Tips on F/T?

[michaelt]

Well had my first f/t feeding today made sure they were thawed all the way and heated them up with a light which next time I'm going to use blow dryer any tips on doing f/t? They both took great.. Meyahh(albino girl) was already on f/t and my normal(izzy 300g) has been eating live his whole life took the f/t adult mouse like it was live. Was nervous about the whole thing after all the reading I have done on it. Just looking for some advice or tips.

[JackTar]

I put the mouse in a plastic bag, tie it in a knot and put it in a jar. I'll run the sink until the water is hot and i'll fill the jar with hot water and leave it sit for a while to thaw. I'll repeat this several times until I'm sure the mouse is completely thawed

[gameonpython]

Well I'm new to this as well and what I've been doing is letting the mouse thaw at room temp on top of the cage( to help get Marshall into feeding mode) and then putting it in a bag and soaking it in hot water.


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[DVirginiana]

Same as everyone else pretty much. Put the mouse (my python doesn't take f/t, just my smaller snakes that eat mice) in a ziploc bag and let it thaw in a cup of hot water.
You can also blast it with a blowdryer afterwards to add a little extra heat if your snake is reluctant to take it.

[Borgpython]

Yep same as everyone. Put the prey item in a sealed bad, run warm water on it then when it feels quishy and not frozen, take it out and blowdry it till you're satisfied its completely defrosted.
Make sure its completely defrosted as frozen ice chunks in your snake will be very bad.
Blowdrying is also to warm it up as well to make it seem like its still "alive", you higher the chances of your snake taking.

[Cowtipper]

I've never used a blow dryer, I just thaw them out in a bucket of hot water, then squeeze their stomachs. If it's still cold, I refill the bucket with hot water. Whenever they're ready, I let them sit in some hot water a bit to make sure the bodies are warm, then drop them in the enclosures. I don't use bags either, I like it when the rodents are wet, seems like they slide down easier, but I'm sure it doesn't matter. I've done it like this for over twenty years, I use the same process with frozen rabbits. Any of the ways mentioned will work, just depends on how you want to do it. I also like to just lay the food in the cage, not dangle it for them if I don't have to; it gets them used to finding their food and just eating it so when they're bigger (for my giants) it is a lot safer for me.

- - - Updated - - -

I've never used a blow dryer, I just thaw them out in a bucket of hot water, then squeeze their stomachs. If it's still cold, I refill the bucket with hot water. Whenever they're ready, I let them sit in some hot water a bit to make sure the bodies are warm, then drop them in the enclosures. I don't use bags either, I like it when the rodents are wet, seems like they slide down easier, but I'm sure it doesn't matter. I've done it like this for over twenty years, I use the same process with frozen rabbits. Any of the ways mentioned will work, just depends on how you want to do it. I also like to just lay the food in the cage, not dangle it for them if I don't have to; it gets them used to finding their food and just eating it so when they're bigger (for my giants) it is a lot safer for me.

[C2tcardin]

I'll either air thaw in a zip lock bag unless I don't take one out early enough then I'll set the bag in hot water and come back to it a few hours later. Next I'll get out the $10 hair dryer I bought from Walmart and place it in front of the zip lock bags opening and blow hot air into the bag for about 10 minutes. I find the blowing of the hot air into the baggie heats them faster and more completely. I like my rats to stay dry as I use aspen bedding in the tubs and wet rats get covered in the bedding, dry rats stay cleaner.

[The Golem]

- - - Updated - - -

I've never used a blow dryer, I just thaw them out in a bucket of hot water, then squeeze their stomachs. If it's still cold, I refill the bucket with hot water. Whenever they're ready, I let them sit in some hot water a bit to make sure the bodies are warm, then drop them in the enclosures. I don't use bags either, I like it when the rodents are wet, seems like they slide down easier, but I'm sure it doesn't matter. I've done it like this for over twenty years, I use the same process with frozen rabbits. Any of the ways mentioned will work, just depends on how you want to do it. I also like to just lay the food in the cage, not dangle it for them if I don't have to; it gets them used to finding their food and just eating it so when they're bigger (for my giants) it is a lot safer for me.

Thanks, I've been using paper towels to dry the f/t rat before offering it to the snake. What a waste

[michaelt]

Thanks everyone I'll give some of these a try! Only thing I was really worried about was getting them completely thawed..

[MikeSilver]

Although I am also new, I chose to use feeding tongs and to dangle the food. I do this for two reasons. First, I don't want Ajax to associate the scent of my fingers with prey (not sure he would, but erring on the side of caution), and second, I don't want the food item covered in bedding. I think a lot of this is personal preference though.