Reptile & Amphibian Forums

we thawed out a frozen mouse and put it in the cage last night. How long should I leave it there before it goes bad and shouldn't be eaten?

thanks
Katie

If you put a mouse in a cage at night and wake to find it still there in the morning, it's a good idea to take it out right away.

You can save money on mice by making sure your snake eats them, vice having to throw them out. Instead of just leaving the mouse in the cage (for a snake that might not even know it's there), try this method:

(1) Have the thawed mouse prepped and standing by. (2) Get your snake out of its cage (after washing hands). (3) When you're done "interacting" with your snake, use your free hand to put the mouse in the cage. (4) Put the snake back in the cage, and wave his head by the mouse. The snake will take care of the rest.

Good luck.

-Brandon
www.nosnakeban.org

I always do this only I feed mine in another container. Sometime I don't even have to put them in another container. I just set the meal on my entertainment center. After handling my amel and ghost I just set the snake by the meal and they eat it. It's great. If one don't eat his/her meal then the other one will. My corns are both yearlings and eating fuzzies. :0)

If it isn't eaten over night, then toss it out. Ideally it should be consumed within a half hour after thawed as the longer it is at room temperature or higher, the more bacteria builds up. But typically, if the snake hasn't eaten it during the night, it should be tossed out. I would then wait a day or two before offering another prey item.