Exploding rats help!

[Chicken]

hey guys, went to feed my 8 month spotted 2 fuzzies last night (yes he's a pig!) and to thaw the rats i put them in a plastic bag and put the plastic bag in a tub of boiling water for 10 - 15 mins, although when i got them out they had exploded with guts and blood everywhere and i was wondering if there was a different way to thaw them as this obiously cooked them to the point of 'exploding'. Also in the past i've used the way to thaw them and when my snake goes in for the kill, 'SPLAT' guts all over the cage Cheers Mervs

 

[byron_moses]

sounds like your over heating your rats mate

 

[shellfisch]

hot tap water, not boiling
If necessary, change the water.

 

[cagey]

I thaw mine in room temperature water (or slightly warmer) and after they are thawed I dip them in some hotter water (35-40 degrees) for a couple of minutes to bring their skin temperature up to simulate live prey.

 

[hornet]

as the others said you have overheated the prey. All i do is chuck them into a container of hot tap water and if need be change over then it cools down

 

[atothej09]

needed a good laugh...and just got it.

 

[wranga]

hot tap water not boiling water.

 

[Chicken]

cheers guys

 

[reptilian1924]

l agree the water should be hot not boiling, when l have to thaw out a rat or mouse to feed my Reptiles, l don't ever thaw them out in water at all, the reason why is because of the high risk of salmonella poisoning to me or my captive Reptiles, what l do is take it out of my bar freezer and let it thaw out for 4 to 8 hours at room temperature, say l am feeding one of my Pythons at sunset l will take the rat out of the freezer in the morning between 7-00 & 8-30am, the rat should be thawed out by 4-00pm onward and nice and dry just like a fresh killed rat would be, this is how l thaw my rats or mice out and there is no risk of salmonelly poisoning to me or my captive Reptiles.

 

[Chicken]

thanks reptilian

 

[user 16324]

i just turn the tap to reasonably hot, fill a small container specifically used for thawing rats only and let it defrost. then if the water is cold after that, replace it with warm water to simulate a living rat.