Online feeder advice, and other babble about getting new snake.

[Swayback]

I've never ordered feeders online, I had a good local supplier but he sold out, when he did (a few years ago) I went ahead and got rid of my BP,can't keep a pet if you can't get food for it! His temperament wasn't that great and I gave him back to his breeder.
My little girl has been missing him alot she says... I have too... I had hope of breeding but that was just a dream...
I'm no where near ready for another snake, we now have a cat, that worries me a bit but as long as my enclosure is secure I don't think the cat will be a bother.
I did have my snake in an aquarium, not the best, i know, but it was a pet and I have several nice aquariums of various sizes and a reptile terrarium with vents.
Obviously I'll need to get a good setup, all of that's basic enough and well discussed around here, and I learned long ago, don't you dare get any pet without having a proper home ready to put them in, that's usually step 1, but after my last experience I've come to realize that having a steady reliable food supplier is step one!
Buying local is just not an option, I always prefer live, but bps seem pretty accepting of F/T, and I know there's numerous online sources, but I've never used any of them.
I know that younger bps are generally cheaper, and watching them mature is great, but they're also more likely to give issues, especially hatchlings. I think I'd like an attractive morph, still not ruling out breeding but that is not my priority... still seems very exiting...so I'll likely be buying a rather small snake to save a buck, but not at the expense of buying from a bad breeder or shop, but that "problem" isn't even on the horizon yet, I'll deal with that in time, maybe ill opt for buying or building a proper rack and getting more than one snake, but I really do enjoy viewing.

Anyway...
I'm wondering at what age/size you might expect a BP to readily accept F/T, I realize they're all different and some snakes just refuse F/T or require training, this is just a general question regarding you own experiences, or what you think, anecdotal or not, please share.

The other question would be about quality and reliability... price too I suppose, I can't just spend like crazy, but after initial setup costs are covered and I buy a snake, feeders are by far the greatest expense. Especially if I'm buying from a shop, which I basically refuse to do... $6-$10 each is absurd but that's what I've seen In the past.

Who would you suggest as a supplier of rats?
It somehow seems like a bad idea to me, but I know many (most?) people here do order feeders so it must work.
I was always concerned about shipping them, I'd hate for them to thaw en route, that seems like a disaster!
In the case of repeated refusal of F/T what would I do aside from over paying for unhealthy "pet" rodents at a pet shop, which would be nearly an hour drive, I've never seen anything smaller than medium rats locally anyway, not ideal if I end up buying a juvi. Are there reliable shippers of live rodents in reasonably small quantities?
I'm not at all interested in having a bunch of live rats to deal with... that seems like a much bigger responsibility than caring for snakes.
Lastly, I have checked a few sites, most have rather high minimum purchase limits, 50 or more seems common.
That's a years worth... that seems like a big chunk of freezer space, it aslo seems like a big problem for a growing snake, if I order 50 hoppers, my snake would likely want larger prey well before I feed it all 50 hoppers, right?
I'm not sure if freezer burn or freshness is a huge concern, but it's crossed my mind, how long could expect them to stay "good" in the freezer ?

I know this is a bit of a rambling post with several questions contained within, sorry, it's just how I am I guess.
Thank you very much for any input.

[WhompingWillow]

I've never ordered feeders online, I had a good local supplier but he sold out, when he did (a few years ago) I went ahead and got rid of my BP,can't keep a pet if you can't get food for it! His temperament wasn't that great and I gave him back to his breeder.
My little girl has been missing him alot she says... I have too... I had hope of breeding but that was just a dream...
I'm no where near ready for another snake, we now have a cat, that worries me a bit but as long as my enclosure is secure I don't think the cat will be a bother.
I did have my snake in an aquarium, not the best, i know, but it was a pet and I have several nice aquariums of various sizes and a reptile terrarium with vents.
Obviously I'll need to get a good setup, all of that's basic enough and well discussed around here, and I learned long ago, don't you dare get any pet without having a proper home ready to put them in, that's usually step 1, but after my last experience I've come to realize that having a steady reliable food supplier is step one!
Buying local is just not an option, I always prefer live, but bps seem pretty accepting of F/T, and I know there's numerous online sources, but I've never used any of them.
I know that younger bps are generally cheaper, and watching them mature is great, but they're also more likely to give issues, especially hatchlings. I think I'd like an attractive morph, still not ruling out breeding but that is not my priority... still seems very exiting...so I'll likely be buying a rather small snake to save a buck, but not at the expense of buying from a bad breeder or shop, but that "problem" isn't even on the horizon yet, I'll deal with that in time, maybe ill opt for buying or building a proper rack and getting more than one snake, but I really do enjoy viewing.

Anyway...
I'm wondering at what age/size you might expect a BP to readily accept F/T, I realize they're all different and some snakes just refuse F/T or require training, this is just a general question regarding you own experiences, or what you think, anecdotal or not, please share.

The other question would be about quality and reliability... price too I suppose, I can't just spend like crazy, but after initial setup costs are covered and I buy a snake, feeders are by far the greatest expense. Especially if I'm buying from a shop, which I basically refuse to do... $6-$10 each is absurd but that's what I've seen In the past.

Who would you suggest as a supplier of rats?
It somehow seems like a bad idea to me, but I know many (most?) people here do order feeders so it must work.
I was always concerned about shipping them, I'd hate for them to thaw en route, that seems like a disaster!
In the case of repeated refusal of F/T what would I do aside from over paying for unhealthy "pet" rodents at a pet shop, which would be nearly an hour drive, I've never seen anything smaller than medium rats locally anyway, not ideal if I end up buying a juvi. Are there reliable shippers of live rodents in reasonably small quantities?
I'm not at all interested in having a bunch of live rats to deal with... that seems like a much bigger responsibility than caring for snakes.
Lastly, I have checked a few sites, most have rather high minimum purchase limits, 50 or more seems common.
That's a years worth... that seems like a big chunk of freezer space, it aslo seems like a big problem for a growing snake, if I order 50 hoppers, my snake would likely want larger prey well before I feed it all 50 hoppers, right?
I'm not sure if freezer burn or freshness is a huge concern, but it's crossed my mind, how long could expect them to stay "good" in the freezer ?

I know this is a bit of a rambling post with several questions contained within, sorry, it's just how I am I guess.
Thank you very much for any input.

I've read that generally younger BPs are easier to switch to F/T than mature snakes. I've lucked out so far with ours and was able to switch all of them over on the first try. Hopefully they don't get picky as they age, lol.

There are a ton of helpful feeding threads on this site. The F/T method we use is to thaw in warm water in a ziplock bag so the rodent hopefully stays dry, let feeders warm up for a bit under heat lamp in room with snakes once thawed, then blast nose with a hair dryer right before offering on tongs. Seems to work like a charm.

We order F/T feeders from Perfect Prey. You can order mice and rats (and chicks) in packages that are larger or smaller in size. Shipping is a bit pricey, but it's still a lot cheaper than buying feeders from the store, and you cannot beat their quality. Super happy with them.

[greco]

I've converted every snake I've ever owned to f/t. I start trying to switch my hatchlings over when they're about a month old and still feeding on hoppers, and most of them convert within 1 or 2 attempts. That being said, a hatchling is more prone to stress and may not convert as quickly in a new environment, and they lose weight a lot faster if they're not eating.

Adult snakes raised on live rodents are much more variable. Some will take f/t immediately, but others can be stubborn about it, especially the older ones.

I'd recommend a juvenile or yearling, somewhere around the 500-800g range. Large enough to miss a few meals, but not as prone to stress as a hatchling, or as firmly set in its ways as a full-grown adult. Adolescents usually have a strong appetite and aren't too picky, at least in my experience.

Edit: As for my supplier, I use Big Cheese Rodents.

[CottonMouth]

Another thing to consider, is there a Vet anywhere nearby, one that actually knows snakes?

Because things go wrong sometimes, for new owners and for experienced one. As helpful as all the members are on here, sometimes you need to see a vet. I know some owners that take their snakes for check ups regardless.
Vets aren't cheap, so something else to consider.

Not trying to sound rude at all, but I've told this to potential owners for various pets, if you're on a very strict budget every month, I would skip on having a pet for now.

Best of luck on your journey regardless

[Swayback]

Thanks for the Input.
@WhompingWillow- I've never had issues switching them over either, but I've never had a very young bp either.
That's the method I always used before, usually didn't have to bother with the hair dryer... the wife wasn't very fond of it and swore it made the house stink... and it seems like all Ziploc leaks just enough to soak them buy the time they're thawed and warm except the really big bags that I can keep the top from getting submerged.
I never noticed any difference in feeding with wet fur, is there a known issue with feeding wet rodents?

@greco- the younger the snake the better, not so much for the price, but more so the kids can watch it grow, but I do tend to agree that a yearling might be better, it judt gives more wiggle room if I do encounter problems.

@cottonmouth- how dare you!
Joking... that is indeed a real concern, and pointing it out isn't rude at all, neither was the way you said it.
There's one exotic vet kind of close, but ive heard theyre terrible with snakes... even afraid, and I'm sure they're very expensive, all vets are now, it's a big issue in my mind but I'll keep thst rant to myself...
The good news about that is that I'm a rancher, as we're atleast the last 6 generations of my family, so I'm versed in animal care, my sister is an equine vet, which is the top of the heap... 8 years of college are required for that, more than is required to operate on humans, crazy... she's no snake expert but is a smart cookie, and can call in any meds I need.
I actually helped a local mom and pop pet shop save their bps... they had nasty RI!
They mostly just needed better care, they were too cold and dry... and just being housed all wrong!
It took several months to get all 7 snajes out if the woods, most cleared up pretty quick, but the biggest snake was much harder to cure.
I actually had to bring her home and rehab her, she needed meds and better housing, but in time she cleared up too.
Interestingly enough, I offered her to the one local breeder that I trust, he said no on the phone but after he saw her he saw what is seen... he's still working on proving her out but after one clutch he seems to think he's onto something genetic, she's a gorgeous snake either way, but does look quite different, I guess we shall see by next year.

So ... Yea, the vet situation is less than ideal, I'll admit, but in my case I'm afraid funds aren't the issue as much as the availability of good vets in the area, and tgeres just not much I can do about that aside from taking think in my own hands, which again, isn't really ideal, but it's not as bad as it might sound... Especially if I use a trusted breeder with good husbandry and I follow suit.

We'll see... I may just end up dreaming of snakes and playing with the ones I catch and release while I'm playing outside.

Again, thank you all for the input, I'll certainly check out the sites listed, I think I already Checked out perfect prey.

If tgeres anything in my response above that merits more discussion, please feel free...
I very much like the cottonmouths sig and try to stick to it, as long as folks are respectful tgen any discussion can be productive.