RodentPro- Zoonotic disease warning

I live in Dallas TX and there is a place I go to for my feeders. The name is Big Cheese Rodent Factory. Their customer service is awesome. The prices are good. I am not sure of the shipping as I pick up since I am an hour away. Just wanted to put that on here for some people as an alternative.

Again.. .why are people bashing JUST rodent pro? why are you not also bashing the OTHER company that was caught up in the quarantine as was implied earlier in the thread? And what are the odds that any rodent breeder would be forthcoming that they too have this virus in their populations? There are so many pathogens that rodents (animals in general) carry there is NO WAY that you can honestly test for every damn one of them with any kind of accuracy and there is no way to have a pathogen free colony. The only thing that anyone can outright honestly take RP to task for is the lack of communication, but then again... if the CDC didn't think it was necessary to issue any public announcements/warnings then the "issue" was NOT that big of a deal as people are trying to make this out to be. This is not an illness that kills people with any kind of frequency. Gawd.. some of you sound as ridiculous as legislators trying to pass laws saying that only 100% certified salmonella free turtles may be sold in the pet trade... an impossible feat for a disease that is far more dangerous than LCMV. If you are that freaking concerned about LCMV that infects maybe 1% of the people that come into contact with the virus (but still no guarantee you will even exhibit symptoms even if infected) then get rid of all your animals and go live in a hermetically sealed bubble for the rest of your life.

Wraith - I think it's abundantly clear why people here are questioning RodentPro.

1 - 99% of the information that has been uncovered so far has been regarding Rodent Pro. If you have more information about the other entity, please post a link.

2 - RodentPro probably has 1000 times the customer base with herpers here when compared to Mouse House - in fact I've never heard of them.

Further - it is not a question of blaming them for the outbreak. The problem, as has been clearly outlined, is that no clients were notified even after an infestation so bad as they were quarantined and forced to exterminate their entire stock. That IS a huge issue. There are plenty of folks who have suppressed immune systems. I had a person in my home for a few years in that position. Ultimately - over 17% of Rodent Pro's workforce was infected according to the story. If that is something you feel warrants no attention, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. But most here will disagree with you.

I couldn't read through all the post, it's alot, but I will say this about RP. I have been buying from them for 6 years. I buy rats in all sizes except large and up. My last order was I think in April. The last two or 3 orders I noticed that their Quality had gone down. Some Rats were yellow stained and several rats looked very thin, several also had major injurys that looked severe but were healed (most likely bite/attack marks for other rats). As luck would have it I went to order last week and Curtis told me they are flat out busy as several of their competitors had gone out of business. And since they were so busy he would not pass on to me any shipping or product discounts. In six years I always been givin a $10 shipping discount, long story short I told him I'd hold off for now. Then I hear ab out this.
I started looking around and found a great supplier out of texas, a bit more expensive, but WOW, I got the rats today and you can tell this guy really cares. All rats neatly tail tucked on trays and vacuum packed. Rock solid frozen. Impeckable shipping box in in quality rigid blue insulation, not cheap plastic covered fiberglass, and the box was well taped using quality packing tape, not the cheaper stuff too. There was such a huge difference in rat quality, that I couldn't believe I actually bought fom RP all these years. This guy breeds every on of his rats too. I heard recently that rodent pro does NOT necessarily breed all their rats but also buys overstock from other breeders as well. I doubt I will ever go back to BP.

I was planning on placing an order with RodentPro whenever I decide to switch to frozen/thawed, but I'm glad I read this first... I think I'll just keep breeding my own.

I ordered from RP for years, but I also found issues with decreasing quality over time in the form of urine/feces/shavings in the bottom of the bags and stuck to the rats themselves, damaged rats, etc. I don't know if this is because they outsourced some or what. Some bags had severed limbs or tails stuck to the rats or at the bottom of the bag also.

Now I order from Loxahatchee Rodents and have been VERY happy with their service and product. I still have a couple of old bags from RP in the chest freezer and there is just no comparison between the two suppliers. The rats from LR have been immaculate/look healthy and are vacuum packed. When I thaw out a bag, they don't all stick to each other. Their coats are clean and sleek. Every tray is organized and labelled. I should take a pic and post it- it looks very professional and what I now expect in terms of quality. For the record, I am not affiliated with with LR in any way- I just like the way they do business.

Regarding RP and potentially contaminated stock, didn't Mice Direct issue a voluntary recall a few years back for possible Salmonella in their rodents because it MAY pose a possible risk? I agree that having animals of any kind predisposes the keepers to possible contamination from bacteria, viruses, etc., but the same thing is true when you eat out at a restaurant or do anything, really. I would expect the restaurant that I am eating at to take away my plate if they suspect they might have an issue with something on it, even if the risk is minimal and nothing ever comes of it. They should also let me know what is going on because it is the ethical thing to do (at least from my POV).

I am still having my morning coffee so hopefully this makes sense, but even if LCM may have an exceedingly low mortality, that isn't really the point anymore. Even if nothing ever comes of it, customers could've/should've been given a head's up, particularly before an epidemiologist starts making calls/visits. I think a lot of people here are upset not because their was a contamination, but rather how RP decided to handle it. I could be way off base, but that is the gist of what I am getting from this thread.

Lauren Hendricks

If they really have 9 workers who are testing positive for a potentially deadly illness, and have to cull $750k in inventory, I can see why they're not throwing statements around on a public forum. They're probably doing exactly what these 9 guys' lawyers are telling them to do. Not saying it's an excuse, but maybe a reason.


Noelle

Originally Posted by jumpsnake

Regarding frozen rodents-- from what I understand it is a very reduced risk.

I'd really like to see some studies cited here. From the articles I've seen online viruses can survive freezing, I'd like to see specific scientific information that backs up the reduced risk claim. Lots of people have Rodent Pro rodents in their freezer right now, they should know what to expect.

Originally Posted by Lucille

I'd really like to see some studies cited here. From the articles I've seen online viruses can survive freezing, I'd like to see specific scientific information that backs up the reduced risk claim. Lots of people have Rodent Pro rodents in their freezer right now, they should know what to expect.

The reduced risk is more with respect to parasites and bacteria, which in most cases will not survive freezing, and are much more likely to infect humans. Viruses often do survive freezing, but it is very rare when viruses are able to jump from one species to another. This Zoonotic disease is one of those rare cases in which a virus can infect both rats and people, and that it why it is an issue.

Generally speaking, though, frozen rodents are less likely to carry live pathogens that can infect human beings, as the more commonly caught ones (parasites and bacteria) generally don't survive freezing, and the viruses that do survive are almost always not able to cross over to infect other animals (notably humans)

Originally Posted by cguarino30

and the viruses that do survive are almost always not able to cross over to infect other animals (notably humans)

Chris, can you please cite evidence for this claim? It is a central concern and so far I have not seen ANY scientific evidence.