Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does freezing rats/mice kill all salmonella? Or can it lie dormant? Southernboids post below made me ask.

It will suspend their growth, but not kill them. They will simply continue to multiply once the item is thawed. Virtually all life stages of parasites are killed by a hard, lengthy freeze, but some species eggs are fairly resistant to below freezing temps.

Kelly

But i don’t think freezing is a guaranteed way to kill bacteria. Certain species of bacteria are more susceptible to freezing/low temperatures, but Salmonella sp. isnt one of these species.

Sincerely,
Rose Hipskind
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www.srsnakes.com

to feed frozen/thawed. Hopefully the strong acids in the snake's digestive system can kill the remaining bacteria if any.

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!

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