Frosted rats

Well, there it is--it won't kill you, but it's not very healthy, and you don't want to eat it long-term.

Alas, the most exposed part of the rat is going to be its skin with cutaneous and subcutaneous fats. So I guess it depends on whether you're up to doing a bit of surgery, or would rather just throw it out, if you want to avoid the oxidized fats.

Remember though the long term affects on you or me occasionally eating a slightly freezer burnt pork chop may be one thing, as we eat a wide variety of items - the long term affects on a snake existing solely on that one prey item which is now not a top quality food source, may be quite another. Since most everyone that has f/t prey in their freezer receives them in a bag of 10 or so per bag, and if that bag has been opened and the prey then becomes freezer burnt, it's only common sense that you'd be using quite a number of them either with one snake repeatedly or across your entire collection.

Snakes digest far differently than we do, in a more intensive manner which utilizes complete prey without as much waste product as humans produce. Any loss of quality in the prey is a very direct loss for the snake. Personally, I'd far rather toss a lower quality prey item, learn my lesson about how to properly store frozen prey to avoid freezer burn and stick with feeding the best prey possible to my snakes. :)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Remember though the long term affects on you or me occasionally eating a slightly freezer burnt pork chop may be one thing, as we eat a wide variety of items - the long term affects on a snake existing solely on that one prey item which is now not a top quality food source, may be quite another. Since most everyone that has f/t prey in their freezer receives them in a bag of 10 or so per bag, and if that bag has been opened and the prey then becomes freezer burnt, it's only common sense that you'd be using quite a number of them either with one snake repeatedly or across your entire collection.

Snakes digest far differently than we do, in a more intensive manner which utilizes complete prey without as much waste product as humans produce. Any loss of quality in the prey is a very direct loss for the snake. Personally, I'd far rather toss a lower quality prey item, learn my lesson about how to properly store frozen prey to avoid freezer burn and stick with feeding the best prey possible to my snakes. :)

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Excellent post Jo! :rockon:

Since I no longer have the space to breed my own mice, when I go to the store to make my weekly pick-up, I look for the most healthy mice they got. The attendants have learned to hate me because, well, I won't just take the first mouse they get ahold of. It goes without saying that the healthier the mouse, the healthier the meal. Which means, bigger, stronger healthier snakes to me.

Lots of good information here guys. I think i'd be more comfortable getting rid of them...but rather than just throwing them away, is there any other predator animal that I could give these to?

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

Lots of good information here guys. I think i'd be more comfortable getting rid of them...but rather than just throwing them away, is there any other predator animal that I could give these to?

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Personally Nate... the only predator animals I would give them to are the ants and the gnats that'll find it in the garbage can. Yes, it's a sad to have uselessly killed a mouse, however... if it's not in tip-top shape, it's not going in my animals. However, that's just one man's opinion.

Uh....such as? lol
A vulture? :D
Any sort of animal that is primarily a scavenger shouldn't have issues from slightly oxidized rats.

I have fed minor frezer burnt rodents to my snakes occasionally for the past 3-4 years with NO problems at all. Do what you want, toss em, feed em, eat em your self, just sharing my oppinion and experiences.

OMG a 4 to 5 $$$ rat.... i'd toss and just get a new one. its not like you "freezer burned" a package of 50. 1=throw away, get another one.