Defrosting hoppers

[NebulaJam]

Hey guys, what’s everyone’s mouse hopper defrosting techniques? My recently acquired male BP is currently on mouse hoppers so just wondering how’s best to thaw them? In a Tupperware tub in the fridge? Room temp? Also to note, I have three young children so turning on a very loud hairdryer on at night to warm it up might be abit of a dilemma! Lol. I’m in the uk too if it helps. Thanks.

[richardhind1972]

You can put them in a sandwich bag and put them in warm water, that will warm them thru

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[Spicey]

I usually put them into a cup of water and let them thaw overnight, then plop them into hot water (150F) for 15 or 20 minutes so they warm up.
I keep meaning to do that in a plastic bag, lol, but I feed my snake in a different container that doesn't have a substrate so I am not concerned about stuff sticking to the mouse. One of these days...

[Meghenebk]

Small body mass. I wouldn't leave them at room temp for hours, they'll grow bacteria. I just drop a frozen one one in a largeish Tupperware with at least 2-3 cups of warm water (around 110 degrees) and put the lid in. Maybe for 20-25 minutes or so. Hit it with a hairdryer or dunk it in fresh hot water for a minutes if I'm feeding something heat-sensitive.

[Meghenebk]

Note, if you thaw in a bag to keep it dry, even if you squeeze the air out it floats and will take a bit longer. Flip it over halfway to thaw well.

Anything larger than a small mouse I'll thaw 12-24 hours in the fridge and then do the warm water thing. Bigger container for rats, they're massive, you want more water to transfer heat.

[Craiga 01453]

Just a heads up, hoppers are actually too small for your BP. They eat hoppers fresh out of the egg, typically only for 3-5 meals, before moving up to small adult mice.

This chart should help, it's a very good guideline.

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[NebulaJam]

Thanks for that chart. Appreciate it.

[Craiga 01453]

Thanks for that chart. Appreciate it.

Happy to help

[Midwest]

I also have a related question. I often times here people say not to thaw them at room temp as they can grow bacteria. I also hear many people say that if your BP doesn't strike the FT that you can leave it in the enclosure overnight for them to eat. Is there something I am missing about this. I have thawed my last couple at room temp in the room with my BP. They are small enough they thaw out fairly quickly and then I hit them with the hair drier before offering.

[Bogertophis]

I also have a related question. I often times here people say not to thaw them at room temp as they can grow bacteria. I also hear many people say that if your BP doesn't strike the FT that you can leave it in the enclosure overnight for them to eat. Is there something I am missing about this. I have thawed my last couple at room temp in the room with my BP. They are small enough they thaw out fairly quickly and then I hit them with the hair drier before offering.

What you're "missing" is that IF your snake is going to eat the rodent left in the cage overnight, it's likely to be fairly soon after you turn out the lights...that's often why they hesitate to eat in the first place...they don't like the light & being watched. If they don't eat it for a few hours (remember how warm their cage is) they probably won't...snakes have a keen sense of smell & can smell spoilage (which coincidentally is also why they refuse some feeders to begin with), so it's not as if you need to worry about them getting sick from eating a nasty rodent that's laid there all night. BPs are especially attracted to the "life-like body warmth" that you've hopefully been able to imitate, so as time goes on they're less likely to bother with the rodent & it may still be there in the morning. Then you can feed the buzzards.

Incidentally, I thaw rodents directly in cold water first, until fully soft (thawed) thru-out, & only then immerse in warm water briefly to raise the temperature. It's a good idea to use a hair-dryer to add heat, but I don't currently have any BPs or other snakes that care, so it's not something I do. Thawing in cold water reduces spoilage...when you thaw in warm water you may think it's faster, but the outer part of the rodent thaws & spoils more while the inside is still frozen. Reducing spoilage is best done by either thawing in the refrigerator (which may reduce the number of times you get invited to a "pot-luck" ) or in cold water.