Rat Thawing Questions

[butterballpython]

I got my first ball python last Thursday, and tomorrow is the big day--I need to feed him for the first time. I have some frozen rat fuzzies in the freezer.

From looking at You Tube, it seems that thawing them in water is the way to go. How long do I thaw them so they're not frozen in the middle and they're also not too hot? How long will it take him to eat it? I'll be putting him in another tub to eat, and will need to feed him before work, so he'll need to go back into his regular tub with the heating pad before I leave for work.

[whiSki08]

Form my little experience which there are others with more. I just fed my boy and I put the rodent in a ziplock bag fill the sink with hot water and usually it takes about 5/10 mins. I use the tongs to submerge the rodent. I then heat the rodent up with a hair dryer to about 100 degrees(check with IR temp gun) and then present. I feed my little one every five days and he's been consistent for the last two months like this.

Oh and I always feed in the tub, I don't move them to a new environment to feed.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Actually I would suggest to thaw slow at room temp near the enclosure (this will help entice the snake) once thawed simply warm up with a hair dryer, grab the rat behind the neck and drag it in the enclosure as if it was alive.

Do not put him in another tub to eat feed in the enclosure.

Feeding in a tub not only increase your chance to get tagged but it can also be stressful enough to lead to a refusal.

Finally if your snake was not eating f/T previously I would recommend to feed live for at least 3 meals before switching, while some animals switch right away the majority however do better if switched when well established (already eating for you with consistency)

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[bcr229]

Depends on how hot your tap water is and how cold your freezer is. If I know I'm feeding the next day I'll pull feeders from the freezer and put them in the refrigerator overnight to thaw - or in the case of rabbits for my retics, they get 3-4 days to thaw in the refrigerator.

Then 15-20 minutes in warm water should do for a rat fuzzy.

Feed in your snake's home not a separate tub. Moving the snake just before feeding can turn off the food response, or get you bitten.

[KMG]

You have many variables here.

A feeder that small should not take that long to thaw. The main the you need to always check no matter the size is that the guts are thawed and you feel no hard ice patch within and that the head is thawed and the brain area is warm to the touch.

Once they are thawed completely try to serve them close to the live temp of such a rodent which is just over 100F.

After that it will be your snake who decided how long it will take to eat it. Usually this is not long though.

I used to thaw in zip bags but after constantly fighting the bags not to leak I gave up. Ive been serving rats straight from the water for a few years now with no issues. I don't dry them at all.

[butterballpython]

I was told that he was feeding on either live or frozen/thawed. Frozen/thawed sounds much easier and he's less likely to get bitten. I can put a rat fuzzy into the refrigerator inside a plastic bag tonight if that will help. How long do they stay good in the fridge?

[Eric Alan]

I got my first ball python last Thursday, and tomorrow is the big day--I need to feed him for the first time. I have some frozen rat fuzzies in the freezer.

From looking at You Tube, it seems that thawing them in water is the way to go. How long do I thaw them so they're not frozen in the middle and they're also not too hot? How long will it take him to eat it? I'll be putting him in another tub to eat, and will need to feed him before work, so he'll need to go back into his regular tub with the heating pad before I leave for work.

Personally, I leave the rat out to thaw completely at room temp (a couple of hours) in the snake room before warming it with a hair dryer to heat up the head to ~100° or so. Others can offer up their advice on the thawing/heating using water method. I just know what works for me.

As far as the rest goes, why take him out of his enclosure? There's no reason to. It removes them from the place where they're most comfortable at the time where you want them to be their most comfortable. Also, why risk moving an animal that's in feed mode (either before or after eating)? As long as he's ready to eat, from offering food to swallowing, feeding time shouldn't take much more than a few minutes for one snake. Once he's done eating, you can simply head off to work. See how easy that is? I just gave you another slap of the snooze alarm in the morning!

[whiSki08]

We need our sleep too

[butterballpython]

This will be the first time I've ever fed a snake, and I don't want to mess up.

Sleep is good.

[BeelzeBall.]

You have many variables here.

A feeder that small should not take that long to thaw. The main the you need to always check no matter the size is that the guts are thawed and you feel no hard ice patch within and that the head is thawed and the brain area is warm to the touch.

Once they are thawed completely try to serve them close to the live temp of such a rodent which is just over 100F.

After that it will be your snake who decided how long it will take to eat it. Usually this is not long though.

I used to thaw in zip bags but after constantly fighting the bags not to leak I gave up. Ive been serving rats straight from the water for a few years now with no issues. I don't dry them at all.

same here, I've never dried one before, seems to work for me as well