Just curious if anyone has an explanation. When I thaw my frozen rats for 6-8 hours, thery're still limp. Shouldn't they be stiff? Am I catching them before it sets in, or does the freezing process have some effect?
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Does freezing prevent rigamortis?
dmac
Jun 23, 2007 05:48 PM
Replies (3)
jimmyC
Jun 23, 2007 06:08 PM
Rigamortis by definition is when the muscles of the body become stiff due to the build up of lactic acid in the muscles. the amount of lactic acid and how fast a body goes into this state depends on how much the rat was moving around working out the muscles. The average is 3-6 hours after death and usually goes away after about 36 hours. If you are using rats that have been frozen for at least a month then you will never see any signs of rigamortis. Except when they are still frozen.
royal645
Jun 23, 2007 08:36 PM
chances are if you are using "fresh killed" rodents you will never see rigor, freezing just slows the decomposition process.
Dmac
Jun 24, 2007 05:50 PM
n/p.
