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Q: what is the shelf life of a F/T rat?
Posted By:

albinoboastore

my adult RTB refused a f/t rat, how long should I leave it in with him before trying a fresh one? if it is thawed too long can it be harmful to the boa?

Points: 150
Topics: Feeding
Tags: RTB
Administrative: Show/Hide

Member Comment 8/4/2008 8:59:25 PM

REPTILEN1NJA
start feeding it live,if your afraid your snake is going to get hurt knock it out,fun for you and better for the snake
 
Accepted Answer 8/4/2008 9:10:33 PM

Kaiyudsai
Obviously RepNinja didnt read the post..........................................I always wondered this myself....I get my rodents from Rodentpro, and they suggest thawing the rats overnight.....so 5-8 minimum, but I warm mine up in a zip bag and hot water bath and I'm sure that speeds up the decomp.   I don't think I would let my rats sit more than 2-3 hours after that
 
Member Comment 8/5/2008 1:19:23 PM

Sparkle
Good question, I've often wondered the same.  If I thaw it and he won't eat it, can I freeze it again?  Or put it in the fridge and try again a few days later?
 
Member Comment 8/5/2008 6:06:07 PM

dalvers63
I often refreeze rats that a snake won't eat. I suggest only doing this once though, as you risk the rodent's skin ripping and it's rather messy after that happens. I will also only refreeze a rodent that hasn't been left out longer than an hour. After that, if they haven't eaten it, I trash it as I don't want to take the chance of it causing any problems.
If you feed and your snake doesn't want it, I've often left them in the cage overnight and removed/trashed it in the morning if not eaten.
 
Member Comment 8/7/2008 9:08:09 PM

aaron
I've left them out for a few hours (probably 4 max) and haven't had any noticeable problems. 

I don't refreeze anymore, but that's simply out of paranoia. I used to, and also never have had a problem.

This is a great question, wish it was still open  :)
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