The killing of parasites and their eggs is not as simple as just freezing for a given time period. Effectiveness is dependent on a combination of time and temperature. The lower the temperature, the less time needed to be effective. Typically, freezing at minus 10 F for 30 days will be about as effective as you can get to kill the majority of reptile parasites and their ova. Minus 20 F for one week will have the same effect, but a typical freezer will not go that low. With even lower temps you are talking just a few days. Temps above minus 10 F will not be low enough to kill most parasite ova, although most adult and larval stages will be killed by temps below 0 F. However, no matter how low you go in a typical freezer, the majority of bacterial species are not going to be affected to any degree.

Kelly

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