Buying Feeders/sizes/quantities/prices

[TheSerpentHouse]

i never knew what size rats ball pythons eat..

how many different sizes do you have? how many should i buy at a time? would it be better to breed them myself or get a mini freezer and fill it up with feeders?

[RobNJ]

Rats come in pinkies, fuzzies, pups/crawlers, weaned, small, medium, large, XL or Jumbo...

How many you should buy at a time depends on how many snakes you're feeding. Properly packaged, rats should hold well in a freezer for 4-6 months. Again, how many snakes you are feeding, among other things, would determine whether breeding your own is for you. Breeding rodents for feeders is a lot of work, and can get out of hand very quickly if you don't manage them correctly. It also can be much cheaper than buying in rodents, depending on the bedding and food quantities you go through. You would need a well ventilated area that doesn't absorb odor terribly, and it is a lot of cleaning. I probably spend twice the amount of time on my rodents as I do my snakes.

[Domepiece]

I was just considering this myself. Ive been getting XXL Mice and medium rats. They were just right for my smaller ones but I think I'll be needing some large and XL rats next time. I get mine from rodent pro and I dont like wasting space so I just buy untill the box is full. They last a while.

[Gbusiness]

Rats come in pinkies, fuzzies, pups/crawlers, weaned, small, medium, large, XL or Jumbo...

How many you should buy at a time depends on how many snakes you're feeding. Properly packaged, rats should hold well in a freezer for 4-6 months. Again, how many snakes you are feeding, among other things, would determine whether breeding your own is for you. Breeding rodents for feeders is a lot of work, and can get out of hand very quickly if you don't manage them correctly. It also can be much cheaper than buying in rodents, depending on the bedding and food quantities you go through. You would need a well ventilated area that doesn't absorb odor terribly, and it is a lot of cleaning. I probably spend twice the amount of time on my rodents as I do my snakes.

Good point's about stinch,time consuming,alot of cleaning, and proper managing! I was thinking about raising my own rat's but you made some very interesting point's for me. And, I don't want to have to deal with live feeding's (more chance of injury to my snakes). I certainly don't want to prekill any of the rat's either.

[RobNJ]

I certainly don't want to prekill any of the rat's either.

I generally feed live, but I do freeze some off as well...I use a CO2 chamber to put them down, and it seems like a rather efficient, painless process.