Defrosting a feed?

[TigerCoastal]

Just wondering how do you defrost/warm your rodents for your snake and how do you tell if they are at the right temp?

 

[Tirilia]

I usually hold the pinkies for my bluetongue under running hot water (not boiling). Just get a good grip on them with feeding tongs.. then again, pinkies are pretty small.. if youre talking full grown rats and rabbits.. well then this wouldnt work for you *lol*

 

[TigerCoastal]

yeah i talking large weiner rats or small adult rats

 

[schizmz]

i just use hot tap water.then pop em in the tupperware containers..the big rats i leave for about 45min "changing water to keep it warm" the others 30min..i used to touch them at 1st to test etc..but now i just thaw and feed..and their all on rats now!..gotta love it. 8)

 

[Snakelove]

dont use boiling water. coz like me i like to feed with my hands hold the rats by their tails and if defrosted in boiling water then itll come off and yeah. lol

 

[schizmz]

yer not boiling..just hot from the tap i use *)

 

[TigerCoastal]

yeah i learnt the not to hot part the first time....was left holding the tail thinkin what tha??? thats why i'm asking before their next feed...lol

 

[schizmz]

how long do you take on the big rats snakelove?

 

[Snakelove]

lol ahha well most people put it in the fridge day before then heat it up with hot water before feed. or if you read some article i forgot which one it says to leave it on a paper towel on a heat cord then turn it over and stuff so then the "flavour" doesn't go away. lol but i do hot water. =)

 

[wokka]

Hot water straight from thr tap (about 50C) takes about ha;f an hour for a 1 kilo rabbit or 5 minutes for pink rats. If the water is too hot the food item is likely to explode.

 

[Blondie84]

I defrost in the fridge and then warm in warm water. All of this they are still in the snap lock bag for. Then i take them out and put them on paper towel and just press on their head and belly to make sure it is defrosted and warm as they are the problem areas. Then i grab em by the tail and away we go.

There are lots of different ways, some people put them on the warm spot of the enclosure for smell purposes for the snakes but as a newbie myself I am liking the water method. Just dont over heat or it gets messy!!

 

[kalby]

I use pinky (mice) to feed Chaos, cos I work arvo shift my partner does the feeds. He takes it out and leaves it on the counter for bout an hour and then rolls it in his hand (still in the bag) to get it to warm temp. Then puts it on a plate in the viv. and goes to bed at 10:30. By the time I get home at 12:30 the pinky is eaten and Chaos is sitting in full view all happy. Cos we have only had Chaos for 2 weeks, Chaos feels more comfortable feeding on his own in the dark. One day I hope to have one hand feed and watch.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Just drop them into hot water from the tap, no bag or container, pink mice a minute or two, large rats 30 mins or thereabouts, remove and offer, still wet, on tongs. There is no need to dry the animals, or even drain them. leaving them for hours or overnight in a fridge or on a heat appliance is asking for trouble. The food value diminishes, and the bacterial count goes sky high with heat-time equation. The quicker you thaw and feed the better for all concerned.

 

[TigerCoastal]

leaving them for hours or overnight in a fridge or on a heat appliance is asking for trouble. The food value diminishes, and the bacterial count goes sky high with heat-time equation. The quicker you thaw and feed the better for all concerned.

Your right with the heat/time equation, i work in the food industry and even slow defrosting in the fridge carries alot of risk as to remove the bacteria you need to bring the temp to above 72 deg for 2 mins witch wouldnt work with a mouse/rat. If you really knew the truth bout stuff you would never eat leftovers again.

Also i had a friend suggest using the microwave to defrost them?? I'm not game to try it incase i end up with exploded rat through it but has anyone else tried or heard of this method?

 

[Lovemydragons]

Yeah I put in a zip lock bag and put on warm part of an enclosure, then turn over to do the other side. Then when it feels defrosted and there's no cold hard bits I run under very warm water to quickly heat the rat up and wet it too.

 

[Khagan]

Also i had a friend suggest using the microwave to defrost them?? I'm not game to try it incase i end up with exploded rat through it but has anyone else tried or heard of this method?

Never use the microwave, besides exploding, think about when you defrost normal things in the microwave.. It doesn't always happen even, some bits will be defrosted, some still frozen and some extremely hot/cooked.

 

[gycho]

i use hot water from the tap refill the cup (or whatever you use) once after been filled its the only way i know and i dont dry the rat or anything and my snakes love it my dad tried to warm is slowly and his bredli hatchie refused it so i done my way and it took it straight away