I did something bad...

[Maize411]

Last night after I fed Maize her fuzzie, I accidentally forgot to put the bag with the other 2 fuzzies back in the freezer...I discovered that this morning when I saw the bag on the counter in the kitchen...they had been left out for about 10 hours...I put them back in the freezer and they have frozen back up fine (if you can freeze good..heh..) anyway my question is...should I just throw away those 2 fuzzies since they were out for so long or should they be okay since they were put back in the freezer?..Well I look forward to getting the answers I need..thanks guys.. :shrugs:

 

[Brizzle]

I'd throw them away.

 

[sprdonkey]

For the love of pete yes...

Yes, throw those puppies away. They sat out and started to seriousley decompose, you would be feeding necrotic food to your babies. Imagine leaving chicken out overnight, putting it back in the freezer and then deciding a week later that you are going to bbq...not a good idea. Freezing rodents in the first place makes the prey item safer in many ways for the reptile (providing that it is defrosted and offered in a timely proper fashion) but freezing does not always kill everything. Every one of us here has been guilty of feeling a little lazy, all of us have probably done the same thing at least once as well. It's ok, just get some fresh feeders.

 

[Maize411]

man I feel very stupid right now...I can't believe I left them out overnight...I had friends over and they wanted to watch Maize eat (first timers at seeing a pet snake)..then we all ordered dominos...man I guess in the confusion...I totally forgot to put the fuzzies back..Now that cost me...::hits self in the head a few times:: :sidestep: :eek1:

 

[Fizzlefry22]

Don't feel bad, we've all done it. Myself included. Seems I recall pulling about half dozen pinkies as well as fuzzies out and promptly falling asleep while waiting for them to thaw.... :bang: Atleast your snake got to eat that night... mine had to wait till the next day and another trip to the pet store...

 

[sprdonkey]

Don't beat yourself up

I meant it when I said that we have all been guilty of the same thing. I wish I could send you some fuzzies right now. Are you buying three packs from petco? If so, try local feed and pet stores, they are usually cheaper. Also, get yourself a male and two female mice, if you gotta, you can feed em old cereal, noodles, oatmeal...heck, I've even done cream of wheat...As long as you keep em fat you will never have to worry about mice again, freeze a portion, let a portion of the females grow, feed the males out as you need too...

 

[Maize411]

I'm also kind of worried about the mice that Striker eats..I bought a bag of 50 when I was at the reptile show..after buying them, they must have been in my car for at least 3-3 and a half hours...When I got home I immediately put them in the freezer..Striker ate his first meal about 3 days ago...but ever since then, I have not seen him come out once..and that is not like him..Does it take longer for a snake to digest a full grown mouse then a smaller snake to digest a pinkie or a fuzzie?? I'm worried now that I may have poisoned him...what if he is sick?? What should I be looking for?? I showed Striker to my friends last night that were over..but I only showed him by just lifting the hide he was under so they could see him..I then gently put the hide back over him..When I lifted the hide I didn't smell anything or see any signs of a regurge...What do you guys think I should do? Should I just wait and see what happens?? I plan on taking him out for some short handling for the first time on Monday..

 

[terry fielder]

if you gotta, you can feed em old cereal, noodles, oatmeal...heck, I've even done cream of wheat.....

when i saw that i thought u ment the snake :bang:

 

[Drizzt80]

Yes, throw those puppies away. They sat out and started to seriousley decompose, you would be feeding necrotic food to your babies.

Out of curiousity . . . why is this bad? I would think it would digest easier. I would think it would contain the same amount of nutrients, etc.? Do buzzards freeze their decomposing meals? How's about bears that bury a kill and come back weeks, months later? How's about snakes? Do they eat recently killed meals all the time? I wonder if a hungry snake that comes across a roadkill (or otherwise dead) rodent wouldn't give it a go?

Just some thoughts . . . :shrugs:
D80

 

[Paradox]

They probably would, yes Drizzt. But we're fussy snake owning humans who don't want to see our pride and joys go through anything that could be slightly harmful to the poor things. And don't forget the possibility of HIDEOUSLY high vets bills. :grin01:

 

[Roy Munson]

Also, get yourself a male and two female mice, if you gotta, you can feed em old cereal, noodles, oatmeal...heck, I've even done cream of wheat...As long as you keep em fat you will never have to worry about mice again, freeze a portion, let a portion of the females grow, feed the males out as you need too...

I can't say that I agree with your feeding recommendations for the mice. Mice that are fed garbage diets will not provide the best nutrition for snakes.

 

[suecornish]

They probably would, yes Drizzt. But we're fussy snake owning humans who don't want to see our pride and joys go through anything that could be slightly harmful to the poor things. And don't forget the possibility of HIDEOUSLY high vets bills. :grin01:

I guess I am one of those fussy snake parents. I do the same with my dogs. If I wouldn't eat it, they don't get it either. And, yes, if I was hungry enough and there wasn't anything around but pinkies I would eat them. I would probably just gulp them down whole the way my snakes do - but down the hatch they would go. uke01:

Believe it, we have all done it. I left Gaia's three pinkies under the heat lamp and forgot about them. When I remember them they were totally cooked. Had to rethaw 3 more the slow way. :bang:

:crazy02: :crazy02:

 

[Maize411]

So should Striker's mice be okay?? since it was only 3 hours maybe 4...I hope his mice are okay...that's a bag of 50...2 fuzzies..okay I can say bye to those..but a bag of 50 MICE??!!! Well he did eat the one mouse on his first feeding and he still seems fine 4 days later so I'm guessing they must be okay :0)

 

[suecornish]

I would think that if they were frozen solid when you bought them and they were still frozen or partially frozen and still cold they should be alright. But if they were warm when you refroze them, I would smell them after they thaw again. You should be able to smell them if they are bad, I mean, outside of their mice smell.

Then,, when in doubt-toss out. Remember to bring a cooler with you the next time you plan on getting mice at a show.

I buy from RodentPro. Each order costs between $100 - $150 with shipping and handling and there is enough food there for three snakes for several months. Each feeding runs less between .40 and .65 which is still cheaper than buying locally.

 

[sprdonkey]

In my defense, I did not mean that he should raise mice on cereal and bread alone, I have never done so. Such staples are an emergency resource for rodent food, even when we feed live, I give the rodents on hold fruit, greens, bread and sometimes cheese because I can't stand the thought of their little tummies growling.

 

[Maize411]

I'm a she..not a he...heh...but that's okay :eek1:

 

[Nanci]

So should Striker's mice be okay?? since it was only 3 hours maybe 4...

Next time, take newspaper and a cooler with ice. Wrap the mice in newspaper and put the package in the cooler.

Nanci

 

[suecornish]

I'm a she..not a he...heh...but that's okay :eek1:

I get the impression that there are a lot more 'she' members than 'he' members. AND that is A-okay. :crazy02:

 

[Drizzt80]

I get the impression that there are a lot more 'she' members than 'he' members. AND that is A-okay. :crazy02:

Aaaaaactually, I think everyone here is a 'he' member, some of you all just have an 's' at the beginning . . . AND that too is A-okay! :sidestep:

:grin01:
D80

 

[rekn]

snakes dont eat carrion, would you eat it?