Many snake enthusiasts ask this question because sometimes, your snake may reject your thawed mouse at the first time of offering. So is it safe to refreeze mice for your beautiful, slithery creatures?
The answer is yes. You can refreeze mice for snakes, but it depends on some certain circumstances. We’re going to talk about it below, so read on.
Let’s talk about teenagers. We will get to mice and snakes in a jiff.
So, teenagers. I once heard of a teenager who was really obsessed with animals. Let us call him Briggs because the name sounds distinguished. So Briggs really loved animals and because of that, someone gifted him a snake. Briggs, however, knew nothing about snakes, and so despite all he did, the snake got sicker and sicker, and it eventually died. Briggs got very sad, and this was because he did not know how to adequately care for the snake.
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A lot of snake owners are in Briggs’ position because they have questions about snake care and have no one to answer these questions for them. Like the question above. Like the question above. Snake owners ask this question a lot online with no adequate answer. So let us answer this question, shall we?
Snakes can be very haughty creatures, and when you try to feed them a mouse that you just thawed, they may reject it or not eat it. It could be because they are full or do not feel like eating in that particular period. Or it could be that they want to spite you the lowly human and all your sighs of slight frustration is entertainment to them (just kidding! Or am I?)
Do you refreeze the rejected mouse, or you throw it away?
Well, first thing is, mice can be refrozen. A 2017 study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation answered the question about whether or not it was okay to refreeze thawed meat under certain conditions. Refreezing is okay as long so long as the thawing happens in a cool place (such as a fridge) and the temperature of the meat does not rise above 5°C (41°F)
So this is first thing to note about refreezing mice. Do not let it thaw above that temperature that we mentioned above.
Other things to note about thawing mice is:
1. Do not ever defrost frozen mice for your snakes by using boiling water or by using a microwave. Apart from being gross, thawing things this way can cook the meat or cause burns, and this can even make your pet sick.
2. Do not let the defrosted mice reach room temperature for too long after you have thawed it. Use fridges or cooled eskies. Defrosted mice may still contain undigested food, wastes and internal body parts that may decay quickly under extended periods in warm temperatures and this can become toxic to your pet.
3. Do not refreeze thawed mice more than once. When you freeze and thaw something, the ice crystals break down the cells of the mouse faster and refreezing and thawing again accelerates the process even more and hastens decay. This means that by the third time you want to refreeze and thaw, you just have a leaky bag of smelly liquid mouse, and this is truly disgusting to say the least.
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4. Use safe utensils. Frozen rats and mice as well as any equipment they come in contact with can sometimes be infested with the salmonella bacteria and also many other diseases, and these diseases are not eliminated by freezing. They are merely rendered dormant. These things may also carry agents which may harm you greatly or that may harm your beloved snake, so using dedicated equipment, firstly, is required so as not to come in contact with human utensils, and these dedicated equipment should be sterilized frequently to ensure its all round safely.
5. Make sure that when refreezing, you are sure the thawed mice have not been left out too long. As stated earlier, thawing a frozen mouse restarts the procedure of decay, and even speeds it up because the ice crystals would have broken down the cells of the mouse and so the decay becomes quicker. Leaving it out too long will mean that the mouse would have begun rotting, and trying to refreeze again is not safe for your reptile. Once a thawed mouse has been left out too long, the only thing it should be fed to is the bin, or maybe a vulture. Vultures like those kinds of things.
6. Examine the mouse thoroughly before refreezing. Even when you have the other precautions down to a T, it is still best to examine closely what you want to feed to your snakes or when you want to refreeze so they can eat later. If you notice that the mouse has started to get bloated, or if you notice green marbling or ‘bruising’ on them, it is usually best to toss that mouse. Bloating or green ‘bruising’ is the proliferation of gut bacteria in the mouse, which, though a normal part of the decomposition process, may be a bit risky for your reptile to ingest. So examining the mice before you refreeze is a good way to ensure that it is safe to refreeze and for your snake to eat later.
Finally, when considering whether to refreeze mice for snakes, it is usually best to think of your snake and the risk the refrozen mice may pose to him. How expensive is a mouse? Compare that with how expensive a trip or trips to the vet is. If you feel confident enough to refreeze mice for your snakes and you have followed the procedure, then you can refreeze the mice. However, if you do not feel confident refreezing mice for your snakes, it is usually best to err on the side of caution. Your snake will thank you for it.