So I normally thaw my rats with a heat lamp. Still frozen, I put them in a plastic baggie and then put the baggie in a small tin, which functions as a sort of oven to heat them up under the smallish lamp. Usually, I let them thaw with the top of the tin open to let moisture out, and when they're soft and warmish I'll close the top for ~1/2 hr and move the light closer so that they're actually good and warm, to get the BPs attention.

This worked fine until recently. As the prey size has increased, it takes longer to thaw the rats, and by the time they're ready to feed usually one of them at least is "leaking" some blood. Again, this isn't normally a problem and maybe the smell helps stimulate appetite, but last week the rat was sloppy enough that I think one BP had no idea what to do with it.

She's kind of picky/squeamish, and even though she struck at it it made a huge mess when she did, and I don't think she could figure out where the head was, and she ended up giving up after a few minutes of spreading gore around her enclosure trying to get it down.

Any advice on how to make my FT rats a bit more solid? Should I thaw them overnight in the fridge and then heat them for a shorter period of time with a more powerful heat bulb?

THANKS!