I'm really close to ordering from RodentPro, and I want to get rat pinkies for the little snakes and maybe the rat pups for Spectre (Spectre is close to three feet long...do you think pups are the right size for him?). The thing is, I have to order 100 of the pinkies and 25 of the pups at a time. The cost per prey item comes out to about half of what I pay at the pet store, which is great....my only concern is wondering if they'll be ok in the freezer for a long period of time. Will they last between 5 and 7 months in the freezer, which is about how long I'm estimating it will take me to go through that many, or will they go bad somehow in that period of time? Anybody else keep frozen prey items that long?
Thank you for your help!

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~Juliane~

Hmm, I've never tried to keep any in there that long, but I don't think you can do it. Freezer burn would be one major concern, and perhaps the nutruitional value would decrease with time? I dunno though, I'm no expert on that stuff.

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

That is a very good question Juliane.As far as I know,some people keep meat in the freezer for many month,so I think it should work with pinkies too,but let's see what the more experienced have to say,because I'd also love to know!!

Thanks Juliane for bringing that up, I too need to order in bulk and was wondering the same thing.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Well, I found this government food safety chart (for people food, of course, not snake food, darnit)...and it says "Because freezing keeps food safe indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only"...

I guess it might apply to rodents too...question is which meat do rodents most closely resemble? It says steaks and roasts will keep 6 to 12 months in the freezer, but pork only keeps 4 to 6 months...a whole chicken will keep for one year...does it have more to do with size or type of meat?


http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/f01chart.html

And then of course there's Matt's very important question about whether the nutritional value might degrade over time...anyone else out there have an opinion about or experience with long term rodent freezing?

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~Juliane~

I can't really imagine that ordering in quantity and saving money is only for people with lots of snakes! That's why I think that you should be able to keep them for long in the freezer?!
Juliane,if it's not so,you just need to convince your hubby that you need lots more snakes to save money on their food,lol! A good excuse anyway !

Rodentpro packs there products very dry and in ziploc freezer bags to eliminate freezer burn. When I first startd out I bought a pack of 177 regular mice at a show, I got a great price since it was closing time. They kept for 9 months with no problems at all. Just make sure they stay dry.

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Answers are great. But I prefer questions!

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Thank you so much, Jay! I guess I'll go ahead and order then. I really appreciate it!

Jacky, I'll give it a try with my husband, but I won't hold my breath to see if my wish comes true! I'm sure I'd turn BLUE waiting for him to say yes!

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~Juliane~

We will help you convince him Juliane..you can never have to many. I went from 2 to 12 since December.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Juliane I usulaly order somewhere in the neighborhood of 200-300 rodents from RP at a time. Everything from pinkies to small rats. I have never had a problem with any of them going bad. You may get a touch of freezer burn here and there on the pinks but the larger ones have never given me any problem. The key is to keep as much air out of the packs as possible.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!