How long are frozen rodents good for?

[lance]

I accidentally lost track of 25 rats in my freezer they been there at least 6 months or more should I throw them away? or do you think there still ok to use since they were frozen the whole time? And what is the proper longevity of frozen rodents for being fresh?

thanks kindly,

Lance

[Raf702]

Good question, I'm wondering the same. In case I ever go F/T in the future.

[Powerspythons]

If you have a good freezer that keeps them frozen and if they're vacuum sealed, they should be good pretty much at least a year IMO...however if they're just packed in ziploc bags, they can get freezer burn just like any other meat in your freezer...and I'd say 6 months is pushing it...Thaw one of em out and if it smells worse than a more recent one/is falling apart(or more mushy than usual), toss em.

[Lthv]

The age of the rodent comes into play too, if they're young and don't have a full coat of fur or have thin skin on pups they wont last as long as a small or medium adult rat that has a coat of fur. Ultimately it comes down to thawing and testing like Powers said, every rodent and freezer is a little different so there's no way to know 100% unfortunately. Hope you can still use them

[fishmommy]

my bp starts turning up his nose at about 5 months out

[lance]

thanks for all the responses I asked rodent pro about it and another frozen food site they said this as the answer.


It depends on how they are packaged, how deeply they are frozen, and the type of freezer they are stored in. Slow exposure to air over time is what leads to freezer burn. Our resealable bags are thick plastic freezer bags, but since the mice are loose inside the bags (more air), and since you will repeatedly open and close them (yet more air), we recommend storing non-vacuum-packed rodents only up to 3 or 4 months (ideally). This is a conservative recommendation -- the "Freezer Guidelines" on boxes of Ziploc brand Heavy Duty Freezer Bags recommend 6 to 9 months for most meat products.

Makers of vacuum packing equipment claim that vacuum-packed foods last from 3 to 5 times as long. If you have to store your rodents for a long time, we recommend this type of packaging.

There is one problem with vacuum-packing -- you must release the vacuum before thawing the rodents. If you prefer to thaw your mice by soaking them in hot water, this means transferring them to a ziploc bag first. If you thaw the mice while they are in a vacuum, they get really messy!

To make your frozen mice last as long as possible, we recommend:
storing your mice double bagged (or vacuum-packed),
squeezing excess air out of the bag each time you reseal it,
using thick plastic freezer bags (not the wimpy ones),
storing them in a deep freezer, if possible, and
always resealing the bags completely.

[Swilz]

Good question, I wondered the same thing as I tend to like to over stock!

[wax32]

I've fed mice that have been frozen over a year with no ill effects. I have recently begun thinking about picking up a vacuum sealer though!

[lance]

I figure with possibilities of freezer burn etc... I will use the guidelines I posted to be safe I'd rather lose a few frozen rodents then give a bad dinner to my snakes


Lance

[LeviBP]

If they have been frozen the entire time, they should be perfectly fine. I have had mice frozen for a over a year with no problems.