Where to buy feeder rats?

[n1c0l3]

does anyone know a site or a place I can purchase feeder mice or rats? and if anyone can recommend a scale to weigh my snake that would be great

[tttaylorrr]

our preferred choices not in order:
PerfectPrey.com
BigCheeseRodents.com
LayneLabs.com
RodentPro.com

and i'm sure i'm missing a few others.

EDIT: here's the scale i've been using for over 3 years, still working perfectly.

[cchardwick]

Are you looking for live or frozen rodents? How many snakes are you feeding? What state do you live in?

If you just have one or two snakes it may be best to find a local breeder or find a pet store that sells live or frozen. I breed my own rats and mice and go through about 200+ rodents per month and I usually have a few extra, if someone nearby wanted a few I'd gladly sell them a few at a time. I used to have a guy that bought all my extra but now that I've ramped up my number of snakes I don't have too many extra, at least not until I buy another rodent rack. If you have a lot of snakes you can order frozen online but shipping is expensive and you will likely have way more than you can use, they start to get freezer burn after about six months. It's really best to use them within 1-2 months if possible. You can also buy at reptile shows, you avoid shipping costs that way. Or find another snake guy (or two) and split the online order. I've purchased small packs of frozen rodents at big chain pet stores but the quality is always hit and miss, some look like they have been on the shelf for a year.

[Craiga 01453]

I've used perfect prey a few times and am perfectly happy with them. Their prices are great, quality is top-notch, packaging is flawless and customer service is very good.

It helps having multiple snakes to feed to make shipping costs easier to handle, but in the long run, well worth it.
Sooooo much cheaper than your local big box stores and a much better product. As long as you can swing the up front cost and have some freezer space, well worth it.

Another option is buying from an expo. Cheaper prices with no shipping. However, make sure your source is a reputable source. I've seen some that are all just tossed in bags, littered with soiled substrate, frozen together, broken legs and tails, etc...

When I receive my orders I sort them by weight, bag them in sandwich or quart size ziplocks in groups of 3-5 and label them. I then place the small bags into large gallon size ziplocks. This allows me to easily find what I need, while only opening a few at a time, keeping the rest fresh. I've never had freezer burn issues.


As for the scale, I got mine from Wal-Mart, under $20. Works well, no complaints. However, as my snakes are getting bigger I'm considering buying a digital hanging scale, like the style you see in the produce section of your grocery stores. Our fellow member @Zincubus turned me on to the idea a while back. Just seems a lot easier. I can't advocate for any yet, but I am looking into possibly getting one soon.