Quote Originally Posted by Velrys View Post
When you are thawing food items you want to keep in mind that it is very different from thawing something like chicken or beef that we would eat. Since you are thawing the entire animal you have to be careful not to let it go bad because it still has all the nasty stuff inside that will start to decompose the food if left to thaw incorrectly.

This means that you will not leave the food on the counter but rather keep it in the refrigerator as it thaws, which will greatly slow the process.
Per Bill and Jim Galloway over at Loxahatchee Herp Hatchery, who also run Loxahatchee Rodents and Perfect Prey, and know a thing or two about ball pythons and frozen feeders:
What is the best way to thaw out rodents for feeding?

I prefer to let the rodents thaw to room temperature either overnight if I plan on feeding in the morning, or during the day if I’m going to feed at night.
Unless you're being ridiculous about leaving them sit out for long periods of time, room temperature thawing is a perfectly safe way to go. It's by no means the fastest method time-wise, but I can be feeding very shortly after work after the rats have thawed themselves, rather than waiting for the hot water method. Both work equally well, though, so it's just a matter of personal preference on which will be most convenient for you.

As a side note, normal rat body temperatures are between 35.9 C (96.6 F) and 37.5 C (99.5 F) (source: http://web.jhu.edu/animalcare/procedures/rat.html). Make sure when heating, you get up to at least this range since they won't recognize a room temp rat as food.