Refreezing Meats?

[PuffDragon]

So today I over estimated how much beef my guy was going to eat. It was thawed right before he ate and now I have alot left. Is it ok to refreeze this for a later time? or is that bad practice? I just hate to waste any because I dusted it and am also a poor college student!

 

[ApriliaRufo]

Some say it's fine. Some don't. I know that my buddy's ball wont eat mice unless they are frozen once, thawed, frozen and thawed. I think it depends. If tegus eat carrion in the wild, I would "imagine" that it would be fine, but I won't say anything definite.

 

[AB^]

I dont ever refreeze prey items

 

[DaveDragon]

I've read you can refreeze once. After that the cells are broken down too much and they prey can get real mushy.

We've never had to refeeze food not eaten by a Tegu. A couple of snakes have refused and we'll refreeze once. I don't want to see a snake constrict a twice frozen mouse or rat and have it explode!

I've made the mistake of heating fuzzy mice in too hot of water, cooking them partially, and they explode. Our snakes won't eat exploded mice.

The first time I feed our adult female Blue she ripped the mouse apart and splattered it all over he tank, the walls, the ceiling... I may of heated it up too fast.

 

[Mike]

I've never refrozen prey items. I wouldn't do it.

 

[boygenius]

I've placed small portions of ground turkey in small sandwich bags and froze them. It seems that even my small portions are too big because right now the tegu won't eat it all and just a little bit.

Would it be ok to refreeze ground turkey?

 

[snakehandler]

i wouldnt refreeze it. even if they eat carrion in the wild, they dont live in the wild now.

 

[COWHER]

why is it not OK?? besides getting mushy does it do something to deplete the nutrients? or does it make it unhealthy?

 

[Srakha]

I found a website with links to USDA information about refreezing meat. I would guess if they say it is ok for humans, it will be ok for your reptile

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq-refreeze.shtml">http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq-refreeze.shtml</a><!-- m -->

I think the whole issue with refreezing has to do with bacteria growth and nutrition loss, and not the 'mushiness' of the meat.

 

[VARNYARD]

I do it all the time, I buy frozen ground turkey thaw it, portion pack it and then refreeze it.

 

[Lovestegus]

I've been refreezing pinks and thawing them out with hot water many times now and they are fine.

 

[GOT_TEGUS]

Re:

I do it all the time, I buy frozen ground turkey thaw it, portion pack it and then refreeze it.

I do the same thing freeze /refreeze its fine. and Bobby does it.

 

[laurarfl]

Biologists have even recommended refreezing meat as a way to kill certain types of bacteria. The danger of contamination is if you have yucky meat that has been laying out for hours then refreeze it then slowly thaw it to let more bacteria breed. If you are thawing and refreezing "healthy" meat, it's fine.

The reason people don't thaw and refreeze meat they eat is because you get that freezer burn taste. Refreezing whole prey causes a breakdown of tissue, but they are whole, dead, and in the decaying process. Whole prey items are not dressed meats.

 

[GOT_TEGUS]

Biologists have even recommended refreezing meat as a way to kill certain types of bacteria. The danger of contamination is if you have yucky meat that has been laying out for hours then refreeze it then slowly thaw it to let more bacteria breed. If you are thawing and refreezing "healthy" meat, it's fine.

The reason people don't thaw and refreeze meat they eat is because you get that freezer burn taste. Refreezing whole prey causes a breakdown of tissue, but they are whole, dead, and in the decaying process. Whole prey items are not dressed meats.

Great info thanks for sharing.

 

[Rudd]

If I have any mouse/rat left and I can't find someone to eat it I put it in the fridge and feed it a couple of days later. Never had a problem with this although I always let my rats/mice thaw at room temperature.