmart employee one time refuse to sell a chameleon to someone who didn't know what the hell they were doing and had no cage or anything to keep the chameleon in other than one of those little plastic critter cages.

5) Most of their inventory and sales are pet supplies, not pets. This is a good thing in my opinion, it means they're not relying on impulse purchases for their profits.

The pet stores I absolutely refuse to shop at, unless there is no other way to feed a pet, are those smallish ones you find in malls and such that have the wall of dogs/cats in tiny overcrowded cages behind the large glass window. Terrible care of the animals they have, and they rely entirely on impulse purchases for the majority of their income.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

People on this site knock petsmart and petco alot.. But I for one am a fan of Petsmart at least(been too long since I've been in a Petco, so no opinion there) and here's why:

1) Unlike all other "Generic pet stores", they don't sell cats and dogs. Cats and dogs sold in the generic pet stores are always mistreated, purchased from irresponsible breeders, and kept in dirty tiny cages. The dogs are never walked, the cats are never played with.. it's just horrible. Petsmart on the other hand has adoption centers where on the weekends or something local rescue centers bring in cats and dogs that need to go to caring homes. I don't think Petsmart makes any money off an animal being adopted. Of course I'm sure they don't do it 100% for charity, they probably expect new pet owners to use their in-store groomers and purchase food/supplies there. But still, they don't support the "pet store dog/cat sales".

2) I've had great luck with fish bought there. I'm sure that it differs from store to store and probably has more to do with the employees working at the one near here, but I have to say that at least that one has clean tanks with healthy fish that have stayed healthy after being purchased and brought home.

3) You can find one near most large cities in the US pretty much.. So you always have something to fall back on if needed.

4) I saw a Petsmart employee one time refuse to sell a chameleon to someone who didn't know what the hell they were doing and had no cage or anything to keep the chameleon in other than one of those little plastic critter cages.

5) Most of their inventory and sales are pet supplies, not pets. This is a good thing in my opinion, it means they're not relying on impulse purchases for their profits.

The pet stores I absolutely refuse to shop at, unless there is no other way to feed a pet, are those smallish ones you find in malls and such that have the wall of dogs/cats in tiny overcrowded cages behind the large glass window. Terrible care of the animals they have, and they rely entirely on impulse purchases for the majority of their income.

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Oh dont get me wrong, i have 4 dogs and a cat, I do shop petsmart alot for those animals, thats the only place i buy my animals food, i also buy clothing and toys for my dogs/cat but when it comes to frozen foods for snakes they are outrages, I would have never even known that if i hadnt have been snooping around the net trying to find another place to buy feeder frozen mice lol

It's definitely easy to take the big chains for granted. The prices are generally cheaper compared to most mom and pop shops and they have a pretty big selection by comparison also. Sure, the fauna they offer isn't that great or always well taken care of, but for husbandry supplies and other basic items you are lucky if you have one in your town.

It can be a pain - I'm lucky to have a reptile store nearby that even if they charge an arm and a leg - at least they are only down the road.

I actually am trying to move Stan over to rats though because there is a breeder I can get small rats from for a $1 each locally, but no mice.

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Originally Posted by SecurityStacey

I actually am trying to move Stan over to rats though because there is a breeder I can get small rats from for a $1 each locally, but no mice.

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If I wouldn't have met another BP.net member in my town who breeds their own rodents I would be going broke right now buying overpriced locally, or paying ridiculous shipping on one bag of mice that would be too small by the time the bag was half gone.

mainbutter

You are correct, they dont sell puppies and kittens (though ours does have an adoption program which I support)

But....
The currently have 4 BP's. They are all in the same approx 18x12x12 enclosure. There is no true hide, there is a large half log turned so you can see in it. There is no thermometer, and when I asked, they lady told me they dont require special heating. Store is probably in the low 70's and there is a flourscent light over the tank. There is a humidity gauge its sitting on 40%. Hardly what I would call quality or reduced stress enviroment.

