"Popped" Rats

First off, I apologize in advance if this was discussed previously, but I didn't find what I was looking for by doing a search.

My bp has always "popped" about a rat or two a year. Recently however, this is happening more and more frequently...pretty much every other feeding. Her last feeding was especially gruesome.

Is there something preventable that's causing this? Thawing too much? Not enough?


TIA,
Tony C.

I'm assuming these are f/t? If so there are a few threads about thawing out slower. In either case make sure the prey item is not too small.. What's the weight of your snake and what are you currently feeding?

She was 1200g empty last time I weighed her (about a week ago). I have her on f/t medium rats once a week.

Your probably thawing them too fast and in too hot of water. Thaw them completely in cool water then use hotter water to warm them up. Don't ever use water hotter than you can comfortably keep your hand in for a min. The smaller the feeder the more sensitive they are to thawing temp.

Thawing technique is often times the cause of popping rats, but it could also be an old batch. Rats that have been dead for much over a year (or less, depending on how cold they're kept) are more likely to pop, as are rats that have been thawed and refrozen. Have you recently ordered a new batch of rats?

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Originally Posted by Crazy4Herps

Thawing technique is often times the cause of popping rats, but it could also be an old batch. Rats that have been dead for much over a year (or less, depending on how cold they're kept) are more likely to pop, as are rats that have been thawed and refrozen. Have you recently ordered a new batch of rats?

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Now that you mention it, it was a f/t from Petco...who knows how long they've been there. The most recent one bled like crazy too; I've never seen that before. It was like someone shot the damn thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AT6CL

Now that you mention it, it was a f/t from Petco...who knows how long they've been there. The most recent one bled like crazy too; I've never seen that before. It was like someone shot the damn thing.

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That could very well be the problem. I've had all kinds of bad experiences with Petco f/t falling apart and smelling and peeling; they seem to have no idea whatsoever about the shelflife of dead rats. :rolleyes: