# "Expired" mice - not so nice



## bradly (May 13, 2007)

Background below but I believe that my snake is not eating because the mice I have may not be as fresh as they could be...

I bought 20 frozen pinkies in a store in Hong Kong, and by the time I got them home they were thoroughly defrosted and approaching the air temperature of 32deg. I then stuck them back in the freezer. After a whole night of not being eaten they certainly smell a little - do you think this is the reason they are being left?

It looks like I shall have to buy another lot ALIVE and put them in the freezer to die....which is a bit harsh?

Advice?

I have a hatchling corn who is refusing food. I have had her three weeks and she has taken one pinky in this time. She shed her skin two weeks ago and is otherwise healthy and happy. Quite skittish so have not been handling her pre-feed. Have tried braining, seperate pot, knocking her on the head with it etc etc.


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## bradly (May 13, 2007)

Well I've just been to the pet store and got home with 15 live pinkies and she wolfed two down immediately. 

I'm going to have to learn how to wean her from live to dead mice for her dinner.


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## .:KayLee:. (Aug 23, 2008)

I wouldnt freeze live mice, its a slow and painful death. Can I ask why did you get your pinkies from hong kong? You can easily buy them over here, but its up to you if you want to feed live or defrosted


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## emmilllyyy (Oct 9, 2010)

with your snake thats not eating, defrost a mouse and get a cup and fill it with VERY hot TAP water, and put the mouse in a bag and into the water for about 5 mins, take it out on the tweezers and then rub it across the bottom of her jaw, works for me :no1:


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## bradly (May 13, 2007)

Thanks guys. 

Unfortunately there is a slightly different attitude towards animals here than in the UK. All of the mice and rats in the pet shops are frozen slowly to death - nothing we can do about it. Shops simply will not spend the extra money on CO2 to do it more humanely.

Can't get em mail order so I shall have to make weekly bloody trips if she won't take pre-killed...

Thanks for the bag advice, shall do that next week.


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

.:KayLee:. said:


> I wouldnt freeze live mice, its a slow and painful death. Can I ask why did you get your pinkies from hong kong? You can easily buy them over here, but its up to you if you want to feed live or defrosted


they're located in Hong Kong. Obviously their location says London but the phrasing of it made it seem to me they are living in Hong Kong and they've confirmed it.

Pretty cruel of pet shops to freeze them live. 

Don't a lot of owners feed live over there anyway?


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## Darklas (Mar 25, 2009)

If you buy the frozen mice have you tried transporting them in a cooler? Might keep them frozen longer while you are traveling home. Maybe sit them in a cooler, on top of a bag of frozen peas or something?


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## MrMorelia (Apr 15, 2011)

To be perfectly honest, if i could get a regular supply of live feeders i would favour those over frozen. Much better for the snake imo as you dont know how long the rodents have been frozen for prior to being sold on to the 'end user'.

If you're buying bulk aswell its alot of money to throw away if the goods turn out to be duff.


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## bradly (May 13, 2007)

Hong Kong not London. 

Nobody does frozen feeding here. Much of the fun of reptile ownership is watching the snake annihilate a small helpless mouse. 

I shall try and get her on frozen mice but live are plentiful so not the end of the world if she won't accept. 

If I buy frozen from the pet shop they've still been killed slowly and cruelly so may as well do it myself and therefore know that they are fresh.


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## LFBP-NEIL (Apr 23, 2005)

if you can get live, feed live, are there many pet reptile keepers in hong kong?


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## bradly (May 13, 2007)

LFBP-NEIL said:


> if you can get live, feed live, are there many pet reptile keepers in hong kong?


There must be some - there are 3 reptile shops all on the same street - look up Tung Choi "Goldfish Street" on google to see what I'm talking about. It's mental. 

I can get live food easily, involved 30 mins travel time on the underground.


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## Nightfirez (Sep 28, 2010)

as other people have said it is a differnt ball game over there 

from what i remember from my time in HK if you have a good source of live i would personaly stick with that 

just follow sencable precautions while doing so 
ie not leaving a live in with the snake over night ect 

if you are personaly haveing problems doing that then you have the option to stun the prey item or just use fresh killed rather than useing live frozen as lets face it most of the places that sell it over there will be doing that and i dont perticualy see that chainging any time soon to be fair never know though


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i`d probly buy a few live in, keep them caged and fed and use them as fresh killed as needed.

you could try that, then work onto frozen - if frozen ones are dodgy, you could buy live, and freeze them yourself - the cervical dislocation method is quick and easy......


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