thawing your f/t

How do you thaw your f/t rodents?

I thaw in a plastic baggie submerged in a cup of hot water for an hour or so. That's not under running water, but it's not really leaving it out either, so I didn't know which to choose, haha.

Other

In a tupperware container of warm water.

If you guys put it in hot water how long u leave it in there?

I put them in ziplock bags and run them under very hot water and hold them down underwater while they are in bags if I want to get it done without having time to prepare. Otherwise, I put them in ziplock bags and leave them on the windowsill inside unti lthey thaw out and try to feed them ASAP. If I have to reheat them, I will quickly put them back under really hot water or heat them with a blowdryer to ensure that they are dry and hot.

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

If you guys put it in hot water how long u leave it in there?

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Bout an hour.

When I know I'm going to feed later that day I just leave them in the Zip-locs with the bag actually open to vent off any moisture and leave them out on the deck in the Arizona sun. That'll do it! Has never failed. By the time the boys are ready to hit them they are all nice-n-warm too...mmmm...

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Originally Posted by mrmertz

When I know I'm going to feed later that day I just leave them in the Zip-locs with the bag actually open to vent off any moisture and leave them out on the deck in the Arizona sun. That'll do it! Has never failed. By the time the boys are ready to hit them they are all nice-n-warm too...mmmm...

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Until you come out and ur mouse is gone :O

Some1 else wasnt gonna wait :8::rofl:

I put mine in a shoebox tub over a human heating pad. They get really hot!

I just leave the rats out at room temp until thawed. Feed at room temp and all is well.

Using heat pads or hot water will run the chance of overheating or possibly cooking the rat. Remember their body temp isn't 100+ degrees so there's no reason to warm them that much.


Gavin

Either in a big plastic bowl with hot water, or in a cup under running hot water.

Either way, full thaw of medium rats only takes 10-15 minutes or less.

I usually put mine in the fridge the day before feeding night (sunday oh that reminds me...) I then remove it from the fridge about an hour before feeding time and let it warm up to room temps (on the bottom of a coffee can metal seems to help) Then in the snake room on the rad for 20 min or so and I will blast the head with a hair dryer just before feeding (Dr Dels tip, BTW thanks)

I put them at room temp for a few hours to thaw, then run under hot water from the tap for a few minutes. I usually only run a couple of rodents at a time under the water, unless they're pretty warm, my snakes don't take them.

And I do all of this in zip-loc freezer bags.

Thanks, guys!

I actually put them under running COLD water, because that's how I thaw meat. And if I forget about them and leave them there for an hour, at least they don't spoil... but it wastes water. :( Then I pat them dry and warm their noses under the heat lamp for few minutes while I put snakes into cardboard boxes and start dispensing the live rodents.

I just thaw at room temperature for a few hours...

Hi,

I thaw them on the warm end of an unused tub.

The thermostat stops them getting too hot but the process is still slow enough that the scent has time to spread and let the snakes know it's dinner time.

Then I give the heads a quick blast with a hairdrier just before offering. :gj:


dr del

I put lg mouse in a bowl of hot water for 15 min, and reheat the water after 10 min. By the way, why do people dry the rats/ mice off before feeding to the snake? It seems that the additional water would be good for them. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by loonunit

Thanks, guys!

I actually put them under running COLD water, because that's how I thaw meat. And if I forget about them and leave them there for an hour, at least they don't spoil... but it wastes water. :( Then I pat them dry and warm their noses under the heat lamp for few minutes while I put snakes into cardboard boxes and start dispensing the live rodents.

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Hooray for someone who knows the correct (safe) way to thaw meat, which, let's be honest, is what you're doing! I mean, I know snakes have really impressive digestive acid, but still, why encourage bacteria growth in your feeder rodents by "leaving them out for a couple of hours?"

I only feed live, I hated waiting for the frozen to thaw. With live there is no wait, you just have to supervise.

