My local mom & pop pet store sells frozen rodents so if I had only 1 snake f/t would still be a good option. But if that's not the case, live is probably more convenient. It's not economical to buy frozen online in small quantities and Petco and Petsmart charge $4 a piece for frozen mice. Live around here are $2. Really a snake killing an appropriately sized rodent is no more inhumane then them being gassed, IMO.