Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all! I am wondering what a typical spoilage time is on a frozen rat? I need to buy huge rats to keep frozen for my boa. I find them personally to be cheapest from Rodentpro, as shipping costs a ton, and they are only a few hours from me, so the shipping isn't bad with them. Last time I bought from them, they come in a bag, but not vacuum sealed, so I think I am talking about one rat in a non vacuum-sealed bag. How long could I keep those? Just trying to figure out how many I can order.

Also, if I need to buy vacuum sealed ones instead, do you have an idea where a good place to buy those from is?

Thanks!
~Kyle

I have kept rodents in non vacuum sealed bags for over a year without spoiling. I have heard from other people that their snakes don't like rodents that have been frozen for that long. Mine don't seem to care.

Thanks!

I was thinking of ordering 20 colossal sized rats, and I am going to be feeding every two weeks. So 40 weeks total for the last ones, less than a year. Sounds like that might be ok.

:-}

Thank you for your input.

~Kyle

Feeders that are not vacuum packed usually last around six months in the freezer. However, vacuum packed last two or more years! I have ordered from every place out there and have come to this conclusion: it's better to buy vacuum packed in bulk. You will save money and time. The best place to order vacuum packed is from Big Cheese Rodents.

Thanks!

When you order them from the specific place you mentioned, it looks as though many come vacuum packed into one package? Is that correct? Doesn't that make them as vulnerable as anything else once you open the package?

Also, is it hard to separate one out of the pack? I mean do they get stuck together?

Thanks, I just haven't ordered rodents packed like that before.
:-}
~Kyle

They normally they come 50 in each vacuum pack, but that's for people who have a lot of mouths to feed. I always ask them to put 25 in each vacuum pack. That way when you open a packe you will know they will get eaten before they go bad. They don't get stuck together because they are frozen before they are vacuum packed. Once the seal is broken they expand and you can easily take them apart and keep them in ziplock bags. Watchout for places that ship second day and use ice packs instead of dry ice and insulation. This pic is of a bad batch of frozen mice I got and had to throw out. The supplier refunded my money, but it's a shame the mice had to be wasted. Hope this helps.

Very helpful indeed!

Thanks very much for helping me.

:-}
~Kyle