Shelf life of rodents

[Sir Pent]

Hello I am new here. I have a question if you guys could help I'd really appreciate it! Sorry I'm sure its been asked a million times but I got some pre killed rats and my ball pythons didn't eat them. I left them in the cage for a couple hours and rigamortis had started to set in. I threw them in the freezer in case they are still good but Idk if they are? Well are they trash now?

Also how long do rats keep in the freezer? Thanks!

[Bogertophis]

Trash 'em! Might make your snake sick, in the UN-likely event he'd even take them. Sitting at room temperature, the germs grow even FASTER than in our
food, because you're talking about whole prey animals with a gut-load of bacteria waiting to proliferate. Freezing does NOT kill bacteria, it just slows down
the growth substantially, so when you re-thaw & warm these, they'll be really gross. When such prey is re-offered it's not unusual for the gut to split open
as the snake grabs it. Re-freezing after not only thawing but warming & laying around at room temps. is a no-go.

Properly-frozen & packaged* should keep in freezer for 6-12 months easily, *especially if vacuum-packed individually, that's the best way. Sniff test them
after thawing.

[Sir Pent]

Usually I get them frozen but this time they were freshly killed and they didn't smell like the unthawed ones so I thought maybe they were still good. Also, I read that you can leave frozen out overnight and would be good in the morning which seems like that would be undesirable for the reasons you just stated. Thank you for your input I will toss them and try again next week.

[Bogertophis]

Usually I get them frozen but this time they were freshly killed and they didn't smell like the unthawed ones so I thought maybe they were still good. Also, I read that you can leave frozen out overnight and would be good in the morning which seems like that would be undesirable for the reasons you just stated. Thank you for your input I will toss them and try again next week.

If you ask 10 of us here how we thaw rodents, you might get 10 different answers. But rodents are food & since I've never sickened anyone when I cook a holiday
turkey, I chalk it up to following food safety guidelines: (keep in mind a turkey has the guts removed too) they tell you to either thaw in the 'fridge (it takes days),
or to thaw in cold water (changing water several times...this is much faster). "Never thaw by leaving out at room temperature on the counter." One BIG difference
is that our snakes eat food raw, whereas we cook our food & that kills the bacteria. So you might leave your steak on the counter to thaw, cook it & be OK...but a
rodent for your snake thawed that way is just asking for trouble, since it's never cooked.

I thaw rodents in cold water until soft thru-out (I feel the thickest part to be sure it's not ice), then immerse in very warm water briefly to appeal to the snakes.
If you keep ball pythons or other "finicky" snakes, most here also use a blow-dryer to fast-heat the thawed rodents right before feeding.

[KevinK]

If they are fresh killed, and only in the cage a few hours they are just fine to freeze.

Furthermore, rabbits for large constrictors are left at room temperature to thaw for a few days before being fed, and this has been done this way as long as I can remember. Never heard of USDA guidelines being applied to thawing rodents , which routinely carry bacteria and parasites to begin with that our snakes are relatively immune to. Search for threads involving food poisoning of snakes....not a very common issue and there are a lot of boneheaded keepers that really don't know what they're doing to begin with. Know what I mean?

Literally thousands of breeders thaw rodents by just leaving overnight to thaw and bringing to temp in warm water, don't really know where you're going with this Boger. You're applying human food guidelines to frozen rodents. Eat cat food and it's probably going to make you sick. Apples to oranges bud.

[Sauzo]

I throw all my stuff in a bucket of very warm water and remove as needed. Pinkies and fuzzies usually 30 mins or so, all the way up to 3-4 hours for rabbits.

[Bogertophis]

...
Literally thousands of breeders thaw rodents by just leaving overnight to thaw and bringing to temp in warm water, don't really know where you're going with this Boger. You're applying human food guidelines to frozen rodents....

Sorry to bring common sense into this & most of our snakes do not eat road-kill...but suit yourself, Kev, really glad I'm not one of your snakes...

[Cheesenugget]

It depends on the room temp. If it is warm, bacteria will flourish faster than in a colder room temp.

I have left prey overnight. My room temp is about 77F. I also left prey to thaw on the counter hours before feeding. At the end of the day, when they are eaten, no one got sick. If one is refused, I leave it overnight and then dispose of it in the morning. Imo, it is not like we are running a shortage of rodents so no need to be frugal over risk on this. So if I were you, I would toss it, but many others refreeze theirs without issues.

And the answer to your last question: frozen prey that are sealed airtight can last you up to 6 months.

[KevinK]

Sorry to bring common sense into this & most of our snakes do not eat road-kill...but suit yourself, Kev, really glad I'm not one of your snakes...

Ah yes, what would I have done the last seven years of being here without your "common sense"? ....you know, the same common sense that applies to species you don't own apparently like your knowledge in the Burmese python forum on full display telling a guy with a starving Burm to feed small meals on a slow schedule. Quite the common sense.....I must have missed the part where you actually own a Burm or a large constrictor of ANY kind.

Within eight months of being here I swear you're the GREATEST user here! The people who have been here for years know nothing, and your newly found "opinions" are set in stone.

The guy has a few fresh killed rats, they sat out for a few hours. They're fine to freeze. I'm sure you've ran into this quite a lot in your years of keeping snakes...

[Dianne]

Hello I am new here. I have a question if you guys could help I'd really appreciate it! Sorry I'm sure its been asked a million times but I got some pre killed rats and my ball pythons didn't eat them. I left them in the cage for a couple hours and rigamortis had started to set in. I threw them in the freezer in case they are still good but Idk if they are? Well are they trash now?

Also how long do rats keep in the freezer? Thanks!

I personally would pitch the rodents, but I prefer to act with an abundance of care. Plenty of folks would choose to freeze and reuse.

I typically order 3 months worth of prey at a time so that I can change prey size as needed for growing hatchlings. When I had a large collection (42) of mostly adult animals, I ordered 6 months at a time. I prefer to vacuum seal my rodents in smaller portion sizes to prevent freezer burn. In just regular ziplock bags, you can probably get 4-6 months.