# Refreezing, defrosted rats!?



## pirate_reps (Oct 14, 2015)

I just bought a ton of frozen rats (like HEAPS), and realised my freezer half stopped working and now they are all half defrosted. Would I be able to refreeze them and they will be right to feed to my snakes?

I highly doubt I am going to get an answer, I want to hear.. hah :|


**not sure how long they were only half frozen for.. maybe 2-3 days?

What would be possible problems for the snake if fed these rats after being defrosted twice?


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## Chris1 (Oct 14, 2015)

WJG_reptiles said:


> I just bought a ton of frozen rats (like HEAPS), and realised my freezer half stopped working and now they are all half defrosted. Would I be able to refreeze them and they will be right to feed to my snakes?
> 
> I highly doubt I am going to get an answer, I want to hear.. hah :|
> 
> ...



If they're only Half thawed, look and smell fine, they should be ok.
Have a sniff of them when you go to feed to double check tho.

If they don't look and smell ok, you could give them or sell them cheaply to a monitor keeper.


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## pirate_reps (Oct 14, 2015)

Chris1 said:


> If they're only Half thawed, look and smell fine, they should be ok.
> Have a sniff of them when you go to feed to double check tho.
> 
> If they don't look and smell ok, you could give them or sell them cheaply to a monitor keeper.



Yeah they kinda smell bad. And leave a bit of a stench on your fingers, picking them up.

Its a shame. I have a blackheaded monitor but he isn't big enough just yet unfortunately.. maybe I can try the pinkies on him. 
Too bad I don't have my lacey anymore to get the big rats


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## pythoninfinite (Oct 14, 2015)

If they are still "half frozen" as you say, they will be fine to re freeze, but if they are fully thawed, have reached room temperature and are a bit mushy in the gut, then probably not. It's a bit difficult to tell by smell, unless you're familiar with the smell of decay vs the normal smell of a dead animal (I was a professional museum taxidermist for 30 years, so I know a bit about this). Usually if they were still very chilled when you discovered them they would be fine, but you probably don't know if they were frozen carefully in the first place. Some people just chuck them, still warm, into a bag in a big lump, so the ones in the middle stay unfrozen for quite a while. The way to prepare them is to allow them to cool, laid out for a half-hour after death, place them in a single layer in the bag, and chill them quickly in the freezer. You should also check that your freezer is working at an appropriate temperature - it should be running at around -18C to -22C. Lots of people put their rats in an old freezer no longer suitable for the house, with buggered seals etc. Snakes can generally cope well with carrion (surprisingly, pythons do eat dead things in the bush), but considering the cost of rats these days, it's best to store them properly.


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## xxMelissaxx (Oct 15, 2015)

Good to see pythoninfinite still dropping knowledge bombs all over the place <3


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## ronhalling (Oct 16, 2015)

[MENTION=2328]xxMelissaxx[/MENTION], this place would not be the same without Jamie, he injects sanity when sanity wanes, and valued information where it is needed.  ..................Ron


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## pythoninfinite (Oct 16, 2015)

ronhalling said:


> @xxMelissaxx, this place would not be the same without Jamie, he injects sanity when sanity wanes, and valued information where it is needed.  ..................Ron



Hmmm, don't be too complimentary guys, I might get a swelled head... My wife (a psychologist) might disagree with you sometimes !

J


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