I don't like the idea of anything defrosting by sitting out for more than four hours, so I pull mine out of the freezer and into the fridge the night before feeding day.

About an hour before feeding, I put it in a plastic container, and let it sit on top of my snake's tank until it gets to room temperature. He starts to notice the scent and gets interested.

Before I offer it, I blow dry it until it's fairly warm.
Then I dangle it by it's tail gently until he hits it.

However, my guy is CB and has been on frozen thawed all his life. But maybe a longer prescenting time will help with your guy.