FT transportation advice!!

[GirDance]

Alright, so tomorrow I have to transport 50 FT small rats in a car for about 2 hours.... How much ice should I throw in the cooler with them??

They are vacum sealed, and then also in ziploc freezer bags... Need to make sure they don't thaw at all and get freezer burnt later...

[Kagez28]

do you have access to dry ice? that will keep cold alot longer then a cooler of ice. that is how most rodent breeders ship their F/T to people.

[lord jackel]

Do you have access to dry ice? If so use that it will make sure they stay frozen solid.


If not then I would get a large cooler and fill it with ice (put the FT in the middle so that they have a thick layer of ice all around them (packed to the top of the cooler - any air space with quicken the melting. Everything will start to melt at 32F you want the FT to be the last thing to melt.

[GirDance]

Yeah, I *wish* I had access to dry ice, but unless someone wants to break into the university's science department I'm out of luck there!! They don't typically sell that sort of thing around here.

I've been making ice for the past three days and am going to buy a bag right before I go as well... if necessary I guess we can stop halfway and buy more!

[Kagez28]

take an acurite with you and stick the probe in the cooler to monitor the temps.

i would call around for dry ice. i know meijers (a chain grocery store) sells it up here.

[GirDance]

Yeah, but that's in Michigan... Not Ontario. Last time we got it we had to get it from the University, and I don't know any science majors anymore.

[frankykeno]

I'd just pack the f/t feeders in between thick layers of ice in a good cooler. Place the cooler on the floor out of direct sunlight and cover it with a blanket. Check once but don't open the cooler constantly.

[GirDance]

Happy to say they all made it there still completely solid... Had a really really good cooler - bag of ice on the bottom, rats, some ice cube trays (try and all) on top and they were good to go... Tossed it in the back seat and off we went!

[frankykeno]

Would have been hilarious if you got pulled over by a State Trooper though....

"is that a beer cooler! have you been drinking? open that cooler!"

"no officer it's just a buncha frozen rats....would you care for one?"

hehehehehehehehe (reminds me of the time I was driving around with a beer cooler full of fish milt....but that's another story LOL)

[GirDance]

Yeah, would have been nice and funny if we had, but also would have meant a big speeding fine, and they just majorly raised them here!