View Full Version : Fozen Feeder question
zouleous
07-30-03, 11:20 AM
How long are rats etc good for in the freezer? I'm only feeding a one year old BCC and I don't want them to get freezer burnt or whatever by ordering a bunch and keeping them too long..
Z
you're probably looking about a year, how ever if they're vacuum packed and sealed they could last longer. you may want to get varying sizes as your boa will grow over the year.
I don't have an exact answer for you, but a lot of it depends on how fresh they are when you get them. They may have been in the supplier's or pet store's freezer for quite some time. I've fed a few that had that "freezer" smell to them and my snake was reluctant to eat them. I had just bought them, but they must have been frozen for a long time before that. If you're up to it, you could buy live and kill them yourself and freeze them in air tight containers or bags, maybe a couple of weeks in advance.
i would have to agree with buying and killing them yourself. Thats what i do, so i always no how long they've been frozen. and i know they were frozen fresh.
reverendsterlin
07-30-03, 01:37 PM
I usually buy 6 months worth at a time and never had any problems.
I buy from a breeder who uses vacuum sealed bags. They last 2-3 years in the freezer.
I just buy from someone who breeds mice, kills and freezes, and only sells the fresh ones. Buying live and then killing is much more expensive.
booyah,,..
everyone is talking about buying then killing.
well
how bout buying alive then putting in a ziplock, sucking all the air out, and putting in the frezzer. . the things will be dead in about atleast 1 half an hour.
good for a year or 2...uh, I still feed live. but then agian mine is just a pup....
peace.... GL.
HerpHannah
08-01-03, 05:00 AM
if they r frozen they should b ok 4 a while now shouldnt they? i suggest buy a lil at a time-not a massive pack of rats/mice cos then if they do go funny-u will waste sum money's worth of em-just about 10 or sumthin at a time-depends on the snake and its feedin quantities
Hannah
xxx
Oliverian
08-01-03, 04:25 PM
Mason: You could do that, and I think some of us probably do, but it is quite cruel, as they might die slowly from lack of air or from slowly freezing. Also they may bite out of the bag and get loose in your freezer. Even if they are for feeding the snakes, I believe they shouldn't have to suffer. Quick death is best. ~TR~
SCReptiles
08-01-03, 04:37 PM
how bout buying alive then putting in a ziplock, sucking all the air out, and putting in the frezzer. . the things will be dead in about atleast 1 half an hour.
In that half hour time, they will urinate and defecate all over each other. Fast kill is the way to go. We use a CO2 chamber, but I busted plenty over the head in years past. That works fine as well.
T.O-SK8TER
08-01-03, 10:55 PM
go to an AS SEEN ON TV store and you can buy a vacum sealer they will last a few years, Im buying one.
CO2-kill is the best ..I agree that it is cruel to do it any other way...PS..I always liked (live) rats and mice as pets when I was a kid...got more than I ever had now..unfortunatly for them they are in a freezer..lol
BoidKeeper
08-02-03, 10:10 AM
how bout buying alive then putting in a ziplock, sucking all the air out, and putting in the frezzer. . the things will be dead in about atleast 1 half an hour.
How'd you like to go that way?
If you buy them from a big supplier you should know how long they've been frozen. I raise my own and I sell some to some local herpers and the pet store and I've always dated my bags so I know how long something has been in there. I think all the responsible rodent producers do this. If they don't they should. By dating the bags I can always make sure that nothing is left in there too long. The newest stock goes in the bottom of the pile pushing the older stuff to the top getting ride of it first.
A lot of people have mentioned buying your own and freezing them your self. I think it's a great idea but you may pay more for them because they are probably going to come from a pet shop and cost you more. I'd do some checking on line for large producers to see what the cost is first.
Cheers,
Trevor
zouleous
08-03-03, 11:07 AM
What's a good online place to buy rats where the supplier vacuum packs them? and dates them?
Z
The_Omen
08-03-03, 11:12 AM
Just buy from a frozen supplier and repackage them yourself.
There is one dealer I know of that vacuum seals them, but their prices are way too expensive for many to consider.
And I will not mention the companies name due to the business ethics shown repeatedly to many members of the herping community.
zouleous
08-03-03, 05:07 PM
could...but that wouldn't be nearly as good. I wouldn't know when the supplier froze them either.
Z
reverendsterlin
08-04-03, 07:34 AM
like any businesss, if a frozen supplier had stock sitting for months he'd probably go under rapidly. I talk to the owner of Big Cheese on a fairly regular basis, and he sells about 6,000,000 mice a month across the country(says one reseller he sells to buys 250,000 mice a month). Most likely if you buy from any large f/t company what mice you get will have been frozen less than a week.
Snakecharm
08-05-03, 09:27 AM
I've bought from <a href="http://www.rodentpro.com">Rodentpro</a> several times and have always been very happy with the quality and freshness of my purchase. They don't come vacuum sealed but in heavy-duty freezer bags, which I actually prefer so I can then portion out what I'm going to thaw each time.
Now, granted, I only have four animals and a limited amount of freezer space, so I never order more than about 5-6 mos worth of food at a time.
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