Authored by FrozenMice.Net
For many communities—such as raw fed dogs, raw cats, reptiles, birds of prey, and ferrets—feeding frozen mice offers the best option. As pet owners, hobbyists, and breeders, there are numerous factors that contribute to the wellbeing of your animals. One of which, is the type of food that a pet owner decides to feed their animals.
REASONS FOR FEEDING FROZEN MICE
- Animal Safety – Physical and Biological
- Availability / Supply
- Cost
- Convenience
ANIMAL SAFETY – PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL
There are two aspects of animal safety—physical wellbeing and biological wellbeing. The first aspect derives from the humane needs of the prey animal and the predator.
Prey Requirements – While the mouse that will nourish another animal, it does not deserve to suffer. As mature pet owners, it is important to provide a painless death to the prey animal. Many commercial mice breeders follow the recommendations of the American Veterinary Association on the humane euthanization of mice.
Predator Requirements – Another consideration is the safety and wellbeing of your captive bred animal. Mice will fight back when death is imminent. Mice have large teeth and sharp claws that can damage or even kill your animal. There are many stories of reptile breeders loosing the ability to breed expensive, high-end morphs because the animal clawed or bit the tail of reptile, thus, damaging their ability to reproduce. Captive bred animals do not always have the skills necessary to kill their prey effectively.
The second aspect stems from the need to keep pets healthy and free from parasites and other biological pathogens. Live mice can carry a variety of parasites including mice lice, rodent mites, ear mites, reptile mites and more. The process of freezing mice kills many of the parasites that these rodents may carry. (Note: Certain parasites require a longer freezing period than other parasites.).
AVAILABILITY / SUPPLY OF FROZEN FEEDER MICE
A constant and reputable supplier of frozen mice is significantly easier to find because frozen mice are easy to ship across many parts of the world. In addition, consumers can plan for their pet food needs well in advance of their needs, thus, avoiding shortages.
From the perspective of the pet store, it is very challenging to keep the necessary number of mice in stock to cater to all of their customers. Pre-weaned mice require their mother to survive longer than a couple days and weaned mice grow and may bypass the size needed by their clientele. This does not include the need for extra time and attention to care for these animals until they are sold to the customer.
A commercial mouse breeder focuses primarily on large quantity orders when selling rodents. For them to offer smaller quantities of live rodents would take additional time for packaging, delivery, customer care, and/or shipping.
The hobbyist mouse breeder may have varying supplies and/or unknown health issues that they are not educated / prepared to handle.
COST – LIVE VS. FROZEN MICE
As discussed above, dealing with live mice takes added time and additional resources that in the end will cost the consumer extra.
There are hidden costs as well. Frequent trips to purchase live mice costs consumers time and gas. If the stock purchased has parasites, it may end in costly vet bills for your animals.
Frozen mice can help reduce food cost and help plan meals in advance of needing them. As frozen mice can be stored in the freezer for longer periods, fewer trips to the pet store are necessary. In addition, there are a variety of online options to purchase froze mice in bulk. This can be particularly beneficial for those who need to budget their food costs—such as raw fed cat and reptile breeders.
Another advantage is the fact that when you buy frozen mice, you can buy in bulk for a longer period of time, which normally results in sizeable discounts or price breaks (i.e. free shipping).
CONVENIENCE OF FROZEN MICE
In conclusion, frozen mice offer a convenient and cost effective way to feed animals. In addition, feeding frozen mice reduces the risk of harm to pets and prey.
