Pre-killed, F/T Inquiries

i never leave a live rodent in my snake's cage unattended. Bites to happen, and even though the worst that is likely to happen is an unsightly scar, no one wants an injured snake.

I'm an animal lover of all sorts so I had to get used to feeding live. I felt horrible feeding f/t because I felt like I was playing with a dead animal's body... it is technically what I'm doing. Anyway, I don't know if I could stomach watching a rat split (?). Is there any way to prevent this?

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Originally Posted by Pandora

Does thawing them at room temperature make the room stink at all? What's the minimum time they need to thaw at room temp?

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I guess it depends on the size of the rat but I'd say ~2-3 hours would ensure thawing. To be honest I didn't have any problems with smell at all. I actually leave it to thaw near the snake's enclosure to sorta pre-scent.

I imagine constant thawing/refreezing/thawing (in the event that the snake does not eat) would make things stink. But since your snake is a good eater, this shouldn't be an issue.

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Originally Posted by instinct27

I guess it depends on the size of the rat but I'd say ~2-3 hours would ensure thawing. To be honest I didn't have any problems with smell at all. I actually leave it to thaw near the snake's enclosure to sorta pre-scent.

I imagine constant thawing/refreezing/thawing (in the event that the snake does not eat) would make things stink. But since your snake is a good eater, this shouldn't be an issue.

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Like mentioned by another poster, what are the chances of the rat splitting if I put them in hot water after thawing?

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Originally Posted by Pandora

Like mentioned by another poster, what are the chances of the rat splitting if I put them in hot water after thawing?

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Hasn't happened to me so I can't comment on that.

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Doesnt he feed f/t in all of his snakebyte videos? I feed live, but I hate it because of all the poop the rats leave behind that I have to clean if they do not eat right away

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Yea, he said that he feeds everything f/t, except for his ball pythons. He said that he leaves the live rats in the tubs overnight, and has never had any issues.

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Originally Posted by Pandora

Like mentioned by another poster, what are the chances of the rat splitting if I put them in hot water after thawing?

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If they are thawed, then they will not split. I have had this happen when they were not all the way thawed though.

I feed 15 snakes f/t rats and have never had one split.

I purchase my rodents from The Mouse Factory and allow them to thaw all day long near the snake cages and tubs. In the evening, I take each rat and use a blow dryer to heat the head. I use hemostats to offer the prey to the snakes who totally slam them every week!!!

I have never viewed my process as playing with, or desiccating in any way, the lifeless body of what was, in life, a rat. I do view my feeding activities as necessary given my choice to keep snakes.

I would suggest feeding live multiples of mice given your feelings on this issue.

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Originally Posted by starmom

I feed 15 snakes f/t rats and have never had one split.

I purchase my rodents from The Mouse Factory and allow them to thaw all day long near the snake cages and tubs. In the evening, I take each rat and use a blow dryer to heat the head. I use hemostats to offer the prey to the snakes who totally slam them every week!!!

I have never viewed my process as playing with, or desiccating in any way, the lifeless body of what was, in life, a rat. I do view my feeding activities as necessary given my choice to keep snakes.

I would suggest feeding live multiples of mice given your feelings on this issue.

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I don't mind feeding frozen or live. I'm just saying It was a bit uncomfortable the first time for each. I've gotten quite used to it but it's not something I'm going to avoid doing just because initially it made me uncomfortable.

Once again, my issue is not the f/t vs live issue it's why she's nudging her food after constricting it and how to feed her completely dry F/T in order to resolve this.

So, I allow the rats to thaw in ambient temps all day long. They are never wet after thawing. I then use a blow dryer to increase heat signature on the head of the rodent. I feed.

I have never fed a wet rodent to my snakes because I have never heated in any sort of hot water. I believe that allowing them to thaw out over time promotes a very thawed and a completely dry rodent :gj: