probably a dumb question but if i am feeding frozen/thawed mice/rat

[illaoi]

If I thaw the animal out, then let it sit near a heat bulb to simulate a live animal, am I just screwed in terms of the rat/mouse if the snake won't eat? I imagine they are going to start decaying almost immediately. I doubt you can throw them back in the freezer? Just toss it and try again in a few days or.. ?
Thanks

[piedlover79]

If you let them sit in a heat lamp they have the potential to start to bloat and rot. I defrost mine in the fridge over night, then just on the counter for an hour, then I heat it up with a hair dryer. Some times the belly feels really super soft, those a pitch. The ones that feel more or less like a fresh kill I throw back in the freezer in a separate bag, then I will defrost and try once more, if that time it is still refused I pitch it.

[monks98]

Heat them up in hot water. Allow to thaw for a few hours at room temp and then dunk in hot water. But once it's been heated yes....its garbage. We have 22 snakes. So we only heat up one at a time and offer down the line. Any that were not eaten nor heated can be refrozen once and only once.

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[piedlover79]

My ball pythons are super picky about having 'wet rats' hence all the defrosting in fridge and hair dryer since they will only eat a dry rat (sigh), but I do the warm water method for my cornsnakes. No idea if mice for cornsnakes can be refrozen...they have yet to *ever* refuse a meal so I've never gotten to try it.

[KMG]

If I was using your method I would toss a refused meal.

I thaw mine in hot water, refresh the water before severing, serve hot and wet. If one is refused and nobody else needs it I will refreeze once.

Any time a feeder is thawed for more than an hour or two I toss it if not eaten.

FYI, it is possible to cook a feeder under a hot lamp. Make sure that doesn't happen.

[Randall L Turner Jr]

I defrost in hot water then dry off with a ratty towel. But regarding refreezing, I personally don't but have heard (as mentioned above) of others that do. But definitely wouldn't refreeze after they have been out for a long time.

[elleon]

I have heard that putting your feeder directly in water can wash off some of the scent, making it less appealing to your snakes, though I guess some don't seem to mind it. I put mine in a ziploc bag in hot water to thaw it, with the top sticking out so it doesn't leak. I'm also going to be trying the hair-dryer trick just before I feed it, to make sure it's actually warm enough. As long as it's not left out too long, I think refreezing once is ok, but any more and I've heard it can start to break down. If it seems too mushy though, I'd just toss it. Better safe than sorry when it comes to your snakeys.

[EL-Ziggy]

I've refrozen refused feeders but would only do so one time. If they're refused a second time I would toss it. I don't have that problem anymore though. With 8 snakes someone is always happy for a meal or snack.

[hollowlaughter]

My ball pythons are super picky about having 'wet rats' hence all the defrosting in fridge and hair dryer since they will only eat a dry rat (sigh), but I do the warm water method for my cornsnakes. No idea if mice for cornsnakes can be refrozen...they have yet to *ever* refuse a meal so I've never gotten to try it.

Usually I've seen people either toss those to another snake (like a BP who will take it as a lil snack) or toss in general. Reheating gets more dangerous the tinier they are and makes them more prone to pinky glitter explosions, lol.

For OP: My usual method is "thaw in hot water, remove, blow dry til dry, heat head warm to touch" so the rats are rarely out over an hour. If your heating method requires they are out over an hour, I'd say toss them. Eventually, you'll be able to judge what seems safe for a refreeze based on body feel, smell, etc. Just takes some time and practice to be able to figure it out. NBD.

[DLena]

I defrost in hot water then dry off with a ratty towel. But regarding refreezing, I personally don't but have heard (as mentioned above) of others that do. But definitely wouldn't refreeze after they have been out for a long time.

You dry your mouse off with a ratty towel? Rofl. Pun intended?