How long can you keep frozen Rats?

[Darwin]

Hi guys,

Just wondering if there is a actually maximum time frame on which you should keep rats/mice frozen.
I purchase mine in bulk and it takes me a while to get through them which made me think if there is a use by date on them.

Could be a silly question but I dont know the answer.

Cheers

Darwin

 

[Cold-B-Hearts]

Don't keep rats in your freezer for over 6 months.

 

[Kraft]

I don't think there is as long as there sealed properly in say a sandwich bag or any zip lock bag I also buy in bulk well enough to last maybe 5-6 months and I only have have 2 pythons a jungle and a jungle jag ( peanut and butter)! What do you consider bulk?

 

[mcloughlin2]

Don't keep rats in your freezer for over 6 months.

I don't know the answer but I'm curious whether you have a reason for this or whether it's a period of time you have just come up with.

 

[joeplant57]

Six months a load of bull

I eat meat that is older then 6 months out of the freezer because we bulk buy so why oh why can RATS not last longer then six months..PS would also be polite if you gave a time frame to explain why they have to be eaten by six months.. Regards Joe

 

[Kraft]

How long does it take for something to get freezer burn does anyone know? Might have to ask a good and all knowing friend of mine......google

 

[Kraft]

Freezer burn is a condition that occurs when frozen food has been damaged by dehydration and oxidation, due to air reaching the food.[1] It is generally induced by substandard (non-airtight) packaging. So if kept in air tight packaging there theroriticaly should be fine

 

[Chris1]

ive used rats that are over a year old, possible older since i dont know how long theyve been in the sellers freezer, i always have a good sniff once theyre warm, theyve never smelt funky, if they did they would go in the bin.

 

[Darwin]

Ok, so if sealed properly they should be ok?....... Ive had the remaining frozen rats in my freezer around 6 months, who knows when they were killed and frozen by my supplier.......
Could these rats be harmful to my python, or nothing to worry about?
Im assuming if it didnt smell right he wouldnt eat it anyway

 

[ingie]

I've eaten meat over 1 year old and people who butcher their own meat frequently eat it over a long period of time without any ill health. I wouldn't even flinch at feeding 3 year old frozens lol. So long as I was sure that they hadn't had any defrosting events and been re frozen, and they were deeply frozen and not on a weak setting.

 

[montysrainbow]

I freeze mine for 5-6mths at a time and ive had no problems.

 

[ingie]

Snakes can and will eat rancid things and be ok. All snakes are different though, I just mean that one eating an off rat won't definitely result in sickness/death.

An example is my bhp. I put a mouse in for him like usual, and had to go to work for 2 days. When I returned, i had a quick look and saw he hadn't eaten it and the heat made it swell up and smell putrid. I went to put my things down before cleaning it up, and when I returned he was part way through eating it! He was fine

 

[RSPcrazy]

I use to breed and sell rats a couple of years ago. I did a lot of research to find out this very question.

My findings were as follows.
By 6 months, things like parasites were completely dead, more common parasites were dead at 3 months.
By 9 months, the rodents have been slowly breaking down to a noticeable point. Causing issues like, weakened skin tissue (one of the reasons why their skin slips off when feeding, or their guts burst during defrosting and feeding), bad smells and the overall nutrition of the rodent is being killed off.

Once any rodents in my freezers reached 9 months, I would throw them out or give them away to willing people. I made it very clear, they were taking the rodents at there own risk and I wasn't responsible for any problems caused. I also asked for feed back from these rodents.

A lot of the time feedback was, the snakes fed on rodents frozen for 9+ months, had diarrhea. That was the only symptom I was told from people feeding these rodents. But diarrhea is not a sign of a nutritious meal.

I always asked for feedback from my rodents and I fed them to my own pythons, I had never had any problems with rodents that had been frozen for less then 9 months and I never got any negative feedback from customers either.

 

[wokka]

Storage life will be determined by speed of freezing and quality of storage as well as the original bacterial load. Most domestic freezers do not achieve optimum conditions.

 

[Cold-B-Hearts]

I don't know the answer but I'm curious whether you have a reason for this or whether it's a period of time you have just come up with.

There was a thread similar to this about a year ago and a few experienced breeders where saying 6months unless in vacuum sealed bags they can last abit longer. Me personally I breed my own rodents so a rat will never be in my freezer for more then a couple months

 

[Jungletrans]

Not advising anyone to do anything , but I store my rodents in airtight containers . I breed ,kill and immediately deep freeze them myself . The containers are dated and I have often found rats up to 18mnths frozen and fed them to my adult pythons with absolutely no ill affects . Draw you own conclusions .

 

[Melzey]

Hi , i agree with RSPcrazy recommendations in cook books and things I have read, generally state that meat can be frozen for up to 6 months safely for human consumption. So this is the rule I follow for my human counterparts in the house, and therefore will also apply for my pets food. ..

 

[ingie]

I generally feed my reptiles fresh kill after doing the rounds of the rodent tubs, as it is convenient. I also clear out my freezer completely every 1-2 months, usually because it is getting full by then. I guess feeding 3 year old frozens was a bit far fetched as I would never have them

How many people reported how many snakes getting diarrhea from your old rodents?

I have read in multiple places that when deep freezing meat for human consumption, it will stay safe indefinitely if done correctly. Perhaps your freezer is not very cold or gets opened frequently. I would not expect something in a front opening small freezer to be very efficient. However, I think a good quality deep chest freezer would be capable of preserving rodents long term without issue, if needed.

 

[andynic07]

Hi , i agree with RSPcrazy recommendations in cook books and things I have read, generally state that meat can be frozen for up to 6 months safely for human consumption. So this is the rule I follow for my human counterparts in the house, and therefore will also apply for my pets food. ..

I would be interested in seeing this rat cook book that you are quoting. lol

 

[andynic07]

I think factors that would influence the life of a frozen rat would be the way it was stored and the temperature it was stored at , how often the freezer is opened (raising the temp briefly) and what type of meat possibly ( not sure if organs break down faster than muscle) but as stated by others though I would only go up to about 6 or 7 months and this is just my personal opinion to er an the side of caution. Also if I was storing for long periods I would invest in a vacuum sealer and vacuum pack a months worth of rats in each pack.