dethawing a rat?

pythonregius · 10-25-05, 06:48 PM

i've decided to attemp to feed my python regius a pre-killed frozen rat. i was just wondering if anyone had any ideas, experiance or comments to suggest to me about feeding frozen rats. my biggest question right now is what is the best way to thaw a rat and is there a general time frame before feeding that i should watch for?

zero&stich · 10-26-05, 07:17 PM

I use a bowl big enough to hold the prey, fill the bowl with steaming hot water from the tap, wait for several minutes then check the rat to see if it has thawed on both sides. Then feed.

YoungBuck · 10-26-05, 09:41 PM

Just make sure the rat is thawed all the way through before feeding it to your snake

pollywog · 10-26-05, 10:15 PM

You should also massage the rat as it is thawing to make sure there are no frozen bits inside. It can feel hot on the outside but after squishing it around a bit, you may find it cool to the touch, put it back in the water.

Lrptls · 10-27-05, 01:03 AM

what i do because i have alot of snakes is fill a bucket with all the frozen animals and then fill it with really hot water, let it set for about an hour and check on the prey. usually the very small mice and things are dethawed and ready after half an hour. small and medium rats might be done around an hour but the really big rats arnt' done for about 2 hours. to help speed the process i use to sit a heat lamp ontop of the bucket but now i just let it go. when they are thawed i take them out, dry them off with a towel a little and use a hair dryer to warm them up. usually for my more picky snakes i have to really dry the prey out and make sure its nice and warm or else they wont eat it. but some of my snake will bite at the first thing that goes in their cage when hungry so there no problem.

hbwright · 10-27-05, 07:26 AM

Smaller rats don't do well with quick dethaws. I usually start mine off with room temp water until they start to go soft and then put them in warmer water to dethaw the remainder. Squeeze the head with the tips of your fingers, usually the head is the last to completely dethaw so make sure it is completely defrosted. When it is fully dethawed then I let it sit for about 5 minutes in very hot water to get it nice and warm the way the like it.

I have a snake that was very finicky when she was a young 'un and if she didn't eat it I would sometimes have to go back and re-warm it before she would go after it again.

Good for you for going the F/T route!!!

joey · 11-15-05, 11:49 AM

I just put the frozen mice or rats in a freezer baggy, zip it up and submerge it into a bowl of warm water. Wait about 2-3 hours---check the rodents by feeling their heads---if they are chilled at all---another hour or so.

Bluzmn59 · 11-15-05, 12:01 PM

I put mine in zip-lock bags and place them in room temperature water until completely thawed. I then soak them in very hot water for a few minutes before feeding, getting the body temperature above room temperature before feeding. I have never had any "complaints."

joey · 11-15-05, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluzmn59

I put mine in zip-lock bags and place them in room temperature water until completely thawed. I then soak them in very hot water for a few minutes before feeding, getting the body temperature above room temperature before feeding. I have never had any "complaints."

love your quote!

Bluzmn59 · 11-15-05, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey

love your quote!

Thanks..............

peterm15 · 11-16-05, 09:07 PM

i have a fridge/freezer that i use only for rats and veggies for my beradie.. i put the rats in the fridge when i get up (5 30) then around 8 or 9 i take them out and put them on top of my cham heater fixture.. that warms them up.. no probs here.. if i forget to take them out i do the hot water thing.

Corran · 12-01-05, 10:18 AM

I do the same with hot water, some snakes dont like really wet food though so make sure you dry it off real good first.

Bartman · 12-01-05, 10:30 AM

Steaming hot water? Why dont you just feed him cooked chicken?

If you thaw the rat in really hot water you are going to cook the rat. Just leave it at room temp. A medium rat shouldnt take more than 4 hours.

Meltos · 12-01-05, 11:04 AM

What size of rat are you talkin here? I feed my Milk Pinkies at the minute, I place the pinkie in bowl and let it thraw for 10-15 minutes.

End Times · 12-07-05, 01:53 PM

I think wet soggy rats are grosse, so I use to put them in a ziplock bag and thaw in a sink of warm water. Now though, I just leave them out to thaw on their own. Once thawed, I blast them with a hairdryer for a few minutes to get 'em toasty. Works everytime for my F/T eater.