shipping prices for frozen feeders

[aaront126]

So I just started looking at online sources of frozen feeders and was shocked at the shipping rates of $35-50 to ship to MN, is this normal for shipping (I get it they have to back them in styrofoam
and dry ice but geez). It really doesn't save me anything and probably costs more than buying them in 3 packs at the local pet store. I'm really only looking for size varity since I'm stuck between adult mice which are too small and small rats which are too big. Any suggestions on places to look that may have lower shipping prices? I don't want to buy them by the hundred since I only have 1 BP but a pack of 25 would be great.

Thanks,

[bcr229]

Buying in the kind of bulk amounts required for f/t feeders so that shipping makes sense really isn't viable with just one snake. Before I found a local source I would wait for a place like MiceDirect to offer a free shipping deal if you placed a large enough order, ususally around $125... but then I'm buying for almost 30 snakes that take f/t.

So, I would try to find a local breeder either through Facebook or Craigslist if you can't find what you need at the pet store. Or, you could try to find some other local snake owners and do a group buy on bulk feeders so you can split the shipping cost.

[SnowShredder]

By buying in bulk I save several hundreds of dollars even with shipping factored in.
I buy 6 months worth of food. I go through a little over 100 rats per month.
I calculated it out, per month if I was to buy from a pet store (like petco or petsmart), the monthly food cost would be $685. Ordering in 6 month bulk it costs me less than $200 per month and that's factoring the shipping cost (divided by 6 for the 6 months).





EDIT: I did not notice that it's just one snake though. In that case, it's not worth it to buy online.

[Marrissa]

EDIT: I did not notice that it's just one snake though. In that case, it's not worth it to buy online.

I don't agree with that. If the only other option for F/T around you is the petstore. 7 bucks for a medium rat (too big until your snake is full grown) is pretty nuts. Or buying their mice and feeding multiples is more expensive. When you order online you just have to buy in bulk to the point where what you saved on the rats price wise is worth it still with the shipping cost (I think I spent $35 from layne labs on shipping). I bought 8 months of rats for my first ball python. Now that he's moved onto small rats the 25 weaned rats he didn't get to will be eaten by my girls as they get larger. My only difficulty with ordering online was trying to guess how long they'd be eating a certain size for.

I say if you have the freezer space go for it! I have roomies so I ended up getting a mini freezer to avoid getting lynched. But if you're only going to be buying about 25, it's not worth it. The solution is to get more snakes and stock up on rats.

[AlexisFitzy]

Omg I know how you feel on this. I did the same thing and got really excited on how cheap everyone's feeders were and then realized that the shipping cost more than the rodents and was supper bummed out! But I've found a website called "Rodents on the Road" and their shipping is $25. I'm not sure if that's just to my location but you should see how much shipping would be through them. I made a huge list of all the big feeder sellers, wrote down the prices of the rodents I would need and the shipping cost and totaled it out for each company to find the cheapest one for my needs. Lol clearly I'm not rich and have to save every every little penny I earn, sucks being poor in an expensive hobby


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[aaront126]

Thanks I'll check them out, too bad I have to email them since their site said they can't calculate the shipping on it right now, if it is $25 it would make the price compairable to what I pay locally if I buy 25, but I could get the size I want so I'd probably do it but I'll have to wait and see what the shipping estimate is.

[AlexisFitzy]

I hope it works out! I hate paying $5 each for medium rats and almost $3 for rat pups! I buy from Aquatic Critter because it's the cheapest place I can get enough I need but it's still crazy expensive! Hopefully prices will even out a bit more when my collection gets bigger


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[zeion97]

So I just started looking at online sources of frozen feeders and was shocked at the shipping rates of $35-50 to ship to MN, is this normal for shipping (I get it they have to back them in styrofoam
and dry ice but geez). It really doesn't save me anything and probably costs more than buying them in 3 packs at the local pet store. I'm really only looking for size varity since I'm stuck between adult mice which are too small and small rats which are too big. Any suggestions on places to look that may have lower shipping prices? I don't want to buy them by the hundred since I only have 1 BP but a pack of 25 would be great.

Thanks,

Even after shipping, buying online is cheaper. Like it was said below, buy about six months worth at a time and you'll save me than enough. I remember when I first started years ago buying frozen at Petsmart...... It was ridiculous.. If all else fails try looking at a expo, I had a IN friend pick up a $900 order and save over $200 on shipping.