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  1. #10
    BPnet Lifer Bogertophis's Avatar
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    As 303_enfield said, you're making these rodents WORSE by thawing incorrectly.

    Thaw in COLD-COOL water only*- and only then, when they're soft & squishy throughout (feel by hand!), you can put them briefly in very warm (not hot or boiling!) water for a few minutes just to warm them up so your snake thinks they're alive. Many ppl also use a blow-dryer to quickly warm especially the head right before offering to the snake. (*you can also thaw in the refrigerator, but that can take a much longer time- it's much faster thawing in water)

    For your information, there have been plenty of instances where spoiled rodents* actually HAVE spilled their guts all over when the snake grabbed them to eat, making for a big mess & a very unhappy & confused snake. (*whether they came that way from the source or were thawed improperly) Not something you ought to replicate...

    How do I know your rodents are spoiled? To quote some of your descriptions:
    "mice look grey inside"..."a mouse that was furless on a big part of its belly, it was squishy and had that funky smell like all the other mice did, but since the skin was so thin i could see right through it and saw a dark grey color."

    Or better yet, take your snake's "word" (reactions) for it- he knows. BPs don't want carrion- they don't want funky spoiled dead stuff to eat.

    Please understand, thawing snake food is NOT like thawing meat for your dinner. For one thing, we cook our food, so bacteria is destroyed, & for another thing, we don't eat whole animals.

    The rodents our snakes eat are whole animals- their entire gastrointestinal tract is filled with bacteria that LOVES to grow once it gets warm enough- freezing doesn't kill it, it just keeps it from growing while it's frozen. It's hard to say if the rodents you got are good quality. There have been cases where sources haven't frozen prey quickly once killed, allowing them to spoil prior to freezing. But your method has been making them much worse. I think your BP will be more than happy to strike once you get your thawing method corrected. It sounds as if he's hungry, he just doesn't want rotten prey. Can't say I blame him. (gag)
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

    The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” ~ Gandhi

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    303_enfield (11-01-2021),Nephil (11-02-2021)

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