Do You Have to Feed Snakes Live Mice
Getting live feeder mice shipped to a busy snake owners door would be ideal. But, is that legal, and are there companies out there who ship live feeder mice to snake enthusiasts?
Think about it, it would be incredibly convenient to have a live feeder mice shipped straight to your door in time to feed your hungry snakes.
No more weekly trips to the pet store, no more stressing if the pet store has the right size feeder mice, etc.
Sounds great, doesn't it?
It would be a dream for anyone owning a pet snake, even if you're a beginner.
Well, being able to ship feeder mice via USPS, Fedex or UPS may be a bit of a pipe dream.
While you can send snakes, reptiles, insects, and other animals through the mail, it's a bit different when it comes to mice and rodents. More to come on that later.
Today, we are going to answer that question, and have quite a bit of research to back it up.
First, let's cover some basics on where to get live feeder mice other than potentially through FedEx or UPS.
Live Feeder Mice at Pet Shops
Generally, this is the best place you can get live feeder mice. Most pet shops, especially ones that are local and not "big box" will have various feeder mice options available.
These options usually range from pinkies all the way up to small rats.
For anything larger, you may have to explore a more experienced snake breeders recommendation.
Heck, some pet snake breeders even breed feeder mice, too.
But, having to go to the pet store several times a week can be suck a pain. Especially if the pet store is far away.
Not to mention, pet stores are known to go out of stock quickly when it comes to feeder mice.
When that happens, there are workarounds, but it's not idea. When I had my full grown California King Snake, there were several times when I had to opt for 2 smaller hopper mice vs. 1 full grown mouse for his meal.
While that works fine in most cases, sometimes it's hard to get your snake to eat more than one feeder mouse in a given feeding session.
In any case, the point being made here is that live mice are an incredible inconvenient way to care for and feed your beloved pet snake.
That's likely why you are here, trying to find alternatives to constantly having to go back and forth to the pet store several times a month.
So, is it possible to ship live feeder mice, or order them online and have them delivered straight to your door?
Let's find out.
Laws of Shipping Feeder Mice Via the UPS/USPS/Fedex
Unfortunately, no you cannot have live feeder mice shipped to your door.
Companies like UPS, USPS, and Fedex strictly prohibit the mailing of rodents and mice of any kind.
When you think about it, it starts to make total sense. Imagine a box of rodents in let's say, a USPS shipping center.
What do rodents like? dark, damp warehouses with not much light and lot's of room to hide and breed.
If you can imagine what a shipping center looks like, that's a pretty accurate description. Pretty much an ideal rat haven.
The last thing any shipping warehouse manager wants is for it to become rampantly taken over my mice that were intended to be a snakes dinner.
It makes total sense after putting much thought into why live mice are prohibited from being sent via us mail.
Why would any shipping company risk that type of massive problem? I guess I can relate because I live in a big city, and the rats are running a muck in my neighborhood.
That's one of the main reasons why UPS strictly prohibits all delivery of any mammal of any kind.
Secondly, shipping mammals can be viewed as inhumane. While it's perfectly okay to ship different reptiles, mammals are warm blooded and need more constant nourishment.
Their reptile counterparts on the other hand don't need as much constant nourishment and are okay being dormant for several days at a time.
It Wasn't Always This Way
You used to be able to ship rodents and mice via air mail in certain places, according to The American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association.
Even when it was legal, AFRMA strongly advised against the shipment of rodents and mice from a practical standpoint.
It was incredibly expensive to ship them, and it didn't make any sort of financial sense to do so.
According to AFRMA, the shipping of rodents of any kind became strictly prohibited starting in 2017. Bummer, now you can't ship an inconsequential amount of rodents via air mail at a ridiculously high price point.
Not All Hope is Lost. You Still May Be Able to Get Live Feeder Mice Delivered.
Although it is illegal to ship live feeder mice via popular mail, you may not be out of luck just quite yet.
First, ask yourself: is it truly necessary that you get live mice delivered to your front door.
If you answered "Yes", than we are about to present you with your last hope.
Sometimes, pet stores, snake breeders, and those involved in animal trade, will breed a ton of feeder animals, worms, etc.
If you truly want to get live mice delivered to you, you should ask around town to all of the feeder mice providers. The question you need to ask them is whether or not they do any kind of personal delivery service of feeder mice.
This is truly your last hope.
Some may do it, it's not out of the question. Heck, I've come across breeders and pet stores who have some high school kid or young contractor who runs delivery routes for pet food, feeder insects, feeder mice, etc.
It's not totally unheard of for this type of thing to happen. That said, it's definitely not something to bank on by any means
Chances are, you only have three options when it comes to obtaining feeder mice:
- Go to the pet store or your local breeder to get your feeder mice
- Start breeding feeder mice of your own, but be careful not to over breed and cause a giant swarm of mice
- Opt for the best possible and most convenient feeder mice option: buy frozen mice on the internet in bulk.
Getting Frozen Feeder Mice Delivered Is The Way to Go
We are huge advocates of frozen feeder mice.
They are easy to store, easy to buy, and most of all, much more convenient than having to drive to the pet store once a week in hopes of buying a live feeder mouse.
Plus, you can order them straight on Amazon in multiple different sizes.
Check Frozen Feeder Mouse Price on Amazon
Disadvantages of buying live feeder mice:
- Live mice can damage your pet snake. Feeder mice are often not de-fanged, and will fight back when something is trying to eat them. This a problem for your pet snake. This little live mouse is about to be eaten, and is in 100% defense mode. Consequently, it's going to do everything it can to fight for it's life. That includes biting, and these little mice can sometimes pack a punch. The last thing you want is to have to bring your pet snake to the vet in case of a nasty bite from a feeder mouse/rat.
- Live feeder mice are very inconvenient. Now, you know that you can't buy live feeder mice online and have them shipped to your door. Because this isn't possible, live feeder mice are incredibly inconvenient to manage. To buy live feeder mice, you have to take into account you'll be going to your local pet store 4-5 times per month. That is, if you don't breed your own live feeder mice. Mostly, they are an inconvenience either way.
- Feeder Mice that are live tend to be more expensive. Think about it. Buying in bulk saves a lot of money, and it'd be pretty darn hard to buy live feeder mice in bulk. Plus, think of where you would have to keep them. That may work for some, but for most it doesn't. Thus, most of the time you will be buying live feeder mice one at a time. Lucky for you, you can buy frozen mice in any size in bulk, and that will cut down your "per mouse" cost.
The Answer: Get Frozen Feeder Mice Shipped to Your Door Instead
Ok. So live feeder mice cannot be shipped to your front door, at least not by major mailing companies like UPS, USPS, or Fedex.
While that's kind of a bummer.
That said, it's totally understandable why these companies don't want rodents potentially breaching a package and wreaking havoc in a mail warehouse.
So, the conclusion of this idea is that ordering frozen feeder mice on the internet and having them shipped to your front door is clearly the answer.
Now, where does one buy frozen mice on the internet, you may ask?
We found that Amazon has all of your frozen mice needs. You can get just about any size mouse from pinkies to crawlers and larger.
Plus, Amazon has a great shipping and returns policy. Well, you probably know that already. Heck, why not get your frozen mice of Amazon if you are already getting a bunch of other convenient things there, too?
To wrap up this post, we will leave you with our recommended brand of frozen mice:
Frozen Adult Mice from Amazon
These feeder mice are everything you'd want out of your snakes future dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast, for that matter.
Anyway, they can be conveniently purchased on Amazon in large quantity, so you won't have to worry about running to the pet store several times a month. If you opted for live feeder mice, you better believe you'll make some friends at that pet store.
We'd recommend to skip the hassle and opt for a pack of frozen mice you can stick at the back of your freezer for a few months. Then, don't worry about them until it's time to restock.
It's that easy. Frozen feeder mice are simply the answer for most pet snake owners. They're safer for your snake, more practical, and much more cost effective than having to purchase live feeder mice on a regular basis.
Other Related Posts
- Best Snake Cages and Terrariums. Looking for your pet snakes next home? Look no further with our most recommended caging options.
- How Much Do Snakes Cost? If you're thinking of buying a pet snake, you absolutely need to take theses costs into consideration.
Source: https://happyserpent.com/snake-information/live-feeder-mice-shipped-to-door/
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