Vacuum sealers

[ChristinaM]

Ok, I'm looking into buying one for 2 reasons : being able to buy feeders in bulk, as well as human food lasting longer froze.

So.....

What ones do you recommend????
(posted in the feeder forum as well)

Thx.

[Stockwell]

Well, I've tried them,mostly the cheaper ones like Deco sonic, and I know pro breeders that have used expensive commercial units...
There are some problems with them.
The bag material with the chaper ones, is very thin and generally they don't really do a good job, as sharp toenails puncture them, so there is no real airtight seal.
Good industrial ones,with thick plastic and lots of vac power pose another problem.. If mice are put in them while they are freshly killed, the vacuum actually sucks their inards out, making a bit of a mess, and compacts them so tightly that you end up with a solid mouse block. This is Ok for storing long term, but if you only want one or two mice, forget it, unless you have an ice pick, and don't mind pieces.

What I have used for years now is the double ZipLock bags...They work just as well if you squeeze the air out before zipping. I even reuse them sometimes. What I do is put the mice in, squeeze out the air and then press them flat between two boards in the freezer...I do them up 50 per bag, date them and once flat and pressed you can stack them in an orderly fashion

[ChristinaM]

Hey Roy, how long can you keep the feeders in those bags?
I'm looking for a way to be able to store feeders for a long time, so I can make a bulk purchase for quantity discounts.

Thanks.

[Stockwell]

Well, I hate to admit how long I store some.
It's recommended that all frozen rodents we used in a year or so, regardless of how you freeze them...
But I often keep rodents for several years, as I like to have an emergency back up on ice, and I sometimes don't rotate my old stock properly
I'm currently starting a bag of pinky rats that says June 95 on it..They have lots of white freezer burn marks, but my baby ratsnakes don't care... This is an extreme...
If you rotate your back up, every year or so, and make sure there is no air, and the seal is good, you should be fine.
For extra long freezer life, freeze them in water so the dehydration will be from the ice rather than from the rodents body.

[Lisa]

you can always use thicker bags then those supplied with the cheaper ones how ever they may not seal as well. My folks like reusing milk bags (after washing them out of course), they just take a little longer to seal.

[mice4you]

Roy,
Did I ever show you that bag of adult mice that I used the industrial sealer on? I think I have a pic of it somewhere. I'll post it when I find it

[ryan337]

I got one from Walmart and it workes good.

[ChristinaM]

I'm thinking of trying one off of ebay. It is fairly cheap but......thanks to the warnings, I know what to watch for :) Thanks folks.