I just use a clay pot to microwave water in for a couple minutes, then put the mouse on a landing above the water for 5 minutes and its ready

I do both the first and third option... I thaw them under running water then warm them under a heat lamp for a minute or 2 and then feed off.

yeah i fill up a my bathroom sink with hot water drop the rat mouse or asf in it and when i pull the out the water i roll them up in my SHAM WOW and then ill put under heat lamp to get it warmer than the air temp and wham! they take it. or i just pull something live out and drop it there and watch. always check the temp of rat ect. with my temp gun also

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Originally Posted by moravaguy

yeah i fill up a my bathroom sink with hot water drop the rat mouse or asf in it and when i pull the out the water i roll them up in my SHAM WOW and then ill put under heat lamp to get it warmer than the air temp and wham! they take it. or i just pull something live out and drop it there and watch. always check the temp of rat ect. with my temp gun also

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I wonder if Vince Offer will change the sham wow pitch to include de-frosting rat-sicles!! :rolleye2: sorry I couldn't help myself... :oops:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

I wonder if Vince Offer will change the sham wow pitch to include de-frosting rat-sicles!! :rolleye2: sorry I couldn't help myself... :oops:

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:rofl:

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

Either in a big plastic bowl with hot water, or in a cup under running hot water.

Either way, full thaw of medium rats only takes 10-15 minutes or less.

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Thats thats what i was thinking. I see some people thaw for a hr. like 5-10 mins does my mouse good.

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

I thaw them on the warm end of an unused tub.

The thermostat stops them getting too hot but the process is still slow enough that the scent has time to spread and let the snakes know it's dinner time.

Then I give the heads a quick blast with a hairdrier just before offering. :gj:


dr del

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That's an Idea.. I never feed F/t but my newest addiction is taking F/T without hesitation (as a seller said) so i gonna try Your way Derek. i have plenty unused Tub i this rack :D:D:D

I only started feeding medium rats a month or so ago, and I'm finding that they take a LOT longer than 15-20 minutes at room temp to thaw out. I've left them out in a shoebox tub for 2 hours and they're still solid inside.

I have always reverted to soaking them in a big bowl of hot water and drying them quickly before offering them. That's the only thing that works for me so far.

I like the idea of thawing them in water, but in a plastic bag to keep them dry. I'll try that tonight. Thanks!

just wondering why are we so worried about the rat being wet, as long as its not soaking wet everything is good

Hi,

It depends on a couple of things really.

If you use a particulate substrate then it will tend to stick more to a wet rat than a dry one.

Some snakes will not eat wet rats - while others will massively prefer them over dry ones. :rolleyes:

In all these things you have to read all the advice then adapt it to your own snake and setup if needed. :)


dr del

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

Until you come out and ur mouse is gone :O

Some1 else wasnt gonna wait :8::rofl:

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Actually I thought about that! But where they sit to be thawed is on a second floor balcony. The only thing that could possibly grab it for a meal would be a hawk. We have a lot of them around. But then again if the thing never moves the hawk wouldn't pick up on it.

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Originally Posted by mrmertz

Actually I thought about that! But where they sit to be thawed is on a second floor balcony. The only thing that could possibly grab it for a meal would be a hawk. We have a lot of them around. But then again if the thing never moves the hawk wouldn't pick up on it.

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Very true :D

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Originally Posted by moravaguy

just wondering why are we so worried about the rat being wet, as long as its not soaking wet everything is good

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I mostly just pat them dry out of respect for the picky eaters, who I figure prefer their dead mice to look as much like live mice as possible. It's also harder to warm their noses when they're wet--but that's another thing I'm doing to accommodate the finicky snakes.

(I spend a lot less effort in the summer, when everyone is gobbling down 4 or 5 jumbo mice each week!)

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Originally Posted by mrmertz

Actually I thought about that! But where they sit to be thawed is on a second floor balcony. The only thing that could possibly grab it for a meal would be a hawk. We have a lot of them around. But then again if the thing never moves the hawk wouldn't pick up on it.

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Hah, I have dogs! I used to leave my mice out to thaw when I went out to dinner. I stopped doing that because sometimes when I returned, I'd discover that a mouse was missing. And SOMETIMES I'd find the missing mouse IN MY BED.

On top of an old grocery bag sitting next to my snake's cages. The room's about 80 degrees and I let them sit there for about an hour and a half. When they're thawed everyone is ready to eat.

on feeding day i take mine out and thaw on the counter....about 30 min before feeding i put in baggie and put in a bowl of hot water...he takes it as soon a i dangle it over him.

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Originally Posted by loonunit

Hah, I have dogs! I used to leave my mice out to thaw when I went out to dinner. I stopped doing that because sometimes when I returned, I'd discover that a mouse was missing. And SOMETIMES I'd find the missing mouse IN MY BED.

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Let me get this straight...the dog(s) - not a cat, would take a mouse and then carry it off to your bed?!

