Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if the forum can give me some insight as to the general costs of shipping frozen mice. I am looking to buy a bag of 100 peach fuzz pinkie mice. I notice that every on line seller gets about $40-$5 for shipping, even when it is sent UPS ground, which should costs about $12. I realize that this also includes handling and packaging but I was curious if there were any suppliers that were a bit less expensive.

Who do you guys use and does anyone have a recommendation. I am looking at Mice Direct and Rodent Pro.

Thanks

What you need to consider also in the price is not only the actual shipping, but the dry ice as well as the insulation.

I am part of a group that actually picks up from Rodent Pro. We avoid shipping costs totally, but we also order about 4000lbs of rodents.
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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As a feeder shipper myself, most of the cost is in the dry ice and added weight on the package from that. We are also subject to higher handling costs from UPS, FedEx, etc because dry ice is classified as a hazmat material. The insulated shipping boxes also range from $6-$18, depending on the size, thickness, and volume that they are purchased in. In my experience, being based in NY, I won't ship ground to any states outside of my 2 day ground zone. I don't want to take the chance on transit delays. Many other companies have this same policy as well.

The best thing to do if you only need a small quantity is to find someone willing to split shipping with you. If you notice with RodentPro, only 4% of the box is taken up with the mice you need. Try craigslist or a friend that has reptiles and see if they'd like to order with you.

As the others said, the dry ice is what makes shipping so expensive.
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For small volumes of rats it may be better to find a more local supplier. Or look for rodent suppliers who offer free shipping over a certain minimum order. Or check out local reptile shows, and stock up.

Another option if you need a regular amount of rodents on a monthly basis is see if you can add your order to a local pet store's. They may give a discount if you buy in bulk from them. Probably best if you aim for independent pet stores than chain ones. The chain stores may have policies that could prevent them from accepting bulk orders through them.
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PHLdyPayne

Or you can hook up with others if you are reasonably close to a supplier. Yesterday I made a 20 hour round trip with 35 boxes of rodents, 1800 lbs. The shipping would have been INSANE, but the drive made our total expense around 600$. This was the Chicago Herp Society Rodent Run!

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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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Gee, talk about a rodent run LOL. Not to mention very effective loading up of all those boxes to fit them in a covered pickup truck
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PHLdyPayne