any tips of warming up larger rats faster

I know that patience is key when dealing with BPs but I don't seem to have it when warming up rats. I'm using medium rats and they seem to take so long to warm up with a blow dryer.

Do you guys have any tips/suggestions on making the process faster?

Take them out of your freezer the day before freezing and place them in your refridgerator overnight. . . Longer process initially, but when you go to use them that afternoon you will find they are quickly warmed up. . .

When I thaw out Large to Jumbo Rats, I usually just thaw them out in a bucket of warm water. Change the water every 30 minutes, and it should be thawed within an hour or so. It takes "longer" but its more hands off which makes it go faster for you since you can multitask while you take care of other stuff. Some people have issues using wet rats, but my snakes love em.

I already take them out of the freezer the night before, let it thaw in the fridge and then leave it out for an hour so it reaches room temp.

I'm thinking of soaking it in hot water before blow drying it

That works as well. . . I just find the hotwater to be more convinient! Set it and forget it :-)

I let them reach room temperature (about 80deg in my snake room), and then just hit the head with a hairdryer for ~30 seconds. I see no reason to heat the entire rat, since I am offering it headfirst.

Put in a plastic zipper bag so the rat won't be wet when you soak it in the warm water.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

I let them reach room temperature (about 80deg in my snake room), and then just hit the head with a hairdryer for ~30 seconds. I see no reason to heat the entire rat, since I am offering it headfirst.

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Does this work consistently? I find that if I don't have the body heated she will stare at it but won't take it. It could be the head isn't warm enough though...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

I let them reach room temperature (about 80deg in my snake room), and then just hit the head with a hairdryer for ~30 seconds. I see no reason to heat the entire rat, since I am offering it headfirst.

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^This^

I warm up jumbo rats (retired breeder) like this, all it's needed is heat where it matters. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Rusky

Does this work consistently? I find that if I don't have the body heated she will stare at it but won't take it. It could be the head isn't warm enough though...

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This is how I feed ~30 BPs, so yes, very consistent. :) I offer the rat by holding it by the scruff (behind the shoulders) with tongs, which directs it headfirst toward the snake. It could be that you aren't heating the head enough, or that the body isn't truly room temp yet, so the head is cooling faster when you remove the heat.

Add: The best part is, now my BPs are "trained" to the hairdryer. If they aren't front and center, halfway out of their hides, within a minute or two of turning it on, they aren't hungry and I don't waste my time even offering to that snake.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

Add: The best part is, now my BPs are "trained" to the hairdryer. If they aren't front and center, halfway out of their hides, within a minute or two of turning it on, they aren't hungry and I don't waste my time even offering to that snake.

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Yes! This is exactly what mine does too. She know loud blowing = food.

Awesome, I'll try that next time I feed her. Thanks for the tips everyone.