Choosing Mice/Rats?

[nlankas]

Hey guys, sorry about another post, just trying to learn everything i can about my BP...but, i remember reading somewhere about making sure the mice i'm feeding her aren't infected? the mouse i just fed her looked fine, i mean, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the mouse was like any normal mouse i've seen...but, where the store was holding their mice kind of got me concerned...the guy walked us to the back room, and when he opened it, you could instantly smell something weird, and there were flies all over the place? kind of iffy right? should i go somewhere else? or is there someway i can make sure the mice/rats i buy from them are clean? thanks.

[lord jackel]

In my experience the condition of the store is a good indicator of the condition of the livestock. If they don't care about how the store looks, smells or is kept then they certainly don't care about how the animals look, smell or are kept.

If you have another outlet to get mice I would go there instead. The condition of how the mice are kept is one thing...but you also want to look to see that the mouse itself isn't sick (looking for a drainage from the eyes, nose or ears), runny stool is a bad sign, mice stink so unless you know what to smell for this is a hard one to guage.

Just remember in the wild a snakes dinner will come with all sorts of junk on the rat so the snake system can handle it...but avoiding as much as possible will help to cut down and anything it system can't handle.

Good Luck

[casperca]

If you don't feel comfortable feeding the mice from that location, I'd start looking for somewhere else to get them from or try switching to f/t and ordering them from somewhere reputable online.

[nlankas]

sorry, i'm kinda new, what does f/t mean exactly? thanks for the advice...i think i'll go somewhere else from here on.

[lillyorchid]

f/t = Frozen / Thawed

[nlankas]

ok thanks.

[frankykeno]

You have to consider if this is a dirty pet store with a bad fly problem, then how good do they really care for the mice in the first place. No point spending your hard earned money on mice that aren't well fed or well hydrated and then expecting your snake to make a good meal out of them. I'd look around for a better quality supplier if possible.

[ReptileMan27]

I would reccomend feeding F/T rats/mice, easier and safer.

[nlankas]

do u guys have any recommendations for online sellers? anywhere that you guys have gone and have been satisfied with the quality is what i mean.

[8b8ll]

I use rodent pro! But there are plenty more good ones out there, there is a thread on what people us what. I can't find it though hopefully some one can for you! www.rodentpro.com