Re: Update on pet shop "rescue"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
angllady2
Take it from me, refreezing and rethawing a frozen rodent is NOT a pleasant experience.
When I was new to ball pythons and trying to save every penny, I did this once with a bunch of rats that got refused. Well, when I re thawed them and was getting ready to feed, I kept noticing a less-than-pleasant smell. I didn't know for sure what it was, I thought maybe someone had made a mess.
Well, I picked up the first rat to feed, and when the snake struck, it exploded! Literally exploded. And the horrible smell was coming from the rat! The mess was unbelievable, and the snake who up until then had been so eager to eat, not only refused to eat what was in it's mouth, she refused to eat for three weeks afterwards. After I cleaned up the worst of the mess, I picked up one of the intact rats and sniffed. You guessed it, it smelled like rotten hamburger. I tossed them all and started over. Maybe it was just that particular incident, but I decided then and there it wasn't worth the risk.
So, maybe it was an isolated incident with me, but I can tell you from experience that it's not always a good idea. And after my experience, I would never refreeze another rat, unless it was in a trash bag to await the next garbage day.
Gale
I have had this happen before with rodents that were only unthawed the one time. It IS pretty nasty.
