Just a little annoyance when feeding

[absinthe_616]

When i defrost my rats in a big bowl of boiled water, (obviously) they get soft and squishy. Once their all heated up and whatnot i take it out and put it on a paper towel to soak up excess water so the rat isnt dripping hot water onto my snake.

i only have a slight minor annoyance, that isnt really a deal at all, but i just want to ask if anyone else has this problem or if im overheating the rat or if anyone has any tips XD

I used to just hand feed her, but after an incident that she ripped out one of her teeth in my skin, ive changed to plastic tongs to feed them to her. Only thing is, if i hold the rat by the tummy she bites the plastic, so i have to hold it by the tail, and the rats tail sometimes starts breaking, or like, the outside will disconnect and slip off the tailbone :shock:

any ideas? lol its just a bit frustrating.

 

[jessb]

Just use tap-hot water not boiling and change it a couple of times as it cools. When the skins starts to cook in the boiling water, it weakens and you get exploding rats...

 

[ashisnothereman]

i put mine in a plastic bag then put that into the boiling water. prevents it becoming wet and water logged. and ive never had breakages.

 

[Kurto]

I've had a few rats burst from time to time, it's a lovely smell . I don't mind them being wet at all, gives the snake a bit of a drink at the same time.

 

[agradehydro]

Don't parboil the rats, any hotter then what you can put your hand in comfortably isnt helpful.

The best option is to put it in warm water until its thawed completely, about 5 minutes... then dry it with paper towels and then warm it under a hot light or something... works for me and keeps the food at a comfortable temperature.

I made that mistake a few times and resulted in exploding mice everytime my diamond tagged it. Also, I find holding the food by about halfway down the tail works well as they tag closer to the head and its easier for them to eat.

 

[absinthe_616]

these are both really good tips! thanks!

i think ill go with ashisnothereman's idea, it sounds alot better for teh snakey also our tap water here i would drink myself which is why i use boiling, lol.

thanks! i wish i had read this before putting a rat in a bowl for feeding time hahah *dumb*

 

[Daryl_H]

try not useing boiling water just warm and get the rats out in the morning and then warm & feed at night and also leave the rats in a plastic bag while in the water saves drying them. as for bighting the tongs use long tongs holding the rump of the rat and keeping the tongs on the other side of the strike range

 

[azn4114]

i think you are overheating(no need for boiling water just hot tap water)and maybe hold closer to the base of the tail than the tip

 

[absinthe_616]

thanks for all your help guys! ill be much more knowledgable next feed

 

[Troyster]

I would suggest you thaw rats in cold water not hot.Thawing anything in hot water encourages bacteria and other nasties to grow which may harm your snake.
A very good mate of mine is a chef and ive had several conversations with him on this very topic with the outcome always being the same.
The best way to thaw anything is overnight in the fridge,but if that isnt an option its best thawed in tepid water so it thaws at an even rate inside to out.
Once fully thawed you can then gently warm the rodent with warm tap water before offering it to your snake.

 

[Cypher]

I usually place the frozen rat/mouse in an empty bowl then float the bowl itself in a sauce pan of warm/hot water.

It may take about half an hour for the rat to defrost but there's little chance of "cooking" it.

 

[jessb]

I would suggest you thaw rats in cold water not hot.Thawing anything in hot water encourages bacteria and other nasties to grow which may harm your snake.

The problem with growing bacteria isn't so much the temperature of the water, but rather the length of time for thawing. For human consumption, it is recommended that food spends no longer than 4 hours in the "Danger Zone" between 4C and 70C so the faster you get the food from frozen to warm, the safer it will be to consume.

Warm/hot water means that the entire item will thaw faster than using cold water and the main reason for using cold is to preserve the texture of the food and not "cook" it while it is thawing. Cold water will take longer to thaw the food and is therefore actually less safe than using warm water.

Overnight thawing in the fridge followed by warm water heating is probably the safest method, but who plans that far ahead to feed their snakes? Also, with a smallish rat or mouse, warm water thawing isn't an issue as it only takes about 15 minutes, but with bigger food like rabbits (or whole chickens for human consumption) slow thawing in the fridge is probably the answer.

 

[Dar1stheory]

I would suggest you thaw rats in cold water not hot.Thawing anything in hot water encourages bacteria and other nasties to grow which may harm your snake.
A very good mate of mine is a chef and ive had several conversations with him on this very topic with the outcome always being the same.
The best way to thaw anything is overnight in the fridge,but if that isnt an option its best thawed in tepid water so it thaws at an even rate inside to out.
Once fully thawed you can then gently warm the rodent with warm tap water before offering it to your snake.

Hey Troyster,

I'm not an expert on science, but I would assume that there is some significant factors to consider that make defrosting a rodent in hot water very different to the common kitchen hazards like salmonella formed on raw chicken...

We're talking about common bacteria already found on rodents which are frozen at the time of death.

Once frozen, these bacteria cease production, and assuming they are Mesophiles (the most common bacteria.) These grow best around 30 and the parasitic species around 37C.

Bacteria can double in quantity approximately every 9 minutes.

Most common bacteria will also die under high temperatures, some bacteria will begin to die at temps above 60C, though the standard to kill the majority is considered 121C.

I figure therefore, I am better off defrosting a small rat in 2-3 minutes in hot water from the tap, less than 100C, probably around 80-85C in most houses, where I am giving little opportunity for the bacteria to multiply past what would have been a perfectly acceptable level at time of death. (Hopefully killing most of them too)

Leaving a dead animal to defrost in "tepid" water, say room temperature, gives the best possible opportunity for bacteria to reproduce at optimal levels, in half an hour potentially tripling the bacteria that would occur compared to defrosting in hot water...

Defrosting in the fridge seems the safer option I'd think, with a quick dip in the hot water as you suggested...

 

[waruikazi]

I leave mine out in the sun now. I just got the irrates with wet rat smell in the house.

 

[sacred_DUC]

i normally get the rats out in morning depending on day temps, place them in tub with lid then let the thaw out til mid arvo, fill tub with hot water then place that tub with the rats in it just to give some warmth to rats then just toss them without feeding with tongs