Hamster for bp

[Malum Argenteum]

Yep, that.

As also previously mentioned, not all sources provide good quality feeders; too many feed their rodents crappy food, or they're not healthy (& kept in filth), & then the rodents smell differently to the snake, causing refusal to eat. Or (has happened before), the prey was allowed to thaw even part-way, & that allowed some spoilage prior to you receiving it- again, making it smell bad to the snake. It matters who you buy snake food from.

All true. My specific concern relative to the 'refusing prey from certain sources' issue is that most of the online feeder companies (and by extension most brick and mortar locations selling frozen feeders, which are purchased from these online companies) purchase some or all of their product from sources outside their own facility. This leads to irregular quality and characteristics (taste, smell, freezer burn amount, etc) even within one vendor's supply.

So far I've found only Perfect Prey (and MiceDirect, whose pricing seems extreme and which I haven't tried) to raise all their rodents in house and thus provide a consistent product. Of course, raising one's own rodents is the only real way to ensure quality and humane conditions, but that's unrealistic for nearly all snake keepers.