Quote Originally Posted by Dracoluna View Post
Stupid question but when you say that you're warming them to temp sitting in hot water, is the mouse getting wet? If so, try letting them thaw in the fridge and then heating using a light, etc. where they are not wet. It does take some of the smell off and my bp's look at me funny when I've tried feeding them wet rats. Corns don't mind eating wet prey but bps seem to.

Braining is opening their heads. With pinks, I just use a toothpick but with an adult, take the tip of a steak knife or some small, sharp knife to split their head open just a bit on the forehead of the mouse. It's not very pretty but it does increase the smell.
Yeah, the mouse does get wet. I keep them in a ziploc, but they get wet inevitably. I pat them dry, which is what I gathered other people did. I'll definitely try heating by other methods though. Never thought about the water reducing the smell, but it must. My BP seems more receptive to smell than anything else, and my main gripe about trying F/T is that even when fully thawed, they don't smell as much as prekilled or live.

And I'll resort to braining if I have to. Thanks for the info.