Wow. What would REALLY freak me out is if the dog carried the mouse off to the bed and when I got home I found candles lit and soft music playing! :D

i put them in the ziploc bags that you can suck the air out of (cant remember what they're called) and put them in hot water, then blow dry them to keep them warm and dry, if any get wet ill pat them dry, i figure i dont like eating soggy burgers, why would my snakes like soggy rats? ;D

I leave mine out for twenty-four hours, then put them in hot water for about thirty minutes. I thaw out around thirty to forty at a time, and many different sizes. They are all kept in zip-lock bags while thawing and in the water.

Room temp for 12 hours or so. I usually leave a plate of rats out on top of the cages. It's hilarious to watch the snakes throughout the day!! They'll smell them and start going crazy. I always make sure to clean cages beforehand... I can't even open the cages without getting a hungry snake jumping out at me! I love my good eaters. :D

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Originally Posted by Crazy4Herps

Room temp for 12 hours or so. I usually leave a plate of rats out on top of the cages. It's hilarious to watch the snakes throughout the day!! They'll smell them and start going crazy. I always make sure to clean cages beforehand... I can't even open the cages without getting a hungry snake jumping out at me! I love my good eaters. :D

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I fed all of my mouse and pinky rat eaters last night and used this method to thaw them. My adult male BP was so aroused that he struck at the enclosure wall when I walked by!

I have a plastic container put them in cold water for about an hour then drain that put hot water in let it sit for 20 min and serve em up

I prefer feeding freshly killed rodents rather than dealing with frozen but I do usually end up with a few feeders that go uneaten and are put in the freezer. Those I thaw out either in cool water and then dry them off with a hairdryer or I let them thaw out on top of a cage with a heatlamp nearby to keep them warm but not cooked.

As for soggy feeders... My colubrids don't seem to care but many of my pythons act disinterested in wet feeders. I have to blow dry them with a hairdryer to get any response from them.

Really prefer to forego all the hassle of thawing out and tweaking their foods just so they'll accept them. F/k just works better for me.

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Originally Posted by mrmertz

Let me get this straight...the dog(s) - not a cat, would take a mouse and then carry it off to your bed?!

Wow. What would REALLY freak me out is if the dog carried the mouse off to the bed and when I got home I found candles lit and soft music playing! :D

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Correct! And let's not forget the extra-yummy fact that it was a DEAD mouse!

OK last night was Odin first feeding in new place (my place). Breeder with i bought him said that he eat everything what You put on front of him so i decided try F/T in the first time in my life. I drop small/medium rat to a bowl with warm water wait for a 30 min and after that drop in empty tub in hot spot for like and hour. Odin don't even move all this time... after that i took rat with hemostat and blow some air with hair dryer into went holes. I see reaction right away... He get so ready that after few seconds of rat dangling he slam it without any hesitation. And he aim in the head, heated by hairdryer so i see now a reason to do it (give him aiming hot spot) I'm happy that everything go so easy so thanks for great post and all Your opinions guys. :D

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

I put mine in a shoebox tub over a human heating pad. They get really hot!

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I'm totally going to try this!

I simply soak mine in hot water (replaced once halfway through) for about 30 min., then hold the heads under the running hot water to focus heat them as well as to rinse off any excess blood or other mess on the rat. A quick pat dry to prevent dripping water, then dangle into the cage. :) My two remaining snakes are eager feeders, especially Ari's corn Freya, and have never minded wet food. :)

I've tried several other methods (never direct heat like pads or cooking appliances of course), and the hot water works best for me and the snakes. :D

leave for one hour to reach room temp, then i use a blow-dryer and the blow dry the rodent.

... so I was advocating the thawing under water method back when I made this poll, but I've since switched back to leaving the rodents out for a couple hours, then warming their noses under a heat lamp. I find the smell of the thawing/warming rodent does a lot to stimulate appetite in the so-so feeders. The running water washes most of that delicious rodent-y smell away.

I do still use the water to thaw if I run out of rats and still have hungry snakes. Because water thawing is fast. But then I usually have to spend some extra time convincing the snakes that yes, this is REALLY IS another rat, even if it doesn't smell as strongly.

Hot water. Never had a problem feeding f/t :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gyYLSrb-Bw&feature=plcp

I take 5 rodents (various sizes) and put them in a small plastic box. I then fill it with VERY hot tap water. Largest one's thawed in 10-15 minutes. They don't "cook" from the hot water, as the rodents act as rodent-cicles and cool the water down, as quickly as the very hot water begins to thaw them.

I let drip off a bit before tossing them in tubs, and 85% of the time all 5, could care less how wet they are.

From my perspective the plastic bag and blow dryer routines as too involved. IMHO