Holy Time Consumption, Batman!

[SarahMB]

Gah, this is frustrating...
We decided to try switching our snakes to f/t because our mouse supplier gives a 20% discount on them over live.
The lady at the pet store (ok yes, I know that's the worst way to start a sentence around here!) said that I should only put a couple of them at a time into a bowl of hot water. I was planning on plopping them all into a vat of hot water, but I thought what the heck, I'll try it her way.
Problem is, I have 8 snakes to feed here, and most of them take 3 mice each! I have been feeding snakes since 5 this afternoon, and they've only had 1 each!
I only bought one for each of them, since I wasn't sure if they would want to switch. All but one did fine with it, but now I'm about to go back to the store for the rest of dinner. I think I'll just get live this time!

How do you f/t feeders do it??? I'm used to feeding time taking half an hour, this 2 hour feeding for ONE mouse each is not going to work for me!

[AzureN1ght]

I usually just let the mouse thaw overnight then warm it up right beforehand. Kara suggested a hair dryer. I've also read that people hold it next to a light bulb for a few minutes to warm it. I have a small heat pad on the top of his tub, so I set it on that for about 10 minutes beforehand.

Granted, I don't feed multiple snakes multiple mice...but thawing them out overnight instead of using the hot water method might be easier for you?

[Nate]

heh this is a great question and I'm glad you've asked it. I'm on live right now, but it's just not working because of my suppliers. I have to place my order on rodent pro this evening for a few months worth of food. With a 7th on the way, i can only imagine how long it's gonna take to thaw all those once a week. Live is so much easier...wish i had the time to care for a rat colony.

[SarahMB]

Hmmmm, I think I have an extra repti-pad around here, I think next week I will try your idea of thawing them overnight and warming them on the pad....thanks, Kim!

Nate, yes, live is much easier! Maybe I'll get the hang of f/t, I'm just feeling frustrated with this first go at it.

[mlededee]

f/t definitely takes longer. i put mine in the refrigerator to thaw the night before. then on feeding night i fill up a tall rubbermaid with hot water, squeeze all the air out of the bags the rodents are in, put them in the tub and put the lid on. wait 15 minutes or so and flip the rodent bags, to make sure they are warmed all over. wait another 10 minutes or so and dump the water, refill halfway with hot water, put the rats back in and carry the tub to the herp room. i keep the rats in the water while i feed so that none are sitting out getting too cold.

it is kind of a pain, but i don't have the space or time to raise enough rodents to feed my entire collection live so the ones that take f/t usually get f/t unless i have extra live rats. then there are a few snakes that will usually only eat if i put f/t on the cage floor and leave them to eat in solitude so it's just a necessity for them.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

How do you f/t feeders do it??? I'm used to feeding time taking half an hour, this 2 hour feeding for ONE mouse each is not going to work for me!

Well I thaw the preys at room temp, to entice them to eat (during that time I can do something else)

Once ready I warm up the first prey with a hair dryer for about 30 seconds, open the tub and usually my BP snatch it out of the tongue in a blink of an eye, I don't even have the time to dangle it.

I repeat the operation 10 times

The last one eats live, and once she is done I leave the room and come back 10 minutes later to check on everybody.

Distributing the preys to each BP and monitoring my live eater takes about 20/30 minutes at the most for 12 BP.

[panthercz]

I use a 100 watt ESU Red Heat lamp to thaw all my rodents. I suspend it about 10 inches above a plate I set the rodents on. It only takes about 2 hours, one hour per side (flip them over to make sure of a even thaw and heat transfer). I then use an infrared thermometer to check the temperature.
I just do something else while they thaw, like watch tv or work around the house.

[SarahMB]

Hmmm, I'm definitely learning some good methods here! I was dumping and reheating water every 15 minutes the way I was doing it. No wonder it was so frustrating!
I'll definitey give it another go, saving money is always great incentive