Reptile & Amphibian Forums

need help, left the house in a hurry this morning and forgot to defrost mice for tonight's feeding and won't be home until 8pm. What's the fastes safest way to defrost?

thanks in advance

warm water.
Don't nuke. Just...ew messy.
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

will they defrost in under 2 1/2 hours? I normally use warm water but at this time of year i give it at least 4 hours....

I lay all mine out on a paper towel covered plastic lids, sort of like a cookie sheets. Then place them in front of a big box fan in my garage. Even huge adult mice thaw out in about an hour and a half or so. Pinks and fuzzies in 30 to 45. I also have a low wattage bulb in a "trouble light" that has a clamp on it. If I need to warm any slightly, I aim it straight up, and I have a screen placed over it, and I simply lay the rodents on the screen and cover with a large plastic tub to trap the warmth from the bulb, and within just a couple minutes, they are much warmer. It is similar to a mouse "BBQ grill"..LOL!

This way there is ZERO drying things off, and have stuff sticking to them, etc..., and no scent is changed or washed off either. I place all the rodents on the thawing tray in the exact order of the way the snake bins are, so everything doesn't have to be moved, and is exactly the correct size for every single snake.......works awesome!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Now I feel as if I'm abusing my snakes by not going through all that for them... I just do warm water for 30 minutes... then 10 minutes before I plan on actually feeding the snakes I put the rats in slightly hot water to give them a little "body warmth"... shake the water off a bit, a quick wrap in a paper towel and then straight to the snakes they go.

Gerry

It only sounds like alot because I had to explain it all in detail so it would be understood better...LOL!....it is as easy as pie.

Here is the much shorter version of the same scanario I use....

Lay rodents on sheet, put in front of fan,....walk away.....come back, feed to snakes..LOL!

See??..

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I have a rubbermaid container specifically for thawing mice. Fill that bad boy up with no more than 3 inches of hot water, put the frozen mice needed in the water, 15 minutes later I dry the mice off with paper towels. feeding time.

not once in the past 7 years has there been a problem with this method. (that I know of, lol)
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles
www.kingpinreptiles.com

I do the same as Mike....hopt tap water in a tub for about 15 minutes and they are ready to go. I don't even dry mone though. The snakes certainly don't mind a wet mouse.
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Greg Jackson

>>I do the same as Mike....hopt tap water in a tub for about 15 minutes and they are ready to go. I don't even dry mone though. The snakes certainly don't mind a wet mouse.
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>>Greg Jackson

Mine take a little longer than 15 minutes but I thaw out about a hundred at a time sometimes.....but they are certainly ready to go in about 45 minutes......
I dry mine with a towel......The wife hates it.....LOL
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

Hi Mike,

I have been utilizing the exact same method (for chicks and sm. rats too) for many years also. It's quick, simple and it never fails (until you get the one mouse with a perforated abdomen and the water begins to quickly look like a scene from jaws...nasty).

Will

PS - I finally found that photo of my albino n. watersnake that I promised to show you...a decade ago. If you're still interested let me know and I'll send it to you.

Hey Will,
I know what you mean man, sometimes I'll end up with broken frozen rodents and have no choice but to thaw them out as well. Nothing like some blood filled water... Probably just makes the snakes want the mice more since they smell so much like blood...

And yeah go ahead and send me that pic - mikefedzen @ yahoo.com I'll definitely take a look at it.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles
www.kingpinreptiles.com

That is the same exact, and I mean same exact method I used at home and at the pet store I used to work at! Works like a charm every time!

It also thaws out quickly like you mentioned, any size mice.

Tony
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You can never have only one snake!

I get a 5 gallon bucket put the rosents in some baggies and rubberband them to a hammer (keeps em from floating). I then fill the bucket up with as hot as my tap can get water. They are ready to go in under 2 hours for sure. It also depends on how many rodents you are thawing as well. Ive been doing it this way for over 20 years and it works well for me.

Bone

Bone,

That is just a really prety picture of an unusual Florida. I can't stop looking at it. Usually dark Floridana don't appeal to me. But yours is different.

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www.Bluerosy.com

If you're worried about timing. Just do it another day. Your snakes will never know the difference. Don't stress over it.

I've never done anything other than let them thaw on their own. Hot water just seemed like a bit of a hassle, unless it was an animal that needed the heat (green tree python for example). But after a while, they all just take what you offer for the most part.

Just don't try to push it and end up feeding a mouse not fully thawed. If timing is a push for when you'll be able to do it again. Heck, skipping a week won't even hurt.
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Brian Suter

www.serpenteer.com

5-gallon bucket. With multiple sizes (Because I have everything here from a yearling Savu python to a large female dumerils boa) of feeders going in the tums at once, I place my rats in some tepid water. I add really hot. I have found that starting with the tepid then adding hot prevents explosion.

I also start with the large prey first. My XXXL rats start the thaw. It is a bit cumbersome, but my pythons like their meals hot and wet. I feed everything around 104 degrees.

I also tend not to add the mice until the last water change (takes a few) because the cat and dogs like to steal them.
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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thought i was the only one here with dogs that did that!
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa