You are correct that feeding frozen/thawed is a good idea. For a whole "host" of ideas other than parasite control (hehe, pun of the day).



Freezing for 30 days (in a deep freeze) tends to kill most parasites. If feeding captive bred, healthy rodents, then the risk of transmitting anything is very low. Make sure you get your animals from a reputable source and you're all good



For salmonella specifically, I don't know if freezing for any time/at any temperature will kill it. I imagine certain perametres will do the trick, just don't know what they are. In any case, a healthy animal that does carry salmonella will do so in minimal amounts. Your reptile can also carry salmonella in sustainable amounts if healthy.



All in all, if you feed healthy food to healthy pets then all of this talk is irrelevant. Never hurts to know though, good question!

[ Hide Replies ]

• Question of the day for lurking vets or really smart people.... - dmac, Fri May 6 17:04:24 2005
• Most bacteria species remain unharmed by freezing..... - Kelly_Haller, Fri May 6 18:16:00 2005
• Extreme heat and chemicals will kill Salmonella species. - srsnakes, Fri May 6 23:13:44 2005
• Thanks for both replies. Of course still a good practice.... - dmac, Sat May 7 04:25:14 2005
• RE: Thanks for both replies. Of course still a good practice.... - joeysgreen, Sat May 7 11:20:57 2005
• Belated thank-you.n/p. - dmac, Mon May 9 16:18:06 2005