Freezing rodents

How long should I freeze rodents after killing it? The place that I buy rats and mice don't sell it in the quantity that I want so I'm going to euthanize the rats myself using the dry ice method.

You can freeze them until you are ready to feed them to your snakes.

o okay, i thought there was like a certain amount of time to freeze the rodents. I wish I didnt have to do this but I really dont think I'll need 50 hoppers for a 2-3 month albino ball python when he's probably gonna switch soon to a bigger meal.

plus the person I buy it from sells live and frozen individually the same so no waste of money.

Unless you are worried about parasites, you can feed them pretty much immediately.

I believe the minimum for some parasites to be killed is three months though, and it's not foolproof.

Should I be worried about parasites if I'm buying from a well known snake/rat breeder? I have bought live rats and fed them to my snakes and they seem perfectly fine.

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Originally Posted by Maddumpling

Should I be worried about parasites if I'm buying from a well known snake/rat breeder? I have bought live rats and fed them to my snakes and they seem perfectly fine.

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I wouldn't be worried.

I might disagree here, on a few points. Typically most agree most if not all internal parasites are killed in 30-48 hours at -7ºC. I have had one snake with internal parasites and was told that it is common for rats to carry parasites and most breeders do not to fecal exams on the populations due to cost and complications.

It is easy to assume that all rats have some and that they can be passed along (many can't be but) and just do the best you can to limit the possibility. It costs nothing more than time and can save vet bills there is no downside.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

I might disagree here, on a few points. Typically most agree most if not all internal parasites are killed in 30-48 hours at -7ºC. I have had one snake with internal parasites and was told that it is common for rats to carry parasites and most breeders do not to fecal exams on the populations due to cost and complications.

It is easy to assume that all rats have some and that they can be passed along (many can't be but) and just do the best you can to limit the possibility. It costs nothing more than time and can save vet bills there is no downside.

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I am unsure which parasites rats may carry, but I am aware of some in pork and in wild game like deer that take 20+ days of freezing to kill all eggs/larvae. I am part of a forum of people that feed their cats raw meat diets, and certain types of meat are frozen for three months to kill all parasites.

If she is getting her rats from a reputable breeder, the likelihood of them having parasites is slim. The only parasite I know of that can be asymptomatic is pinworm.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to freeze the rats for the 30-48 hour period you suggested, assuming her freezer is -7ºC.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=1946

http://www.comeunity.com/adoption/he...sites-NIH.html

I am not an expert on parasites. I have read conflicting data on how long but the longest I have seen is 7 days and that is to kill flukes. So perhaps 7 days is better. After my little experience I sent a selection of rats to a bio lab where a good friend works (masters students sometimes need non critical tasks to do, apparently). They ran a quick screen and out of 20 rats from 4 suppliers found 10% carried either hook, pin, or tape worms. We didn't look for anything else as they required more careful testing 2 or 4 suppliers had at one rat that carried something. The best reptile vet I have ever spoken to believes 5% of all pet snakes have worms.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=1946

http://www.comeunity.com/adoption/he...sites-NIH.html

I am not an expert on parasites. I have read conflicting data on how long but the longest I have seen is 7 days and that is to kill flukes. So perhaps 7 days is better. After my little experience I sent a selection of rats to a bio lab where a good friend works (masters students sometimes need non critical tasks to do, apparently). They ran a quick screen and out of 20 rats from 4 suppliers found 10% carried either hook, pin, or tape worms. We didn't look for anything else as they required more careful testing 2 or 4 suppliers had at one rat that carried something. The best reptile vet I have ever spoken to believes 5% of all pet snakes have worms.

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So really that's only 2 out of 20 rats. That doesn't seem too bad to me. I'd be interested to know if the 2 infected ones came from the same supplier.

Yeah, pinworm especially is common in captive snakes, but it's easily treated with dewormer, and feeding frozen won't guarantee that your snake doesn't get it.

Just to be clear, I do believe that freezing can help prevent many parasites. However, I don't feel that there is a great enough risk for freezing to be considered necessary. There are many breeders on this site that feed live exclusively.

I breed my own rats, and have never encountered parasites in (or on) my snakes.