Feeding thawed rats wet vs dry

[hungba]

Thus far, I have been feeding my ball pythons with rats that have been thawed for a few hours at room temperature, then put on a heating pad for a while to warm them up. The rat is dry and furry when fed.

They eat, but I do have a few problem feeders now and then. And there is also the problem that on colder days I would put them on the heating pad and the bottom of the rat would be warm, but the top would still be cold etc. I turn it over and the other side warms up but the top is now cooled down etc.

I have just watched some videos of people who thaw their rodents in warm water, then dip it in hot water before feeding. Some wipe them off with a towel before offering but some just offer it sogging wet.

I would guess this would give a better more even temperature to the rat, but I am wondering if there is a difference in feeding response from snakes when you offer the rodents wet like that? Better, worse, no effect? I know each snake has individual personality but there must be some general guideline, I mean I am sure no snake would feed better when there is someone banging on the tub or something, so that is not a method to use, as an extreme example. My mind tells me that wet rats probably don't smell of rat as much as a dry one? But I do see people doing this and they have videos of their balls feeding very well.

Also, what temperature should the hot water be that you dip it in to heat the rat? If it is too hot wouldn't it cook the rat?

[mikel81]

I thaw in ziplock bags in a sink of hot water. I change the water when it cools down.

Sometimes the rat claws put holes in the bags and they leak. I keep a hairdryer in my snake room because I have a few that won't touch a wet rat. I think it just depends on the snake, they all have different feeding routines.

[Trochu]

What Mike said. The potential issue, depending upon your substrate, is chunks of it sticking to the rat. Paper towel sticking to a wet rat can also cause serious problems.

[TimNA]

I have a Tupperware I put them in & fill it with warm water for about am hour. About 10min before I feed them I dump the water out & refill with hot water from the tap. Before I feed I usually dab them with a paper towel to remove a lot of the water. Probably not the greatest way but it works for me.

[MrLang]

1. Substrate sticking to the prey is bad and can cause impaction or death.

2. If you thaw directly in water it softens the tissue and you are more likely to have to clean up rat guts.


Put it in a baggie and put the baggie in water. I think there are many threads here but the consensus is the hottest water your sink can make, exchanged 2x when it gets to room temp. Right before offering I change the water out once more and dip just the head in the water (still in the baggie, though] for about 15 seconds to heat it more than the rest of the body.

[Inarikins]

I thaw in cool or lukewarm water in a sealed baggie. Hot water isn't necessary and then there's no risk of cooking the rodent. It probably takes longer but since I just have the one snake it's not really an issue. Once the rodent is completely thawed I blast the body with a hairdryer until it's at least not cold and the head for the same or longer amount of time. Flip it over, do the other side, quickly blast the first side again then offer. No fussing with heat lamps or worrying about cooking the prey.

Because the baggie is sealed and I use a hairdryer, the rodent is dry when I go to feed but sometimes if she hangs on for a long time the rodent gets damp from the spit in her mouth and if she's having a hard time finding the head (like last feeding day, she got so annoyed she stormed off into her hide and I considered pulling the mouse to reheat before she came back and ate it from above) then some substrate might stick but it's usually not a problem with them ingesting a piece or two of substrate.

[hungba]

For those who use a baggie in hot water, do you use regular sandwhich type ziplock bags? As I said I heat on a heat pad, but I have tried using a bag and also with the rat directly on the heat pat, and it hardly gets warm at all with the bag. Just the bag gets hot the rat stays cool. Never tried with water though.

[Trackstrong83]

Hair dryer to warm it up works great or if no hair dryer is available, a heat lamp works amazing as well.

[mikel81]

For those who use a baggie in hot water, do you use regular sandwhich type ziplock bags? As I said I heat on a heat pad, but I have tried using a bag and also with the rat directly on the heat pat, and it hardly gets warm at all with the bag. Just the bag gets hot the rat stays cool. Never tried with water though.

Appropriately sized bags. A medium rat doesn't fit in a sandwich size, I buy three sizes: snack-sandwich-freezer.
The water gives more surface area to the rat where warming it on a heating pad is only by the rising air (convection). The bag alone will block some heat. You can maybe put it in a bowl of water and set that on the heating pad.

[KatStoverReptiles]

I try to remember to set the rats out at room temperature for a few hours before feeding on feeding day, but most of the time I forget and they go straight into hot water. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Change water. 30 more minutes. Change water. 5-10 more minutes. I'm usually warming 15 or so rodents of various sizes. I also use a bowl filled with water to weigh the bag down so that it stays submerged. I have found that Glad brand freezer bags (they're blue in color) work the best and seem thick enough to prevent ratty claws punching holes in the bags. I also rinse and reuse the bags for next feeding day.

I have some that will take the rat wet or dry. I have some that will only take it dry. I have some that, yes, I believe if you were banging on the tub would still take it. Conversely, I have some that won't take it right now if I got down on my knees while dressed in a rat costume and offered it on a silver platter, dipped in 24k gold... everyone's an individual.