Some parasites will survive freezing. Most of us purchasing food over the net take comfort in thinking that frozen prey can't have parasites- that is what we are told at any rate. That is only partially true. Frozen prey purchased from feeder breeders probably has no parasites to begin with and freezing does kill a majority of the parasites that might be found in a breeding colony of feeder animals. The wild prey that might be taken by traps or roadkill could be infected by parasites that do not die in freezing temperatures, hence when thawed you will have a parasite-ridden prey animal to offer your reptile.
Your question is valid and complicated and until recently I was unsure of the impact myself. On one ocassion I fed a wild rabbit to a retic for no other reason than not to waste something that my cat killed. I was under the impression that freezing them for several weeks would kill off any parasites it could have. When my cat brought home a second rabbit a breeder that has been in the business longer than most of us have had snakes told me a well-respected vet had said otherwise. After a short research on the internet I found that there are several parasites that survive freezing temperatures- so freezing the host is of no use. I know a few people that feed roadkill to their snakes and the snakes seem very healthy. Personally- and it is a personal decision- the small risk is too much for me. My snakes are my family. You could raise an animal on frozen roadkill her entire lifetime and might never encounter a problem or you could offer that one parasite that could affect her or kill her. Parasites are the source for all sorts of problems in reptiles- many of the symptoms mimic other problems. With so little known about reptile medicine and so very few truly competent reptile vets accessible to the majority of snake keepers- the risk is too great imo.
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Marcia Pimentel
Tango River Reptiles
GiantFeeders

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