Thawing mice in the refrigerator - Overnight or 24 hours?

[Bogertophis]

Thanks for all the feedback. I know my wife would prefer not having a mouse thawing in the fridge even if it is the extra one in the basement.

Can you give me an idea of how long I should plan on thawing in cold water for just a single medium mouse and then how long in hot just prior to serving? I'm sure it will be more obvious once I've done it a time or two but I want to make sure I don't mess it up the first time.

Thanks!

I honestly don't time it- the larger the rodent, the slower they thaw, but if you change the cool water midway at least once, as it becomes icy cold, it speeds up the process considerably.

Large rats take "forever to thaw" & need several water changes, fyi- I'm so glad I no longer need them. But a single mouse should take no more than an hour. Keep in mind that the more water you use, the faster they thaw too, just because the cold has more water that's relatively warmer to transfer to- but I also don't like to waste water. (I toss the water on plants in my yard.) So it's impossible to give an exact time with so many variables (the exact temperature of the cool tap water you start with, the size of container with the mouse, the exact size of the mouse, & the number of water changes if any...).

Hey, don't obsess over this- no need. Feel by hand to ensure they're soft thru-out- then warm & serve. Don't make it harder than it is. Mice have thinner fur than rats, & they thaw pretty easily. And if you're a little over an hour (if you forget for a while), they're in cold water & not exposed to air, so they don't spoil easily.

"Hot" water to warm it- again, it depends on how how warm the water is- DO NOT cook the rodent with boiling or very hot water. Very warm (touchable water) is correct- if you take it out & it still feels cold, give a bit more time, or change the water... Don't overthink this...it's not hard. A minute or a couple, it just depends on variables. You won't mess it up, lol.

[Ambassador]

Fed our new ball python successfully last night and he took it with very little encouragement. Despite all the feeding videos I've seen, I was still a little shocked at the speed of the strike. Exciting stuff! Thanks for the hand holding and advice everyone!

[Bogertophis]

Fed our new ball python successfully last night and he took it with very little encouragement. Despite all the feeding videos I've seen, I was still a little shocked at the speed of the strike. Exciting stuff! Thanks for the hand holding and advice everyone!

Some snakes are underwhelming to feed, but others are - that's what keeps it fun & interesting, lol.

A round of applause for you & yours!

[Zincubus]

We are feeding for the first time tomorrow and I'd like to thaw in the fridge over night followed by a water bath for warming just prior to feeding. I see lots of references to just thawing "overnight" where as some people suggest 24 hours. Since I'm planning to feed tomorrow evening should I put the mouse in the fridge tonight, tomorrow morning or does it not matter either way? I know I can just thaw from frozen in the water but I'd like to make sure I don't rush it or end up with an exploding rodent. Suggestions?

Hey .. if all fails try the hairdryer method

My method is to thaw the mouse near the snake viv during the day , then in the evening- wait until it’s dark / dim light ...

Then wait until the snake is well settled under a hide , then open the glass door , using tongs give the mouse a good blast with a hairdryer ( plugged in near the viv ) then immediately dangle the mouse in front of the hide entrance .

If there’s no strike simply reheat with the hairdryer and again dangle it instantly whilst it’s still warm ... in the odd case you may have to repeat the process 5 or 6 times but in my experience it rarely fails .. . Follow the method closely and it works 90%+ of the time I’d say - the other 10% of the time I’d put down to the snakes being in shed mode and simply not interested in food


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