Will live pet store mice have parasites?
Yes, pet store mice can have internal AND external parasites. Freezing rodents kills the parasites so to be safe you can feed frozen/thawed. I will disagree with the above poster regarding buying from a national chain rather than a locally owned shop. Local business owners do not have major corporations backing them, paying for stock, wages or displays. Your local pet shop is dependent upon repeat business so they usually try harder to provide a better quality product. Most of the locally owned pet shops in my area breed their own feeder rodents rather than having them shipped in; two of them allow you to buy babies right out of the enclosure as feeders, no matter the age. If there is a locally owned pet store that specializes in reptiles you should check out their stock as they look/breed for feeder quality rather than pet quality.
