f/t popper

My boy tends to pop the f/t mouse when he strangles it (I think he just likes putting on a show). Sometimes he eats it anyway, but sometimes he just leaves the mess for me to clean up. He used to eat live, but my dad made me switch in order for me to keep the snake >.< it's kind of starting to waste money since I can't buy in bulk either since I'm not allowed to keep the mice in the freezer...any suggestion on why he strangles to the point of popping sometimes or on a way to save a little money?

edit - he never refuses the food beforehand either, really sweet and not head shy too so meh lol

How are you thawing the mice?

I set the mouse out under a heat lamp until it's fully warm... is that bad?

It is likely the way your thawing the mice. I leave mine in luke warm water until its thawed (1-2 hours) then put it in hot water for a few minutes. this way shouldn't blow up

You may be warming it up a tad too much. Usually the popping happens when you thaw out a rodent for to long or bring the temperature up to high.

They generally take around an hour or so to be warm when I feel their stomachs and only about half of them pop O.o is their a better way to do it?

Put it in a Zip lock bag and let them thaw in luke warm water. Once they are fully thawed you put them in really hot water for a couple of minutes and offer them to your snake. It only takes about 5 minutes in the really hot water after they are thawed to do the trick.

mkay....thanks...I'll do that today (since he popped his meal yesterday >.<)

I might as well ask another question while I'm at it. My boy doesn't seem to like his hides...he started with two plastic bowls turned over and a little bridge just for fun out front for him to climb on. He fancies that bridge now and never used the hides...I replaced them as he grew and he would curl around them or sit on top or out in front O.o and he seems quite happy out in the open. so I took the hides out and replaced them with some fake plants which he seems to like more. Is that normal?

temp is 91 on the warm side and about 83 on the cool side. 53 humidity...and as I said before, he is completely not head shy...should I try and give him hides again?

I would always leave the hides in whether they are being used or not. He will use them eventually.