Most effective and cleanest way to defrost feeders

[Vinny 4]

Hi,

I am thinking of switching my small BP from large mice to frozen rat pups.

I actually like feeding live, which I do in a separate large bin, because I don't have to deal with defrosting, the snake takes it down fairly quick, and has a great feeding response. Not to mention that it's very interesting to watch, even though there seems like there is some debait over this.

I never leave him unattended and stand by with large tweezers to grab the feet of the mouse if he starts to fuss n scratch before he's unconscious.

I've read that the rat pups are more nutritious and will make the snake fatten up quicker. The only problem is I cannot find ANY pet stores that have live rat pups in Connecticut, I was only able to find a Petco that had frozen rat pups.

I was wondering what the best procedure is to thaw and defrost the pups. I was wondering what materials people use and if this a messy process . I am a bit of a germaphobe, so I don't know if I can deal with defrosting a rat pup every week and cleaning up rat juice.

Would I be able to leave it out under a heat lamp, or on top of a heat mat in a bowl or container to defrost it without cooking it? I would be nervous to put it on defrost in the microwave because I don't want to cook it, plus everyone in my house would not be very happy with rats in the same microwave as their food. Maybe I'll have to get a small cheap microwave just for the feeders?

It would be great if everyone can post their methods and procedure, step by step that they've learned through experience and came up with to make it most effective, yet make cleanup easy and quick.

Also by switching to frozen, I'd like to start feeding in the snakes enclosure by waiting for the snake to strike the feeder, then quickly place a small piece of card board under the feeder and front half of the snake so I don't have to worry as much about the snake eating and substrate after getting stuck to the feeder. (I use Eco earth)

Thanks everyone

[ballpythonluvr]

I just use hot tap water to thaw out my frozen rats and then I blast the head with a hair dryer before giving it to my snake. Please DO NOT use a microwave or you will have one heck of a mess on your hands and it will also cook the rat which would not be good for your snake.

[mr.spooky]

hot water in a 5 gal bucket..
spooky

[WingedWolfPsion]

Don't microwave it. It will explode, lol.

I've used heat pads to thaw them before, but it takes forever, which increases the risk of bacterial growth (potentially not so great for the snake). Honestly, a disposable cup of hot tap water should do the trick for you. Just dump it down the sink and throw the cup away. Not exactly a big deal.

Also, while some ball pythons will switch from live mice to frozen/thawed rats without a fuss, I wouldn't count on it. Read up on all the tricks for switching ball pythons from one food type to another.

[RetiredJedi]

There's a couple of discussions on this. Check out THIS ONE

[Vinny 4]

Hot tap water in a disposable cup, then dry it up with a blow dryer. sounds easy enough, and not very messy at all.

I defiantly won't use a microwave, and wouldn't really want to even if it was appropriate, so I'm glad that's out lol.

So hot tap water as hot as I can get it out of the faucet?

How long do I let it soak, and what is the best way to check to make sure it's fully thawed out?

Thanks everyone!

[cmack91]

Do not use a microwave.

I thaw mine in hot water, I fill a bowl, ut the rats in it, when the water cools, poor it out, fill it back up, and by the time it cools again, theyre usially thawed. I do medium rats though so yours wont take as long. Just remember to feel the rat for any possible frozen spots.

And dont worry about him eating the eco earth, unless he eats a bunch of it I doubt it will hurt him

[Vinny 4]

I figured I'd focus on the thawing process first, then see how it goes for the first time.

He usually has a great feeding response, and doesn't seem to be too picky, so I hope I'm not jinxing this right now and should knock on some wood lol

I've came across a few posts about switching from live to f/t, and I know there is one on the first page still, but I just wanted to make sure I learned how to defrost them correctly first.

Thanks again.

[jdouglas]

My boy will not eat if I put the rat in water... its pretty annoying but haha what ever works. I've wasted a few rats now just testing to see what he will eat.

I have to just leave the rat sitting on a pile of paper towels on top of his cage for 3-5 hours then hit the head with a blow dryer on low for about 10 minutes and he will take it in seconds.
I've tried while having the rat sitting out all day to also thaw another one in the water then hit it with the blow drier and offer him the one that had been in water. He just will not take it, picky little thing. But 10 minutes later when I offer him the one that had been sitting out will snatch it up!
My only assumption is somehow thawing in the water makes it smell different? I will try with spring water and distilled water this next week.

[h00blah]

Hot tap water in a disposable cup, then dry it up with a blow dryer. sounds easy enough, and not very messy at all.

I defiantly won't use a microwave, and wouldn't really want to even if it was appropriate, so I'm glad that's out lol.

So hot tap water as hot as I can get it out of the faucet?

How long do I let it soak, and what is the best way to check to make sure it's fully thawed out?

Thanks everyone!

You got the idea .
For the smaller rodents, (fuzzies and mice), I can heat up 4 of those in 10 minutes. I have a pretty big plastic container with a lid on it, and I just put the rodents in sandwich bags then into the hot water. In 10 minutes, I'll check on them, and feel the rodents within the bag to see if they're hot/warm. If there's any cold spots, Go ahead and leave them in the same container of water for 5 to 10 minutes. They should be warm by then .

The bigger rodents will take about 20 minutes for me, using the hottest the tap water can get.


NOTE: If you leave them in there for too long, they can burst once the snake squeezes them.. I remember the first time it happened.. It was smelly, it freaked me out, and it was messy.. So try not to forget about them lol. I'm guilty of forgetting about the rodents a couple times ^_^;