Artic Mice Defroster

A friend got us this little defrosting do-hicky for frozen feeders, I wanted to know what you guys thought of it. I can't seem to google it up otherwise I'd link to an example of it. Anybody familiar with Artic Mice Defroster? She found it at Petsmart and thought it would make our defrosting adventures easier.

Basically it's this cup with a platform in it. You fill it halfway with water, microwave it for 2 minutes, then set the feeder on the platform and close the lid and let it sit for 6-9 minutes. I figure if nothing else it's a nice discreet place to put a defrosting feeder so when my Mom comes to visit she won't squick out.

Sound like a handy tool, or not all that safe for pinkie/fuzzy defrosting?

Woah.

Never so much as heard of it. BY all means do let us know how it works out for you (pssst write a review - me so subtle).

So long as you arent microwaving the feeder itself sounds like it should be ok. I'd make sure it doesnt get overheated. Steamed mouse dumplings mmmmh. So much for Dragon Buffet for lunch ;)

I'll be kinda/sorta testing it out on Gomez's dinner tonight, but it's already been sitting out in the fridge all night so it's not a REAL test run till I try it on Falkor's sunday pinkie. ;) I will indeed let you know how it works out!

Oh! And while I'm talking feeders, what do you guys use to avoid freezer burn ? I use all kinds of resealing techniques and I still get spots on some of the feeders. :confused:

It sounds like it should work, but I'd fret about making sure the mousie was heated all the way through. Seems heaps better than trying to soak the mouse in hot water like I used to do. (I'd still fret about wondering if it was properly warmed!)


As for the freezer burn, I don't think it will hurt your snake. It might make something taste "off," but if your snakes don't seem to notice or care, I woudn't worry about it.

Oh good! I won't worry too much about the freezer burn then. :)

And yeah, I worry about getting it warmed properly no matter what. I currently do a once over with the hair dryer after soaking just to make it nice and toasty... spoiled snakes. We shall see!

What a good snake mom...=) If we were feeding Cleo F/T, I'd be hitting them with a hair dryer too...:P

i have one of those. they actually work pretty good. i can tell the mouse is thawed and warmed just by touching it. i would recommend flipping the mouse over about halfway through and leaving it for 15 min. instead of just 6-9.

Excellent, will do! Mmm, steamed fuzzy rat. ;)

And awh, thanks Cassandra! Domestic animals and pet snakes are meant to be spoiled and pampered *sage nod*

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Originally Posted by MedusasOwl

Domestic animals and pet snakes are meant to be spoiled and pampered *sage nod*

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And fiances get the shaft! :P

Rick keeps showing my cat Nicky to Cleo as a prize meal if she gets big enough...:O

Well that sounds interesting Sheree! Could you perhaps as Matt suggested write up a review of this product and snap a few pics of it in use? Sounds like a handy little gadget (and who in the world doesn't love a gadget! LOL)


With Emi's pinkie's I try to make sure they are in good quality freezer bags (not sammi bags) and expel as much air from the baggie as possible before sealing it up. Here's a little blurb on why freezer burn occurs....

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/myster...eezerburn.html


~~Jo~~

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Well that sounds interesting Sheree! Could you perhaps as Matt suggested write up a review of this product and snap a few pics of it in use? Sounds like a handy little gadget (and who in the world doesn't love a gadget! LOL)

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Hehe yes please do any pics at all. I confess I keep imagining this little chamber being like that egg they keep darth vader in and opening up with like wisps of smoke and all.

Anxious for your results :)

Killer link Jo - loc.gov even!

id take some pics of mine but i need some batteries for the camera!

LOL thanks Matt. One of those silly things...I know why freezer burn occurs but try to actually put it into words....geesh....easier to link to the experts than my babbling I figured.



~~Jo~~

Cool and thankee for the link! I just need better freezer bags, methinks. We've been using that press & seal stuff lately.

Sadly I already fed the Gomez and didn't take any pics of the process (D'oh, shoulda checked the forum first!), but Falkor's turn is on Sunday and I'll do a more thorough post on it then. The fuzzy was half defrosted already from sitting in the fridge so it might not count. So far so good though! The fuzzy felt just as nice and toasty as it does after I use the hairdryer! I keep trying to figure out what the thing is made of, kinda looks and feels like a cement coffee mug! /(Ovo)\

Gomez sure isn't complaining! Thwack! He even startled me, lol!

[QUOTE=I keep trying to figure out what the thing is made of, kinda looks and feels like a cement coffee mug! /(Ovo)\ [/QUOTE]

i think it is made out of some clay material.

To help solve the freezer burn problem I ended up getting a vaccuum sealers. I just got done sealing a bunch of rats tonight. The only thing about those is that you have to make sure the larger rats aren't placed in the bag with their claws pointed up or else you'll have to reseal because of the holes. :( They should last for well over a year, though, if properly sealed.

