F/T storing length?

[Jon14]

How long can F/T be kept in a freezer before going bad? I am considering a bulk ordering online. Also, where do you order your F/T rodents from?

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[cchardwick]

I ordered my rodents from www.rodentpro.com I actually took them out of the plastic bags they came in and stored them in separate quart mason jars with lids in a small chest freezer at about -20C. I figure it will keep most of them frost free over the long haul. I bought a separate freezer just for my rodents to keep them separate from my food. I also thaw them in separate zip lock bags, one bag for each size. That way if some are 'off' then I can throw those out first. It's been several months and my rodents are still in great shape. When they arrived they were packed on dry ice and looked like they were very fresh like they had just been processed. I'm guessing they should last at least 6-12 months or longer. The mason jars seem to keep all of the frost off of them, plus I have several mason jars per size so they don't all get exposed to the air when I go in for a mouse to thaw, just the ones in that jar get exposed. I think I bought about 500 mice for about $200, all different sizes. Should last me at least 3 months for my 15 snakes but now that I'm feeding a lot of live it will last me a lot longer. Right now I'm buying six live mice per week for my ball pythons and I have a few snakes that refuse to eat. I'm actually breeding live mice, rats, and African soft fur rats so I can replenish my supply. My ball pythons love live mice. If I end up with extra I'll process with CO2 and freeze. My local pet store also said that they would buy my excess mice and rats. Even if I did all live rodents I still like the idea of a freezer full of them as a backup just in case, you never know.

[chrid16371]

If you vacuum seal them you should get longer life then any other way. My friend bought 300 small rats off a breeder last July for $100 and we went through and vacuum sealed all of them and there still like the day they were put in there. Its already been 10 months and with them being in perfect condition still I would expect them to last much longer. If I buy more then a couple weeks worth I make sure I vacuum seal them. I wish I could buy 300 smalls for $100 but the breeders rats are mostly dark fur and my male will only eat white.

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[stickyalvinroll]

A year is max

[Willowy]

According to the FDA, a year for whole meats: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html

Of course that's for whole chicken or turkey, already dressed, not for entire animals. It may be safe to keep whole rodents a bit longer due to them not being processed at all.