White stuff on frozen rat pups

Can someone tell me what the white stuff is? Is it just freezer burn or something else? Don't want to feed her something bad.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...whitestuff.jpg

That is some freezer burn. They are kinda icky...

That's freezer burn and I'm not certain I would use them as feeders.

I get my order of rodents in and use a Food Saver vacuum sealer to seal each weekly amount. This way I always have fresh vacuum sealed rodents!

Ooops, Connie answered first!!!! Darn slow fingers :P

Eeccchhh!!! Doesn't look like freezer burn to me, I can't see any ice crystals. Might be some type of fungal or bacterial growth? I wouldn't feed them. Better to be safe than sorry. I would contact whoever you got those from, show them the pics, and ask for an explaination.

It is freezer burn, and while I'm sure a little doesnt hurt (who hasnt fed a burned tail or two?), those ones have quite a bit going on. I personally wouldnt feed them, but that doesnt mean I know if they are okay to feed or not. Just a personal preference.

Yup, that's freezer burn and I use up freezer burned pinks when I have them and have for years. It's not harmful to your snakes and they eat them just as readily. Throwing them out because of a little freezer burn would be a foolish waste of money in my opinion.

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Originally Posted by simplechamp

Eeccchhh!!! Doesn't look like freezer burn to me, I can't see any ice crystals. Might be some type of fungal or bacterial growth? I wouldn't feed them. Better to be safe than sorry. I would contact whoever you got those from, show them the pics, and ask for an explaination.

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Freezer burn looks different on rodents than it does on vegetables.

It's definitely freezer burn.
I don't suggest feeding it. ;]

Here you go: http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq-freezer-burn.htm

It's freezer burn. I've never had any feeders that have gotten it that bad, only a couple of very small spots, but I fed them any ways, and saw no ill effects. With that extent of freezer burn I would probably not feed just to be safe, if it was less, then I'd feed them.

ACTUALLY... freezer burn does create a "less healthy" meal than a non freezer burned meal. The reason all comes down to the oxidation. The oxidation process turns the fats and oils into peroxides and aldehyde's, that even though may not cause immediate damage to the snake if eaten, has been attributed to causing cholesterol problems in the long run... Once again the old saying goes, you are what you eat. If what you (or your snake eats) eats an unhealthy meal, you (or your snake) will not be as well off, than say, you (or your snake) ate a healthy meal. Then, you must remember, that snakes don't eat your typical steaks along with several sides to get all their nutrients. They get ALL their nutrients from one meal, so you want it to be as healthy a meal as possible. And I would hardly call rancid fat a top priority. Here's a link to the study I read.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Washington State University

Freezer burn may contribute to fats becoming rancid. All fats and oils will become rancid given enough exposure to air (or sunlight and heat). If there is a putrid "off" odor, discard the food. Eating rancid food won't make you sick, but it may be unhealthy in the long run. Rancid fat contains chemicals called peroxides and aldehydes that can damage cells and may even encourage cholesterol to clog arteries.

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http://pan.co.yakima.wa.us/wsuext/f&...ezersavvy.html

Don't think my link copy'd over right, so I'll try again.

http://www.yakimacounty.us/wsuext/f&...ezersavvy.html

Are you sure those are rat pups? They look like mice to me

That's what they told my wife at the pet store. I honestly have no idea and I'm not sure the people selling them do either. I did feed her one of those and when it was thawed I couldn't tell it was freezer burnt. She ate it right away though. I have 4 more that I might throw out but not until I can find someone that can sell me live ones or vacum packed ones. I'm sure they just had them in a bucket or something in the freezer at the pet store. No packaging or anything.

Those do look like mice fuzzies and a pinky, and the fuzzy farthest to the left is missing both left feet, front and back......I wouldnt feed those and I would certainly be giving whoever sold you those a call.....

So I went and found a place that had individualy packaged REAL rat pups. I bought a bunch and took one out to thaw. No nasty freezer burn and they are way bigger. I'm going back to that other place and getting my money back and not going there again.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...8/realpups.jpg