Reptile & Amphibian Forums

the other day the power went out for 20 minutes and now my frozen mice smell bad, they could have smelled bad for days because i havent opened the bag in a week.

are they rotten? the smell isnt a mousey smell, its a mild death smell, is that normal? i dont want to throw htem away because i just got them 2 weeks ago and i have nearly a hundred. next time im only buying 50
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

>>the other day the power went out for 20 minutes and now my frozen mice smell bad, they could have smelled bad for days because i havent opened the bag in a week.
>>
>>are they rotten? the smell isnt a mousey smell, its a mild death smell, is that normal? i dont want to throw htem away because i just got them 2 weeks ago and i have nearly a hundred. next time im only buying 50

I have had this happen and I threw them away. If they smell rotten, they may very well be.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Question: Is the price of replacing the mice worth the health and well-being of your snakes?

regards,
althea

the reason i bought frozen is because its too expensive to buy live, i got 100 frozen mice now i should throw away the 80 dollars i just spent? i love my snakes and ill do whats best but wasting money really ticks me off. im only 16 so i dont have a bunch of money i dont want to ask my parents for money. and besides, ive had pinkies in my freezer for months and they dont smell, ive had the adult mice for about three weeks, maybe its just a smell and nothing more, my snakes havent regurged or anything, if they do ill throw out the mice and not order from rodentpro again.
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

It doesn't matter what you've spent if the rodents have spoiled and your snakes end up sick or die.

On the positive side, I purchase my rodents from the same company--excellent product. So long as the mice arrived frozen (with dry ice in the box), then the company is not at fault. If they thawed after they arrived, due to a power outtage, or accidentally being left on the counter, then you may have a problem. As meat thaws, bacteria sets in quickly.

Assuming that they are not spoiled, I think I know the smell you are talking about. Adult frozen dead rodents have an odor that is different from pink/fuzzy frozen dead rodents. And if you thaw meals for 20 snakes in a big pot of water like I do, that odor is quite the norm. It is also the odor that perks up everyone in the herp room.

Do you know anyone else who keeps snakes? Sharing box space with someone else will cut your costs. Also, if there is a herp society in your area, get involved. You may meet folks who can ease the financial aspects of snake keeping. Best of luck!

althea

i live in vermont so the nearest herp society is probably an hour away, ive been to the site and it doesnt look like too much is going on.

as for box space, i keep my snakes in my bedroom, i only have four.
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

althea meant that if you know another snake keeper you can both order your frozen rodents at the same time. By combining orders the shipper will use the same box (and block of heavy dry ice) and you and your partner will save on shipping costs.

I wouldn't worry so much about a slight "funny" smell as decaying flesh has a definitive ordor to it. I think you are probably safe if you just keep an eye (or nose) on the situation for now. I think an important question would be how much did the animals thaw?
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Randy Hallman

they were completely thawed, but the smell was when they were still frozen.
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

I can't imagine that 20 minutes with no power in your freezer was enough to completely defrost your mice and cause them to go bad. How "bad" is the smell? I personally can't stand the smell of warmed up mice, but it's just how they smell - dead and mousey - YUM. If they smell absolutely putrid though than it's likely they were bad before they went in the freezer and it would be best to toss them.
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Amber

3.18.0 Ball Pythons - Tucker, Taylor & Gang
1.1.0 Amber Corns
0.0.2 Amel Corns
1.1.0 Butter Motley Corns
1.1.0 Crimson Corns
1.1.0 Ghost Corns
1.1.0 Hypo Corns
0.0.2 Normal Corns
1.1.0 Okeetee Corns
1.0.2 Snow Corns - Aiden & Kids
1.1.0 Sunglow Motley Corns
1.1.0 Hypo Honduran Milk Snakes
0.1.0 Pueblan Milk Snake - Marishka
1.1.0 Sinaloan Milk Snakes
2.1.0 Dachshunds - Dakota, Montana, & Cheyenne
5.0.0 Ferrets - Tigger, Bailey, Cody, Keyta, & Bandit

i just checked on them again and they smell worse than they did before, im putting serios thought into chucking them, if somebody left the freezer open for five minutes a day, is that enough to ruin them? and why are the pinkies fine?
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

ive heard so many times that rodentpros mice are very clean, mine have feces and wood shavings on them, maybe i got a bad batch or they were in a rush.
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jake

my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)