Frozen pinkies with white spots on the skin?

Perhaps I didn't do a good enough to search to find info on this, but I really have to ask...

I took out Maizie's pinkies tonight to prepare dinner & when I opened the container, I noticed that all of the pinkies had little white spots on the skin. The spots don't look to be *on* the skin so much as within the skin tissue itself, and the don't scrape off with a fingernail. I only bought the pinkies about two weeks ago, at most. They almost look like a white version of when you break a blood vessel close to the surface of the skin when you scratch, versus causing a bruise. I wish I had a camera...

So, I wonder: is it freezer burn? I don't think it could be mold, could it? And, dare I ask this without sounding like a complete ignoramus: safe to eat? Or, toss them? (And, no, I didn't feed them to Maizie...to me they looked quite odd, but I don't have enough experience with mice to know whether or not this is normal & safe, or otherwise...)

Thanks!

sounds like freezer burn to me, and personally I still use them because my pinkies always seem to have a little bit of it. I think maybe because their skin is so thin? It doesn't seem to occur on peach fuzzies upwards. Maybe others who buy vacuum packed pinks have less of the burning?

Feed 'em. The place I get mice often has some pinks with freezer burn. My snakes ate them just as well.

I would feem them to my snakes. Sometimes they dont like the freezer burn as I guess it doesnt taste as good and it takes away from the nutritional value of the pinky, but I hate to waste the food. Sometimes I get pinkies from Petco and it seems a lot of them there have freezer burn, its so hard to pick out good pinkies!

I do feed them to my snakes. They don't mention anything about the pinks tasting different... must be ok!

When I was feeding pinks they did that too. They also had a freezer burn like smell, but my little guy never complained. I kinda feel sorry for him Lol! It can't be alive, and it has to have freezer burn to boot! :grin01: I just don't buy so many at a time anymore, so they never have a chance to get burned.

Most pinks get them after a while in the freezer in a container that allows air. I think its little scratches on the skin, or nips where the mothers pick them up, and it allows the dry freezer air to get in the tissue and dry it out. Just go ahead and use them up.

Anyone ever found an opened package of hamburger in their freezer before? I did, it was like paper mache, really light and airy. I think its the same principle.

Most vacuum packed rodents don't have it until opened, that I've noticed. Its partly why I request BCRF to package pinks in packs of 25, instead of 50. I don't hardly need more than a few at a time, and opening up a pack of 50 just seems wasteful.

When I freeze my own pinkies, I used to just keep them in plastic ziplock sandwich bags, but noticed the freezer burn developing quickly - the snakes doen't seem to mind it much but it was kind of gross to look at. I've since changed to the thicker, better sealing freezer ziplock bags and noticed very little freezer burn on the F/T's I've been feeding to the critters lately. But then, we're going through 65+ mice a week so maybe it's because they aren't in the freezer as long. :shrugs:


I think because I slit the backs on the F/T's that the smell from the cut over-powers any lingering scent of the freezer burn too. So long as the mice don't smell rotten they should be ok.


Jenn

I've never had this problem but it's good to know that it's ok if it ever does happen. But I always keep mine inside an airtight tupperware dish.

I didn't have this problem, either, until now, and I did think that my container was sealed completely. :shrugs:

I'm glad that this was helpful for you, too, Infinite.