I have read maybe one or two reports on the forums about big chain stores having good BP husbandry practices. The worst I've seen personally was an Orlando area Petco BP setup where the BP was wasting away and had MULTIPLE distinct layers of stuck shed all over its body. It must have had 3 or more bad sheds that were never remedied and 2 or more layers of spectacles.

Craigslist sucks sometimes with stupid people!!!!!!!!


so i posted to try and find a place with frozen feeders local and only comment that petsmart was too expensive on frozen feeders, I got one reply with someone saying they had some for 2.00 a mouse, ill still with petsmart first before i pay that.


Here is my original post

I am looking for frozen feeder mice, I need them individually wrapped as I only have one snake and do not want them to freezer burn before using them all. I prefer not to travel an hour just to pick them up if i can help it. I surely hope that will all the reptiles around someone sells these.

Petsmart is just too expensive on the frozens



Then there is a posting war about this hole stinking post that i posted..... about me not being able to afford my food yada yada yada

1st reply

A can of frozen feeder mice from Pets-Mart is $11 for 4 mice; small, medium, or large, doesn't matter what size. Depending on the size and type of snake this could feed him/her for 1-8 weeks. If you're looking for a "cheaper" alternative, go to Pet-Supermarket for $1.50 each and get a few lab mice, with a separate cage and fresh kill one when it's feeding time. (And if you really wanted to go cheap and you have enough space, you could even breed them =] )
As far as the pricing on frozen mice and having to drive an hour (even though Winchester isn't an hour from Lexington, especially not the Hamburg area where Pets-Mart is located)... if you can't afford to feed a pet, then don't have a pet.

2nd reply
And I quote "if you can't afford to feed a pet, then don't have a pet." That doesn't say, "if you can't afford a pet, don't get a pet." If you're having a rough time, SAY THAT! Don't blame the people who point these sort of things out. A lot of Craigslisters who are here frequently, not just the people who use it once or twice then move on, are very blunt people. And a lot of us call them like we see it. You say in one post that Pets-Mart is too expensive. Now you're saying you "can afford your pets." Which is it? And it doesn't matter what the whole story is. EVERYONE is on "hard times" right now one way or another on the account of the economy and such. So that's not much of an excuse. Money tight on pet food? Go donate plasma. Go to the gigs section and pick up a side job. Do what you did when you were 12 and pull out the lawn mower and see if the little old lady down the street might need some yard work done. We all have to feed our pets. And if people would use common sense, some of us wouldn't have to be so harsh.

3rd
I agree with you this person is always posting smart allic things. They shopuld get a real life instead of knocking down people.

4th
i dont think its a matter of being a kyboard warrior. i think the person who replied has some good points a lot of people do make their pets suffer because of finances or lack of care or things like that. i mean that guy said the prices of food for his snake was too expensive. what if the snake got sick and had to go to the vet? thats a lot more than the cost of food. i dont think people consider those kinds of things. its nice to see people step up and say something about it sometimes. some stuff may not aply to this guy but still it aplies to a lot of people. maybe next time just ask around for breeders and things like that and not just that somethings too expensive and youre looking for a short cut



and my reply back! lol

Thank you very much for your input!!!!

ITS NOT A MATTER OF WHETHER I CAN AFFORD IT, I HAVE THE MONEY, IM JUST LOOKING FOR A CHEAPER AND BETTER ALTERNATIVE, I JUST THOUGHT THERE MAY BE A REPTILE STORE AROUND HERE

I JUST MOVED HERE AND DONT KNOW ALL PET STORES YET

IF I WANTED YOUR OPINION ON WHETHER MY 3000.00 DOLLAR A MONTH INCOME COULD FEED MY ANIMALS I WOULD HAVE ASKED........

I DO NOT HAVE TO ANSWER TO FOOLS WHO WANT TO ASSUME PEOPLE ARE POOR WHEN ALL THEY ARE TRYING TO DO IS FIND A BETTER DEAL !!!

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Originally Posted by sweetcheeks

Craigslist sucks sometimes with stupid people!!!!!!!!

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I think they dislike snake people - when I posted about frozen feeders on my local CL I got a ton of responses telling me I was evil and horrible person and they have mice as pets and I'm sick that I'd feed them to my snake...blah blah blah....

