Big Sal’s Feeder Farm is a family owned and operated feeder farm located in Vienna, Ohio. Originally established in Struthers, Ohio back in August of 2016, we then moved to Vienna, Ohio in April of 2018 for the larger farm property. The name ‘Big Sal’ comes from our late Savannah Monitor, “Salvador”.

         I started breeding feeders for my own reptiles as a way to keep the feeder costs down; selling the extras to some friends and other local hobbyists. With all the feedback I received for the great quality and prices, I soon started breeding in larger numbers and finally decided it would be a good idea to go into business with it.

         Growing up on a pig farm, I learned at a very young age the importance of quality and care when it comes to raising animals for food. Every rodent we raise is respected and cared for like a pet. Even though they are being raised as a food source, I feel strongly that they deserve to live a good life. In my experience, this leads to easier handling (fewer bites to you and your reptile) and better frozen quality. We are highly against mistreating animals, whether or not they are “just feeders”. In fact, watching videos of mass breeders abusing their rats, freezing them alive, and having absolutely no regard for their lives is one of the main reasons I got into breeding my own feeders. I’ve heard horror stories of people opening up frozen rodents for their snake and the rodents smelled spoiled before they were even thawed out. Whether it was dead long before being frozen, or there was a freezer malfunction that went unnoticed, that is unacceptable to me. Another reason I decided to breed my own feeders is because there just weren't many options available locally for live rodents. Pet stores either didn't sell live or wanted an insane amount for them and most of what was available from local breeders was far from decent quality. Many of the rats were aggressive, sweat soaked and sickly looking, and honestly I just didn't feel right giving them to my snakes. With all that being said, I started 'Big Sal’s Feeder Farm' to bring my friends (and myself), healthy, handle-able, and high-quality rodents for a great price. Fast forward three years and we now supply some of the local pet stores, small-medium scale reptile breeders, many of the hobbyists in the tri-county area, ​and we ship live insects nationwide.