Which is better: thawing directly in water or not?

Hi everyone!

I've gotten lots if great tips on how to that and feed my new bp. My one question is are there pros and cons to thawing the mouse directly in water vs keeping it dry in a bag while thawing in water?

I've read people doing both and I'm not sure if there is a reason one is better than the other.

Thanks you :)

Thaw it water
positive: faster. keep your snake hydrated.
Negative: Messy

In bag
Positive: Very clean.
Negative: noon

Either way, it wont hurt your snake so you don't have to worry

I have done both and my snakes eat the same either way, with the exception of my BP. He will only eat if I thaw directly in water fresh out of the freezer. Not sure why, I guess he's just a BP doing what BPs do...

I don't like thawing directly in water, but it's preference.

I thaw overnight (or over several days for larger feeders) then warm the feeders in water. Feed wet.

Two to three days later the retics pee a lot; bunny fur holds a LOT of water.

I have some that absolutely will not eat a wet rat. Most don't care though.

i double bag to thaw in water. i've gotten mixed results when thawing in water directly, plus it's less messy.

So far I have been feeding dry, should I try to wet one and see if she'll take it? I don't want her to be dehydrated lol (although I think I've caught her taking drinks before) she's a solid eater and would prob eat it right up; shall I give it a go?

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Room temps nice and slow nearby the enclosure, it will serve several puroses.

1/ Slow so it's not cooked, and the skin will not been prone to splitting and lead to an exploding rodent.

2/ With snakes like BP the smell with entice them to eat.

Once thawed use a hair dryer concentrating on the head.

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Worth a try. Wet rat sinks more than dry rat. Whatever works better for you. When I feed wet it is by accident because I ended up getting a hole in the bag. I hate the smell.

Oohhh but I do hate the smell, if wet means stink... I'll try it anyway if it's a chance to make sure baby girl is getting enough agua

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Lot's of good advice....I'll throw in my :2cent::2cent:....the more you hear the better you can tailor you're feeding procedure.

I'll pick out my feeders a day or two before and place them in the fridge.

On feeding day I'll remove them from the zip lock bags and put them in warm, not hot, water for 10-20 mins just to warm them up. I then change the water to a bit warmer but not hot and place each in a bowl in the feeding bin (yes, I feed all my snakes in different tub than their enclosures) to pre-scent the feeding tub for about 10 minutes. Then I remove each bowl and get each snake out of their enclosure, weigh them, and put in the respective feeding tub. I'll let them sit in the tub for a few minutes while I change water and give their enclosure a quick cleaning and spruce up. By that time each snake is ready to eat and focused. I hold the feeder in paper towel just so it's not dripping wet, grab a weight on it, and feed with tongs.

I've never had a refusal to eat and had no problems with this procedure. At this time I only have 3 snakes so it's not a huge undertaking for me.

You'll experiment and see what works best for you....good luck.

I thaw directly in hot water as I figure the extra water intake is never a bad thing. Thawing at room temperature over an extended period can lead to significant bacteria growth, which is why the FDA recommends against it. There is definitely the argument that this bacteria has little effect on snakes, but I have seen no scientific data to prove one way or another. I have heard anecdotal reports from people having long term success with this, to those saying they have lost animals due to this method. In my opinion there are two choices, the first is defrosting quickly in hot water as to discourage bacterial growth by a short time period. The second is defrosting slowly over night in temperatures under 40 degrees F, then warming right before feeding. The second method is more inline with the standard FDA regulations, but if you do some searching you can find they aprove of the first as well.

i put my frozen pup rat into a ziplock bag into a container with hot water. an hour later i change the water to hot again and throw the rat in so its wet. I am now feeding Boople in her enclosure since she refuses to eat in her feeding tub. i just lay the rat on the wood and she takes it.