Clay sounds/smells right... *nods*

Vaccuum seal?? Each feeder individually then?

Sounds gimmicky to me but let us know! I just throw the rats in a piece of tupperware and run hot water over them until they are ready. Works for me!

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Originally Posted by cassandra

What a good snake mom...=) If we were feeding Cleo F/T, I'd be hitting them with a hair dryer too...:P

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I was thinking of doing that, but my snakes like the mice/ rat WET. So then what????

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Originally Posted by MedusasOwl

Vaccuum seal?? Each feeder individually then?

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No, I seal them together in groups of 25-30. Then I just open up a bag as needed and put them in a ziploc. It works very well, however the pinkies and fuzzies tend to stick together and sometimes they require a little effort to separate them.

Oh, okay, I buy them vaccuum sealed in packs of 25 or 50 depending on fuzzy rat or pinkie mouse, so I guess I kind of do that too. Mostly it's sounding like I need better zip-lock bags. :P

About the Artic Mice Defroster... I love it! I forgot to take pics though! :stupidme: Drat, I'll do it next time... That thing works like a dream. Nicely defrosted and toasty warm, good and squishy. The only thing about it that bothers me is it's easy to drop the little platform into the hot water. Best to put the platform in *before* you put the mice on it. That way, nice and warm and dry even! Just a bit steamed. ;)

Gmmuscle91 was dead on about leaving them in longer than instructed and flipping them over halfway through too. Very helpful do-hicky. I defrosted 2 bitty pinkie mice for Falkor today and they were perfect. I actually wonder now if they make one rat sized for the big snakes!

How is this any easier than putting a fixed amount of mice in a baggie and floating in a fixed amount of hot water?


Using this method only takes me 15 minutes, all my mice are at a good temperature and I've never had my snakes turn their tongues up at them.

I'm not looking for a fight. I'm just wondering what I'm missing.

Well I've never frozen prey but it can't be anything much different than freezing anything so here's a method I used for years with my garden.

Get some of those toss away foil baking sheets. Make sure all items are paper towel dry and clean. Lay out each item with an inch or so between. Pop in a good really cold freezer for a couple of hours (more depending on what temp to keep your freezer at and how full or empty it is). Items should feel frozen and hard to the touch. This will start the freezing process well enough so the items won't stick together later but not long enough to start any issues with freezer burn. Remove one sheet of them at a time and repackage for long term storage. They should be okay at this point to pack together and just pop out the number you need at a time.

Just work quickly, one sheet at a time so you don't allow anything time to start to defrost as you work and of course, use really good quality freezer bags and remove as much air as you can possibly manage.

If you have a GFS or other restaurant type supply store, check them out. They sell the styrofoam meat trays, like you get steak and chops on. They may also sell a heavier quality freezer bag (I'll check this next time I'm in there).

Do test this out with a small amount of prey though first. This is what I did with produce, so it may well be different with something furry but my thought is as long as the prey is dry it should not encourage ice crystalling on the fur during the quick pre-freeze.

~~Jo~~

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Originally Posted by srozell

How is this any easier than putting a fixed amount of mice in a baggie and floating in a fixed amount of hot water?


Using this method only takes me 15 minutes, all my mice are at a good temperature and I've never had my snakes turn their tongues up at them.

I'm not looking for a fight. I'm just wondering what I'm missing.

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Bah, I'm not going to fight over something as silly as a mouse defrosting do-hicky. ;) Basically it takes the same amount of time, but when I use the water/baggie method I often end up heating it up with the hairdryer too because the mouse'll still feel a bit cool to the touch and I'm paranoid. With the do-hicky I get the hairdryer warmth without the extra step, plus if my Mom comes to visit I can avoid flipping out over the dead mice in a bowl on the counter in favor of the nice discreet lidded clay cup. Bonus!

Since I've been slacking on taking pics (I'm in snake feeding mode and forget to!) here's the do-hicky's label, I went ahead and scanned it in.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...cdefroster.jpg

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Originally Posted by MedusasOwl

Gmmuscle91 was dead on about leaving them in longer than instructed and flipping them over halfway through too. Very helpful do-hicky. I defrosted 2 bitty pinkie mice for Falkor today and they were perfect. I actually wonder now if they make one rat sized for the big snakes!

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thnaks. i didnt see one at the store for rats, but once you get past probably fuzzy rats or so they wont fit unless when you freeze them you bend them in a circle so they fit. still cant get much bigger. i could barely defrost the rat pups from rodent pro.

I think the problem comes in when you are defrosting more than a couple rodents per week. I finally bit the bullet and bought a small freezer just for rats! I think I need help!

D'oh! I didn't think of that! At $10 a pop, I don't think a dozen or more of these dealies would be worth it to ya, Jamie! /(Ovo)\