Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How many out there thaw their rats and mice in hot water and then feed? Has it ever been a problem? Are their pros and cons to this? Which way do you do it? Just to get started....I use hot water and feel the rats to make sure they are completely warmed through before feeding. Thanks Andy

I use room temp water to thaw then warm the water once or twice before feeding to heat up a bit. The reason I do it this way is that I've had bad luck w/ rats splitting open when they are struck by the snake. Apparently, the hot water on the frozen skin weakens the membranes (or something like that) and makes them a little more prone to splitting open when constricted.
And there's nothing more fun than cleaning rat guts off of a snake that's just eaten and is in feeding mode!
jb
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Jonathan Brady
"Sarcasm is angers ugly cousin" -Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson) in "Anger Management".

We do just like jb does with his. First we thaw them in room temp water, then warm them up a bit with warm water. If they are warmed up too quickly, especially the younger rats, they like to explode when being constricted.

I set out all the packages of rats to be thawed on wire racks and cut the corner off of packs that have a strong vacuum (helps prevent bleeding)..

Depending upon the room temps it will be 6-8 hours before they are ready to feed.. have never had an explosion, or wet rats, or bloated rats.. works perfect.

Gus

I use steaming hot water from the tap (water heater is set to around 140 degrees) I fill the sink put the rats in and leave them alone for about 45 minutes, check on them, drain the water out and refill it with not as hot water to get them nice and hot to the touch (not too hot to handle just hot enough to make them a bit more attractive to the snake) Then I towel dry them and toss them in, usually they are grabbed and wrapped within seconds of tossing them in.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

I take the rats out of the freezer just before I go to bed for the night and put them in cold water until I get up in the morning.
First thing I do when I get up is put the rats in warm water as most of the time the rats are still cold in the morning.
Then after the rats are warm I run hot water over them to heat the rats up just before I feed them to my boas.

Take care,
Tom
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McCarthyBoas.com

Just kidding. I use hot water leave them in for about 45 mins. then run fresh hot water and leave them in for about 5 mins, to make them actually warm, then I towel dry them. Craig