How long do you thaw hoppers?

I feed my bp F/T hoppers and I usually let them thaw for quite a long time in warm/hot (not hot enough to cook it) water and I think I'm overdoing it... How long does it usually take you guys to thaw out hoppers?

I put my mice in a plastic sealed bag, put the hottest water that will come from the tap into the sink, weigh the bag down with coffee cups so it will stay submerged, and they're normally thawed within 20 minutes or so.

The way I can tell is when I pick them up, they're warm to the touch throughout the body and they're flexible and fleshy. I usually give them a small "squish" or a "roll" with my fingers when I think they're thawed out to make sure there are no cool spots anywhere on the body.

We leave them at room temperature after pulling out of the freezer for 24 hours (or overnight sometimes only 16 hours). Then we place them on a warm UTH or other heat pad for about 1 hour and then feed away. You can also warm them with a hair dryer if you don't have a large number of them. This way seems to thaw them slowly enough that they don't get slightly cooked or stomach ruptures.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muddoc

We leave them at room temperature after pulling out of the freezer for 24 hours (or overnight sometimes only 16 hours). Then we place them on a warm UTH or other heat pad for about 1 hour and then feed away. You can also warm them with a hair dryer if you don't have a large number of them. This way seems to thaw them slowly enough that they don't get slightly cooked or stomach ruptures.

---

Yep couple of feet of 11" flexwatt, dimmer, and a rag towel makes a great rat warmer.. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lexxielightning

I feed my bp F/T hoppers and I usually let them thaw for quite a long time in warm/hot (not hot enough to cook it) water and I think I'm overdoing it... How long does it usually take you guys to thaw out hoppers?

---

what makes you think you overdid it???

I place a frozen hopper in a mug of hot water from the tap for about 10 mins, take it out and poke around to make sure its not cold. Then I blast it with the blow dryer to add some extra heat and also dry it off since I put the mouse straight into the water.

Just defrosted a full grown mouse last week the same way, took about 20 mins.

I don't usually time it, but I put them in some warm water and check on them every 10 -15 minutes. If the water gets cold I change it back with warm water. I know they're ready when they have no more cold spots and feel nice and soft like a live rat.

Larger rats I leave in the fridge for a day or so to let them thaw, then I let them sit in some warm water until they're nice a warm.