Frozen Rodent Question

[Jeanne]

I have recently ordered frozen rats for my bp, bc we live so far out it isnt easy for me to get into town weekly for rats...

My question is, how to you separate the frozen rats frm eachother without defrosting more than needed? Their front legs are wrapped around the others body.

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[FLOutlander]

Since they were frozen dry, they should be very easy to separate.

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[Reinz]

Every now and then a few may not separate without breaking a leg or tail. I just let them sit out for 30-40 minutes and they become a bit pliable yet not defrosted enough to hurt refreezing them.

[redshepherd]

I also whack them against something hard... And that usually unsticks the frozen parts and come apart easier LOL.

[Jeanne]

I thnk I will try Reinz method. The ones legs are wrapped around the other .. may hav break legs off.

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[Booper]

If you don't want to break them off (Though that would be the quickest way and you won't loose too much in sense of nutrition) you could blast them quickly on the arms with a hairdryer to defrost them and move them away.

[Jeanne]

Ok.. I let them sit on counter for abt 25 mins or so.. it worked. I was able to get wiggle them apart finally. Thnx for all your help, I wasnt sure what to do that wouldnt result in losing 1 rodent to thaw the other. But, it worked well, was able to drop other one back into freezer.

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[andrewross8705]

I also whack them against something hard... And that usually unsticks the frozen parts and come apart easier LOL.

Yeah....I did that with a bag of pinkie mice one time and my hand decided it would be a great time to stop working so the small group that I moved to the top of the bag went to the bottom and I had mice parts all over the bag when the entire thing hit the table. oops!

[Creepy Alien]

This is why I have a separate freezer for my feeders. After I gas them, I lay them out on paper towels inside of the freezer (in the basket). I let them be for a day or two and then bag them up. I don't need a separate freezer to keep rats, but it's much easier when I want to have them like this for a couple of days .

I also weigh them and sort them quick (and mark the weights and dates on the freezer bags). Everything is much easier down the road, especially getting them out.