Frozen rodents

I need to buy somem more frozen rodents and am wondering about how long I can keep them in the freezer (to figure out how many to buy). Big Cheese says the vacuum sealed packs can last for two years, and once opened I've read small rats can last around 9 months? But if I didn't open a sealed pack until after a year, would those rats still be good for 9 months, or would they start going bad faster? Would it change for mice pinkies and fuzzies?

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I would think you could start counting months from the time you open the package. Works for people food, too.

They should be okay- the main thing is that they aren't thawed at any point (power failures happen), & assuming your freezer holds at the proper temperature (0* F).
The more air you can keep away from them, the better, but even if you get some "freezer burn", that's mostly "cosmetic", not spoilage. Same for any size rodents.

I try to stagger my stock, and there's a logical reason I do this...

Because there are a few pet food supply shops near me, I consider the 'what if' factor of my freezer breaking down, or a power cut happening and ruining what I have stored.

In this sort of worst case scenario where you have to discard considerable numbers of unusable, rotting rats that give off a delightful aroma, I hope to have to throw out less therefore wasting less money in the process.

If the supply shop is near enough, I'd ask why risk having to lose money and stock if something happens? Or, make sure you have something to back your freezers power up for 'x' amount of time if you lose mains power!

As mentioned above, the less "air" the better. When I receive my online orders, I break them down into smaller bags. And, for the smaller rodents, I place a few of the smaller bags into 1 larger bag. I do this so that when I take a rodent to feed I don't have to introduce air into the whole bunch.

Likewise... some people repack and vacuum seal. I bought a vacuum sealer for this purpose, but then never ended up doing it. I guess I got lazy and figured too much work when my former method was working fine.

But... however you do it, less air and preventing them from thawing is key. I buy a 6 month supply... but, as long as they stay packed airtight, I will keep them for up to a year. I've never gone over a year. Any stock left past a year from when I order them gets dumped.

Thanks everyone! Sorry for not replying earlier, I ended up getting what I hope is a reasonable amount for a year or two. I don't have a local place to get rodents (except Petsmart, which is expensive and of questionable quality), so I have to buy in bulk. I'll see how it goes!

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