But that exchange was ridiculous, at no point did you say that you couldn't afford the prices, only that you were looking for a better deal. Everybody is always looking for a better deal on everything! Sorry they were such jerks to you.

ive seen them pick on other people too, its unreal what they say about others, pure jerks i tell ya

wow, since when did looking for a cheaper alternative become "not being able to afford to feed a pet". It's hard for me to say what you should try, i think in your situation i might consider breeding. For me, I wait around for the shows and buy a ton at the show because they are at online bulk prices with no shipping and even if you have throw half out in 6 months, it's cheaper than any other method. I can't say I feel your pain because I have at least 10 shops in town that sell live and multiple reptile stores that compete against each other, and I still wait around for the shows to buy mice.

I'm in your situation also, surprisingly (I live in Orange County, CA - too bad BP's don't get big enough to eat snooty Chihuaha's and other foo-foo designer dogs /endrant). For me, it's not really that the frozen rats from Petco are expensive (Petsmart in my area is a little more, and you get less), it's that they are more expensive and I'm assuming lower quality. I don't know where the rats I'm getting are from, and how they were raised or what they were fed. I looked into some of the online suppliers listed here, but you have to buy in bulk. I only have one BP. I also went to the two exotic stores out here - one doesn't carry feeders, and the other stopped selling frozen. They did offer to break the neck of the live rats they sell...

well I live in a studio apartment with barely any room that is why we are sticking to frozen until he stops eating them. If i had the room, id definately breed, when i was a kid i bred hamsters not much different i dont guess lol

But we took the plunge today and ordered online, my nephew needed some too for his new bp, so we split the shipping charges.... and i guess they they get freezer burned, im still saving money i suppose....

so i cant lose this way really, it just makes more sense

my half of the shipment is 41.00 bucks for 50
at petsmart i would need to buy 12 packs of 4 to make 50 that would equal 150.00

Quote:

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Originally Posted by reaxion07

I'm in your situation also, surprisingly (I live in Orange County, CA - too bad BP's don't get big enough to eat snooty Chihuaha's and other foo-foo designer dogs /endrant).

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As a fellow OCer I can relate -- we are surrounded by yapping Chihuahuas :rolleyes: Makes me wish I had a burm :O

As for the OP -- I saw this on TV the other day and it might be worth a shot - this way you may be able to keep your bulk rodents fresher for longer:

http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldsk...ac/en/home.asp

hehe i guess you wont be going to the movies to watch beverly hills chihuahua then will you

i thought about that... id actually like a foodsaver but its a little too pricey right now for me, i just went out and bought a ton of dog grooming supplies to groom my dogs at home to try and save money that way too, im so worried about this economy going to pot, i gotta try something. They have been sending my husband home from work early too, so while as we do bring in more money than most, it still sucks when you have bills that need paid and none left for extras

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tosha_Mc

As a fellow OCer I can relate -- we are surrounded by yapping Chihuahuas :rolleyes: Makes me wish I had a burm :O

As for the OP -- I saw this on TV the other day and it might be worth a shot - this way you may be able to keep your bulk rodents fresher for longer:

http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldsk...ac/en/home.asp

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Do you feed frozen? If so, where do you get your feeders? Where in Orange County are you? I live in Irvine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sweetcheeks

hehe i guess you wont be going to the movies to watch beverly hills chihuahua then will you

i thought about that... id actually like a foodsaver but its a little too pricey right now for me, i just went out and bought a ton of dog grooming supplies to groom my dogs at home to try and save money that way too, im so worried about this economy going to pot, i gotta try something. They have been sending my husband home from work early too, so while as we do bring in more money than most, it still sucks when you have bills that need paid and none left for extras

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The reynolds thing is only like 10 bucks for the starter pack - the handivac and a couple bags and then only a few bucks for more bags. And I think you can keep reusing the bags - so you could keep the mice in the same bag and just revac it each time. My dad has one - it works pretty well.

cool i was looking into that, but the ones i seen was like 30 bucks.... then like 15 for more bags
of course if i pack 5 in a pack, then i only need 10 bags