Frozen Rat Issue

[Mishy]

So I went to NERD/ Zoo Creatures an bought a bunch of frozen rats from their giant freezer of death. they were way cheaper than where I usually buy them.
The problem: My snake has refused every one of them. She's always eaten f/t so thats not the issue.
The other thing I noticed is these rats seem to be stiff after thawing. I'm not doing anything differently than I always have so it's not my thawing process. (rat in bag goes into bowl of slightly warm, not hot, water. once thawed, hair dryer till its warm)
These rats seem like they were handled poorly. Most of them have no eyes or these nasty whitefish dots on them. The ones I usually buy are clean and intact, eyes and all. I don't know if it makes a difference but a lot of them have that horrible death face compared to the ones I usually buy who simply look like they are asleep.

Sorry for the book. Just trying to give as much detail as I can.

Should I just throw these away?


*MissMishyyy*

[oskyle1567]

I just picked up some rats from nerd last week too ill have to check mine! I wouldnt throw them away. I think they are over priced but its nice to get them right away. I was kind of mad charging me $100 for 100 pinkies, i didnt want to make a fuss but i could of got them from RodentPro.com for allot cheaper almost half the price and 1/3 more...

[enchantress62]

I'm new to this hobby so you can take what I say with a grain of salt but recently I ordered rats for the first time and when they arrived I couldn't believe how beautiful they were. Compared to the f/t rats sold at my local reptile store they were fantastic. It only took 3 days to get them and when they arrived they were packed in ice and still very much frozen. I only have the 1 point of reference but I know clean and healthy. They were twice the size of the local rats and 1/3 the price. The shipping cost is a little pricey but it was worth it. Here's the link if you are interested.

http://www.laynelabs.com/frozen-rats...FasBQAod7VtfSA

[oskyle1567]

Rodent pro is still a little cheaper but i didn't check the shipping. I have nothing but good to say about rodent pro! It takes a week not 3 days to get your package though so that may be a deal breaker for you.

[Cameron Lamb Exotics]

Ive purchased from layne labs before and they are usually in great condition and my snakes love em to. Sorry to hear about the ones from nerd. Ive never ordered from there. Id hold onto them for now and see if anyone else has had any issues with them before.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

If you think about the different methods of dispatching the rats and the effects each method might have, in my mind, its pretty obvious. It sounds like the NERD rats were not put to sleep before freezing which is a bit disturbing. If you throw a bucket full of live rats into a freezer they are going to fight and claw each other trying to get out. They likely won't die with eyes closed either.

Had they been put to sleep using co2 first, they wouldn't look like that.

Doesn't stress cause certain chemicals to increase in the body and blood of most animals also? Is it possible that this can change the scent?


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Snakes, Jeeps, Dragons, Nature, & Knives.. Makes my world go-round!

[RichsBallPythons]

What your experiencing is normal. Rats when frozen especially albinos, the red eyes will sometimes disappear over time in freezer or turn white(lack of Blood).

The stiffness is normal to a degree since no fluids are flowing within the body to keep everything limber and soft. If its extreme stiffness, then its due to partial freezer burn.

[dart]

$100 for 100 pinkies? That's absolute robbery.

[Mike41793]

$100 for 100 pinkies? That's absolute robbery.

x2!!!!!
I woulda told them to have a nice day and turned around and walked out! Pinkies are like .39cents from rodent pro. I would have a tough time paying $60 for 100 pinkies. Let alone $100. Good lord snakes arent the only things NERD has high prices on apparently... just my opinion here...

[oskyle1567]

Yup buying there again lol... I should have just walked out but i go there all the time! I wouldn't want to have a bad name with them so ill just keep it to myself. All the staff are very helpful there i don't bash the store at all and highly recommend it. They have excellent prices on certain things and definitely very knowledgeable on all types of animals. I often catch Kevin walking around too hes an awesome guy!