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How long do feeders keep when frozen?

raynefyre

raynefyre

Taste the Rainbow
I have both small and large peach fuzzies and my snakes are outgrowing the smaller ones. There's about 20 left and I'm wondering if they will keep their nutritional value if they stay in the freezer until I get more hatchlings come spring. If not I'm considering stretching out the Munson Plan in order to use at least most of them up before moving on to the next size, but that's something I really don't want to do unless I have to.
 
How much do the small ones weigh compared to the large? You could go to giving 2 small fuzzies when the large fuzzies are outgrown.
 
I've heard that the general rule is that they keep in a freezer for about 6 months. I deep freezer which gets down to crazy cold temps could probably keep them for longer.

Honestly, I've fed mice that were older than 6 months, and I didn't have a problem.
 
It's all going to depend on how they are wrapped. If you keep them loose in a baggie or saran wrap, then only a couple of months. Onces that have been vacuum packed can last from 6 months to a year.

I would suggest dating the packages and using the FIFO method (First In, First Out). I suggest Looking at the feeders before feeding them and if they are freezer burnt beyond all recognition, then you may want to lay them to rest, instead of using them.

Wrapped correctly, they should last several months or longer.

Good Luck!

Wayne
 
Thanks for all the advice peeps! :) They are on 2 smaller ones per feeding but I wanted to move up to the bigger ones. I've heard of people on here getting those vacuum pack bags with a hand pump in the store. I tried looking for them around here but had no success.
 
I purchase bulk and then vacumn pack into smaller lots with my 'foodsaver'. That is the brand name for the sealer. Mine is a full size sealer but I believe they do carry a hand version like mentioned. Google the name and I am sure you can order online. I picked mine up from my local Kohls department store.
 
Some of these responses are discouraging.

6 months is not enough time for anyone with a single snake to use up a 50-pack of frozen, vacuum packed rodents. Most places online require you to buy 50 at a time or more. At every 5 days on the day, we are still only using 36 mice. If you feed once a week, then you are closer to using only 25 mice in that span of time.

I have an expo near me in 2 weeks, so I may grab some there...but I was pretty close to buying 100 pinkies online...50 of the small ones (2g) and 50 of the larger (3-4g) ones. I don't think I will do that anymore...as this was planned to be his food for the next year.
 
Nroc said:
Some of these responses are discouraging.

6 months is not enough time for anyone with a single snake to use up a 50-pack of frozen, vacuum packed rodents. Most places online require you to buy 50 at a time or more. At every 5 days on the day, we are still only using 36 mice. If you feed once a week, then you are closer to using only 25 mice in that span of time.

I have an expo near me in 2 weeks, so I may grab some there...but I was pretty close to buying 100 pinkies online...50 of the small ones (2g) and 50 of the larger (3-4g) ones. I don't think I will do that anymore...as this was planned to be his food for the next year.
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Yeah, it's tough when it comes to a smaller collection. The only thing I can suggest is getting one of those home vacuum sealers. I think glad makes them and they are fairly inexpensive. This will help keep them longer.

Wayne
 
If I take the whole vacuum sealed pack of mice, and then submerge them in ice cold water until a block of ice forms around them, will that help in any way? Does opening freezer doors regularly affect how well mice stay frozen and fresh? I figure the layer of ice around them will keep them well insulated during normal freezer usage.
 
Nroc said:
If I take the whole vacuum sealed pack of mice, and then submerge them in ice cold water until a block of ice forms around them, will that help in any way? Does opening freezer doors regularly affect how well mice stay frozen and fresh? I figure the layer of ice around them will keep them well insulated during normal freezer usage.
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Do you know how much of a pain that would be. Then how do you thaw out the block, without thawing out all of the mice. Vacuum sealing them would probably be the best method.

Opening and closing the freezer door, shouldn't have an affect on the quality of the mice. Unless you have a problem with stuff thawing in the freezer?

What causing freezer burn, is them drying out when air gets at the frozen feeders, in loose packaging. That and extended time in the freezer.

Hope that helps a little.

Wayne
 
medusacoils said:
Do you know how much of a pain that would be. Then how do you thaw out the block, without thawing out all of the mice. Vacuum sealing them would probably be the best method.

Opening and closing the freezer door, shouldn't have an affect on the quality of the mice. Unless you have a problem with stuff thawing in the freezer?

What causing freezer burn, is them drying out when air gets at the frozen feeders, in loose packaging. That and extended time in the freezer.

Hope that helps a little.

Wayne
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I bought my Foodsaver from Target yesterday.

My plan is to create two bags for the mice. A working bag and the Motherload. I opened the pack of mice and sealed all but 4 in a large Foodsaver bag that was probably 8" X 15" or so; this is the motherload. I left plenty of space at the top of the bag to allow me to open and close the bag several times.

With the 4 that were taken out, 1 was thawed and fed to the snake, while the other 3 were sealed in a much smaller bag 8" X 4" or less, the working bag. This bag only needs to be resealed 2 more times, and there is enough room to do that.

You don't lose 3 inches per seal like I have been reading online. The waste is less than that.

I gotta look for other things to vacuum seal now...
 
Nroc said:
I bought my Foodsaver from Target yesterday.

My plan is to create two bags for the mice. A working bag and the Motherload. I opened the pack of mice and sealed all but 4 in a large Foodsaver bag that was probably 8" X 15" or so; this is the motherload. I left plenty of space at the top of the bag to allow me to open and close the bag several times.

With the 4 that were taken out, 1 was thawed and fed to the snake, while the other 3 were sealed in a much smaller bag 8" X 4" or less, the working bag. This bag only needs to be resealed 2 more times, and there is enough room to do that.

You don't lose 3 inches per seal like I have been reading online. The waste is less than that.

I gotta look for other things to vacuum seal now...
Click to expand...

That's great and that vacuum seal will keep the critters longer. It helps keep the air away from them and drying them out (the cause of freezer burn)

Way to go! :)

Wayne
 
Freezer burn doesn't affect nutrition all that much as far as humans go. It just spoils the taste. Is this true for snakes?
 
wstphal said:
Freezer burn doesn't affect nutrition all that much as far as humans go. It just spoils the taste. Is this true for snakes?
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I'm hardly an expert, but that was sort of my impression as well. When things "go bad" in the freezer, it isn't because they are actually spoiled or dangerous to eat. The nutritional value does slowly deteriorate, but it doesn't suddenly go from perfect to worthless at 6 months. The biggest issue is that the freezer burn affects the taste and texture.

It is also possible that mice dehydrated by freezer burn might be harder to digest. When humans eat something like beef jerky, it gets softened and rehydrated by chewing. Since snakes don't chew, I don't know if that would be an issue or not. If it is an issue at all, it might help to slit the skin of the mice, so the snake's digestive juices can work from the inside as well.
 
Sorry for the double post. I couldn't find an edit button.

I meant to also say that freezer burn probably affects smell as well as taste, and therefore might affect how readily a snake will accept the f/t food.
 
I also have a Food Saver brand vacuum sealer and it states that if you seal things properly, meat products(ie mice) can last 2-3 yrs in the freezer. I have frozen meat of ours using it and had not one bit of freezer burn or loss of taste when it was cooked 1.5 yrs later.

@ Nroc.. your snake will not live on pinkies for a year, just so that you know, long before a year is up you snake will be ready for larger mice. As well, instead of using up Food Saver bags for the 3-4 mice you have out(your working bag) those will keep just fine in ziploc sandwich bags, that is what I have been doing for a year now. Only occasionally do some of the (working mice as you called them) ever start to have ice collect on them(small amount of freezer burn starting). It has never caused a problem yet.
 
i had ordered a bunch of pinkies, they got some freezer burn, my snakes (especially the garter snakes when i had them) ate them just fine
i could get those garters to gobble them down like crazy, but for some reason they didnt really care for the hoppers w/o the burn (i only got them to eat hoppers twice, and for one it was toad scented)
 
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