Can you refreeze a defrosted Rats ?

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I'm sure people out there have done it before with no ill effects, I've never been game enough (or silly enough) to find out. I won't even leave a rat in the enclosure overnight (too paranoid that something would happen, even though my Lacie would survive on carrion in the wild). Mind you, all reptiles that I've kept have been absolute pigs, so I've never needed to think about refreezing any. If in the event that one of my guys doesn't want it, another will dispose of it no probs....
 
I've done this before too! It's so frustrating but you're completely right, no point endangering $100-$2500 snakes over $50 worth of rats.
 
If it's only overnight and it was cool, there will be no problem at all. But if you've put them in the bin in the sun this morning... Doesn't matter how many times people are told that many snakes, even pythons, eat carrion without harm, or that the food animals they swallow actually start to decay long before the digestive juices break through the gut wall (because they don't mash their food by chewing), people still persist with the belief that their snake's digestive system is similar and as sensitive as ours. When a large scrubby or olive eats a 15kg wallaby, and goes off to digest it in peace & quiet for a few weeks, the bulge persists for sometimes 2 weeks or more - that's mostly rotting meat and entrails which the snake is perfectly equipped to deal with.

I'm not suggesting you offer your snake putrid food, but it won't matter one whit to the health of the snake if the rodents have been thawed or partly thawed overnight and refrozen.

Jamie
 
Won't be an issue if they were still cool...I've done this many times. Over the last 30 years or so I have had several instances of snakes eating mice that have been in an enclosure (missed because they were buried by the snake or moved and presumed to have been consumed first time around) for a day or more. I've also re-frozen rats that have thawed (but remained cool) when my fridge-freezer door didn't close properly. It depends how far they've gone but overnight and still cool won't be a problem.

And yes some snakes do eat carrion. Rattlesnakes are known for eating road kills. I know of one zoo that had an Eastern Diamondback that would only eat rabbits if they'd been thawed for a couple of days.
 
Very interesting thread, getting some different insights and very good points.... Gotta love these forums...
 
Our own Tiger Snakes have been know to dine on carrion. What about other herps, like most of the larger monitors and crocs.
 
Okay Thanks everyone . They where hot, As I live in a Humid area. I have thrown them in the bin, As I rather be safe then sorry.
 
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I wish you were in Vic, I'd buy them off you for a reduced rate to feed to my ferrets. They loooooove manky rats!
 
If my girl does not eat what she is given overnight i just bin the rat as a matter of course, if we as human beans don't like the smell of something we are going to eat we will discard it as suspect, i think a lot of rep's do the same thing, better to be safe than sorry even if there is nothing wrong with the rat/mouse/doc/quaill,.....as a side note were do you get rats at $3ea i would love to know Ron
 
Yawn....
http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/can-refreeze-mice-thawed-195390/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/can-re-freeze-mice-181125/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/herp-help-38/defrosted-food-179302/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/defrosting-refreezing-155464/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/feeding-re-frozen-rats-133438/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/refreezing-feeds-106310/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/refreezing-91143/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/safe-97024/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/herp-help-38/refreezing-rodents-feeding-insects-snakes-83447/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/re-freezing-rats-63407/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/can-rats-refrozen-35660/

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/chit-chat-39/refreezing-mice-24614/

and heaps more......
 
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I moved them to my last comment.
 
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