I need tips on unthawing rats.

Hey, I'm switching over to frozen thawed because I know it's generally healthier for snakes. My ball python has never given me a problem when it's time to eat. Anyways I'm new to being a snake owner but I know pretty much everything there is to know. I love this website I spend a lot of time on here. I will just look at you guys problems and the responses you guys get just so I can continue to learn and to be aware of safe hazardous or things I can improve on. So I've done plenty of research on Unthawing rate but I can't seem to get a good clear understanding. Can you guys list the steps that you go through when it's time to unthaw your snakes meal. I would really appreciate anyone who takes their time to read this and respond.

I pull the rats out, let them sit for about 8 hours to heat to room temperature (depends on the size of the rat), then I have a heat lamp I turn on to warm their heads to about 100 degrees and then use hemostats holding the tail to offer them to the bp.

Well, I got my first snakes this summer and found out how to thaw rats the right way after having one explode. I wanted to make sure the rat was well thawed and went overboard. An exploded rat smells absolutely horrible. If you're interested, you can read the thread here: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hlight=brickle And once I stopped overheating the rats, my champagne started eating, too.

I pull them out of the freezer put them in airtight bags after weighing them (I keep close records) put them in the hottest water that comes out of the faucet for on average 20 minutes take them out of the bag, dry them off, put them on a paper plate and heat them up on low high heat with a hair dryer. I get the body to about 85 or so with the hairdryer and the head about 125 for the heat signature then I open the tubs stick the head in the hide and close the tubs.


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Oh, never refreeze and thaw the rat to offer again later. I freeze all uneaten animals before throwing them out, but a refrozen and thawed rat is more likely to burst open.

I usually run mine in room temp water until it defrosts and then run warm water after. I blow dry it after, near his enclosure to entice him a bit!

i usually thaw them out in the fridge or in plastic bags in warm water. Hot water or blow dryer to warm them up right before offering them. The thawed rats should be squishy but if your really worried about them not being thawed all the way put them in the fridge the night before and then water if their still hard.

Since I'm feeding tomorrow should I place the rat in the refrigerator until tomorrow then pull them out in the morning and let them sit until later tomorrow night?

I currently have a rat in the refrigerator in an airtight bag. Should I let it sit in there overnight since I'm feeding tomorrow then once I'm ready to feed warm the rat body up?

Yeah, I thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then place in a ziploc bag and soak in hot tap water to warm them.

The time to thaw the rat will depend on the size of the rat . I have been putting 100-150 gram rats in the fridge the morning i feed and when i get home from work i heat them up in water or blow dryer.

I put mine in a bowl of hot water from the tap. After about 30 min they're thawed. Then I dump the cold water out of the bowl and refill with hot water, let them sit for a few minutes to get hot. I'll just dab off the water with a paper towel before feeding. I do have to thaw the mice seperate from the rats. My male absolutely hates the taste of rats. I can trick him every now and then into eating one by scenting it, but then he really scans the food the next feeding and might refuse the next couple, even if they are his preferred mice.


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Up through mediums I simply thaw at room temp for a few hours before soaking them in hot tap water.

Large through jumbo, or 1 pound rabbits or larger, get thawed in the refrigerator over a day or two before feeding day. Anything rabbit bigger than a 3# rabbit may take a few days to thaw before warming them on feeding day - bunny fur is a great insulator.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

I pull the rats out, let them sit for about 8 hours to heat to room temperature (depends on the size of the rat), then I have a heat lamp I turn on to warm their heads to about 100 degrees and then use hemostats holding the tail to offer them to the bp.

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Second this.


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Defiantly using these tips tomorrow. Maybe I can get my mojo eating! (Picky eater, only had two feeds since he came to us as a rescue. We've had him since may)
Hopefully he takes it :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LightningPython

Defiantly using these tips tomorrow. Maybe I can get my mojo eating! (Picky eater, only had two feeds since he came to us as a rescue. We've had him since may)
Hopefully he takes it :)

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That's actually not bad, some of my adult males only eat once a month normally. As long as he's not losing weight he's fine.

