Frog Legs -- Safe or not?

[Sonya610]

My local grocery store often carries frog legs. I have read that is pretty safe as it is sold for human consumption and pretty clean. Was planning to buy a few and keep them in the freezer, then chop up little bits for the babies.

Never heard this mentioned before on the board. Does that sound reasonably safe? Right now they are on pinky and silversliders only.

[guidofatherof5]

Since you are going to freeze them first, I would say they are fairly safe.
Being sold for human comsumption doesn't mean anything. The salmon I bought had worms.

[Sonya610]

Since you are going to freeze them first, I would say they are fairly safe.
Being sold for human comsumption doesn't mean anything. The salmon I bought had worms.

Yeah most salmon has worms. I have already fed fresh raw salmon AND raw trout. I remember ages ago in a thread Richard said snakes get the parasites from the intestines and NOT from the muscle tissue itself (the way people and other mammals do from sushi and such that isn't frozen).

I am figuring these frogs were probably wild caught (maybe there are frog farms, I dunno) and worry about toxins too. I am just paranoid about most fish now (except silversliders) and worry if frogs are just as bad. Course I eat a shameful amount of tuna each week, but hey a little lead poisoning can't do much more than further my insanity, it won't kill me.

[ConcinusMan]

I remember ages ago in a thread Richard said snakes get the parasites from the intestines and NOT from the muscle tissue itself .

Maybe I wasn't clear. I was referring to the type of tapeworms that infect reptiles and birds as their target final host. They start their lives as larvae living in the guts of fish or amphibians and this is the only way for them to infect a reptile. Swallowing the egg of this type of tape worm won't do it. The snake must swallow the live larvae which lives inside the intestines of the fish or frog.

Worm eggs can certainly be all over fillet. The thing is whether or not swallowing the egg will be enough to cause infection. That all depends on the type of worm, and the type of animal (warm blooded or cold blooded) doing the swallowing. I still think that live adult pinworms aren't an issue. I think they will get digested. However, the eggs will survive to pass through the lower intestines, where they will certainly hatch and live. This wouldn't work for certain tape worms since they need to hatch and live as larvae in an intermediate host first.

As for the frog legs, I would certainly deep freeze them for at least 60 days. Most frog legs intended for human consumption are raised on farms where they inspect and control things like parasites. Probably wouldn't hurt one bit to nuke them until they're hot, let them cool, then feed them to your snakes. Just as a precaution.

[RedSidedSPR]

I'd say it's safe... if you freeze.. but what do i know?

Is there another frog source that's safer? Does anyone know of a safe amphibian source?

[Sonya610]

I'd say it's safe... if you freeze.. but what do i know?

Is there another frog source that's safer? Does anyone know of a safe amphibian source?

After a bit of googling it appears most are wild caught in Indonesia or other Asian countries (which means frozen in an industrial freezer which is good parasite wise). I can ask where they came from at the store but I am getting worried about pesticides and other toxins. Sheesh if fish seems worrisome frog legs from Indonesia can't be any better.

Maybe will just stick with pinkies and silversliders for now.

[infernalis]

Just so ya all know, Frog legs are chopped off the frog while it is still alive, and the legless torso is thrown into the trash to die slow.

Frog leg industry fact....

Some restaurants have discontinued frog legs from the menu due to inhumane harvesting techniques.

[ConcinusMan]

I think they would be fine, honestly. I've talked to Dr. Robert Mason about this before. He's a professor of zoology, specifically heavily involved in studying garter snakes. He has his own lab and everything at OSU. He says it's perfectly safe to feed your garter snakes WC frogs even if they have parasites, provided you freeze them at 0 degrees F or colder, for at least 60 days. I have a dedicated full size freezer, mainly for vacuum sealed meat. It fluctuates between -3 and about +3 degrees F. I think that would work just fine.

[Sonya610]

Just so ya all know, Frog legs are chopped off the frog while it is still alive, and the legless torso is thrown into the trash to die slow.

Oh good lord! I read some articles that said don't eat frogs they are endangered etc... but NONE said THAT!!! That is beyond horrid!

Okay I will forget about that idea.

[snakeman]

Snakes need whole prey animals.legs only would not be enough.