frustration with unthawing f/t

I've tried putting f/t in a ziplock bag then placing it in hot water, but sometimes I get water in the bag and my bp doesn't want anything to do with it. I let one sit out for about 3 hours to unthaw then placed it under a heat lamp to get the temp up so it will seem more like a live rat. The problem with this is I don't get an even temp. One part will be 100 degrees and another part will be 80 degrees. I've had the guts pop open on 3 rats so far. I'm guessing this is from overheating.

What is the ideal temp for the food anyway? I have an infra-red thermometer to get the temp.

Hmm.. I thaw mine out in hot water. I put the rat in a LARGE plastic bag, then put it in a SMALL plastic container (the container was from a tub of cheese spread) I make sure the mouth of the bag is hanging out of the container. You could also use a twist tie to make sure water doesn't get in there.

I've never had a rat 'pop' I'm also not obsessive about temperature. Just as long as it's warm to the touch, and thawed all the way through.

Let the rat sit out overnight to come up to room temperature. Before you feed it to your BP put it on a heating pad or under a heat lamp for 10-15 minutes to really jack the temperature up to something warm & tasty for your BP to key in on.

BTW - to unthaw something would be to freeze it. Thawing is what you want to do. ;)

K

i'm glad mine bp's don't mine then wet or dry

He doesn't seem very interested if it isn't around 95. He ate good last week (for the first time since i've had him) this week I have had him strike and wrap up 2 rat pups. The first one he was trying to eat but he was going at it from the side instead of the head and it was almost like he got frustrated and gave up. Then I checked the temp and it was down to about 80. Once I warmed it back up under the heat lamp he immediately got it again then the guts popped out of it. He sniffed around at it for a little while then went back into his hide.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KLG

BTW - to unthaw something would be to freeze it. Thawing is what you want to do. ;)

K

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Thats what I meant :)

Where do you get your rats? Mine never pop, and seem pretty 'hardy' I think it is because they are fresh. Just a thought.

I am glad Reba is not fusy. I thaw out a mouse in hot water for 15 minutes, put it under a heat lamp for 15 minutes and she attacks it as soon as I put it down.

My silly mother wont let me thaw rats (the large ones) out overnight and i have no clue why, so i just take it out when i wake up and then let it thaw out until late evening and then warm it up under a lamp or heat pad (i think lamps work better for larger food items) for a couple minutes and then feed it.

I just got done feeding two of my snakes :) fun stuff.

If they don't like it wet, thaw it out in hot water then dry it off with a hair drier on high.

Dry&warm, mmmmm.

Or.......you could just skip the bag method all together.......

I got the f/t's from rodentpro.com I've read a few times that getting them wet "washes" some of the smell away.

It does but i think you would really have to get it soaked to rinse away alot of scent.

I used to thaw out my mice like that (back when roxy was eating mice) but it just never worked for me.

I employ the same method as Shelby. I put it in a plastic zip lock sandwich baggie, then put that in a zip lock freezer baggie...then I put it in a plastic chinese food container-with the mouth over the edge. I fill with hot water and put the lid on over the baggie-I can get it to seal with the mouth hanging over the side. I leave it like that for about 20 - 30 minutes and then empty and fill once more. That's usually all it takes and so far I've never had a rat 'pop'--knock on wood.

He just ate! I got some great pics too!! :D I've found out that it has to be pretty warm for him to be interested in it. Before it would be warm enough but by the time he got done "killing" it the temp had dropped and he didn't want it anymore. This time I got it up to about 100 degrees and made it "dance" and he pounced on it after about 30 seconds. Then he held it for a couple of minutes then ate it. I guess it just wasn't staying warm enough for him.
I used freezer bags this time instead of regular ziplock bags since they're supposed to have more of a waterproof seal, then put it under the heat lamp for about 10 minutes flipped it over 10 more minutes then fed it to him.

Glad everything worked out for you :)

Did you take pictures with a digital cam ? If so, you should post some pics of your little guy chowing down.Im sure everyone would love to see them.Feeding pics are the best ! :D

Here ya go! I posted them as links for those with slow connections. The 3rd one is my favorite, it really shows how much he can stretch!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...wideeating.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...gbeginning.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...atcheating.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...doneeating.jpg

Great pics :D the third one is awesome !

Thanks, yeah that 3rd one is by far my favorite. He was like that for about a minute gulping it down.

FYI: normal body temp for rats and mice is 98.6F, just like with humans, so if your snake is a drop-in feeder, around 99F is ideal temp, and if you have to do a dance, 100F or a little higher is better, to make it easier to distinguish prey heat signature from your own.

Marla I guess you're called the Forum Diva for a reason because that makes a whole lot of sense! I should have thought of that body temp thing a long time ago. Thanks for the info!

-Troy

LOL. You're welcome, Troy. It was something I got curious about and looked up several months ago because of problems Tigergenesis was having with her snake not eating unless she super-heated the prey, higher even than normal body temps for African rodents (depending on type, generally around 101F-103F).