I put the rat in a ziploc bag and put the bag in a bowl of warm-hot tap water. After a few hours when they're totally thawed I superheat them with a blow dryer to a temperature of about 100F then I serve them to the snakes. Works like a charm.

I take the frozen rat (size small) and put it into a zip-lock squeezing extra air out of the bag before i seal it. Then i put the bagged rat into a little bowl or tupperware of water taht is as hot as my tap will go, making sure that the whole rat is submerged (which is why i try to squeezer the air out of the bag to eliminate the balloon effect) i let it sit for about 1.5 to 2 hours. After that time i check the rat without opening the back, flexing it and articulating its joints, feeling the belly, looking for cold spots. If it seems good, i dump the water, which is room temp by now, and replace with more hot tap water, but once the container if full i keep the tap running at a low rate to keep a constant flow of fresh hot water circulating - agin, its important to make sure the rat is really submerged so his whole body is being heated evenly. My hot water is not particularly hot (safety thing for the kids), but i keep the flow going for 10 to 15 minutes. And then i take him as fast as i can to avoid letting him cool to my snake and hold it with tongs and "dance" it a little. Frankly as soon as i bring it into the room my boa gets all hot and bothered, he can smell it from a mile away. The main reasons i like my method are,
1: medium rate of thaw, some leave it out all night -too slow for me, but others do the hot water thing from the get go and have it done in 20 minutes, i was told that this rapid thaw changes the, i don't know, texture (?) of the rat and makes it less appealing and potentially messier.
2: the rat never gets wet because its always in the bag until its in the snake. I prefer to not cook a bowl of dead rat broth for my snake bath himself in while constricting, and then spread all over the cage - i imagine that is the herper equivalent of spilling the bong-water.

My room is about 80-84 so I just take them out lay them on a news paper for a couple hours and then heat with a hair dryer and feed. I have a couple aggressive feeders that are striking soon as I open the tub. They are usually waiting at the front of the tub when they smell me heating them.

For defrosting for corn snakes just leave the mouse/rat on the windowsill for 4 hours. For Ball pythons I get warm/hot tap water in a bowl and leave the rat there for an hour and then use a hairdryer to make it warm to the touch - has to be the same temp for at least 2-3 seconds then I offer it to her. Only reason I have had a refusal is because of being transferred to the adult tank and bad humidity when I first got her.

My snake seems to like her meals prepared like the following lolz: the rat is placed in whatever temp comes out of the cold water tap for 20 min and then placed in hot water for 20 minutes. Nice and warm when offered but not hot.

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I thaw overnight in the fridge in ziplock bags, then place in an incubator for an hour before feeding set to 110F. For larger rats I keep them in the incubator for 1.5 to 2 hours. They always come out perfect.

The best way that I've found worked for me, even with stubborn eaters is:

1.) Take whatever you plan on feeding out at least 4-5 hours in advance that way it'll fully thaw out(make sure it's in a ziploc bag that's properly sealed).
2.) Run the hot water for a few minutes to let it get fully hot then fill a large pot full of water.
3.) Place the ziploc bag in the pot(make sure it has little to no air in it, I do this during the placing in the ziploc bag).
4.) Place a cup or something and fill it with water and place on top of the bag to keep the bag under water.

Now depending on what temperature your water heater is set on some waters may be hotter than others, so you may want to repeat steps 2-4 an additional time.

5.) Once the water is starting to cool down while it's still lukewarm take the bag out and empty it onto a saucer or something of that nature(I had a designated plate for this that I ONLY used for this)
6.) Go in the snake room, turn on your hair dryer and heat the rats/mice up with the hair dryer.

This also gets a really good feeding response going because you're basically scenting the whole room on top of getting the food for them nice and warm.

EDIT:
One of my feeding videos I did. FYI I usually fed in the afternoon and it was my day off so I was normally a bit tipsy, lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMI25UygSxQ

I take the mouse out and put it on my snakes tub, there's holes on the lid so she can smell the mouse. When it's fully thawed out, I boil some water and dip the head of the mice in there for about 30 seconds.