Freezing Feeders -Temperatures?

[ogdentrece]

Hey guys,

As some might know right now I only have a few snakes, but am not allowed to touch my freezer at home. So I'm being forced to keep mice and rats live, feed P/K. However I am definitely looking for a way out of it, for convenience, time, cost etc. But if I were to freeze my feeders, I have to get my own freezer.

I have been desperately looking for freezers the size of bar fridges, because buying an entire freezer just for 50 rats or so is rather nonsensical and a waste of space money and power, after all I don't need much of a freezer. Since no ones food is going in there unless its my personal collection of ice cream.
So I'm unable to get hold of them, and was just wondering about the possibility of using those ice trays in bar fridges. They are just below freezing, a few degrees below (say -1C, -2C, which would be about 28-30F), instead of the usual -18C to -20C, or 0F to -4F. This freezes, but is it enough to preserve the rats? I don't need to and don't intend to stretch it to like 3-5 months of preservation.

[Inknsteel]

I don't know about how long you would be able to preserve rats at those temps, but I just did a quick google search and found several small freezers like THIS one...

[Jared2608]

That won't preserve meat products at all! You'd have to keep an eye out for a small under bar freezer, because in order to preserve meat it must be kept at -18C.

[llovelace]

try craigslist, you can pick one up for under $100

[RichsBallPythons]

I picked up a brand new 5cu ft deep freezer at lowes for $129.99 few months ago.

I have the dial set in middle and it reads -18oF

Meat/rodents need cold temps to stay good longer. But too cold you will burn it as well.

[kitedemon]

I'll add my 2¢ here, I learned (the hard way) that to kill internal parasites in food items it takes -7ºC for 36 hours and 48 is preferable. I will never again keep food items warmer than -10ºC and will not use any that have not been frozen for less than 48 hours.

I can't tell you anything about keeping qualities but it is so simple to make sure you are not passing anything to your snakes that there is no reason not to.

oh -7ºC is 19ºF, -10ºC is 14ºF

[Maixx]

I don't know about how long you would be able to preserve rats at those temps, but I just did a quick google search and found several small freezers like THIS one...

The advice I was given by my vet is 3 months max.

[cschneider]

Check out garage sales, craigslist, habitat for humanity, estate sales and your local newspaper. I found a full size freezer at a garage sale for $50. It's in my garage and seems to have only raised my utility bill by a few dollars. Great investment in the long run.

[ogdentrece]

Thanks a bunch guys! I just wish I was in America or UK, things would be so much easier to come by there. Oh well I'll keep an eye out for those freezers, thanks!