switching from live to f/t

[cecil]

so i am going to try to switch all my balls to f/t. i have fed live, stunned and pre-killed but never frozen.

so my question is how long should i thaw them? should i throw them in the fridge the night before then just soak them in warm water?
can i just take them out of the freezer and thaw them warm water? for how long?

its not like i can cut the thing in half to find out if its completely thawed. how long to be absolutely sure its ready for my snakes?

thanks

[Allysen]

You can definitely do the fridge then warm water thing. The best way to check to make sure that the prey is thawed fully is to squeeze the belly and the headto make sure there aren't any cold parts. I of course do this THROUGH the plastic baggy that they're in, but then again I'm squickish about actually touching dead things.

When I'm doing a big feeding day, I sort out all the prey and put them in ziplock baggies, then soak the baggies in room temperature water for about an hour or so, flipping the bags over once or twice, and then doing hot water to warm them up once they're all pliable and squishy. The it's dangle, duck, and cover!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Time will depend on the size; you will be able to tell just by the touch.

I have tried many things when I used to feed F/T, and here is what I found was working best for me.

I thaw the prey at room temp which allow to pre-scent the room than I warm it up with a hair dryer, finally dangle the prey in front of my BP using a pair of tongs.

Note: Remember if a prey is thawed to quickly (in warm hot water for example) it will be more likely to explode when constricted.

[naba2002]

ive always done the same as above, room temp water and then a quick hot water bath or hair drier. for large adult mice i did around 30 mins in room temp water for a small rat i do a lil over an hour. hope that helps

[cecil]

thanks, i was keeping them in warmish water for about 3 hours to be sure.

now i just have to keep trying to get them to eat them. they all refused...sigh...........