I agree, there should be no or very little smell with FT. I thaw mine next to my snake tank- a plastic dish (I usually use a margarine container or sour cream container) some warm water (not hot because you don't want to cook the FT) and I stick a heavy spoon over the frozen prey (which are DRY inside a zip-lock bag) and leave it in there for about an hour. Then I stick it under the lamp for a few minutes and dinners ready