Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought a pre-killed rat and my girl decided she didn't want it, so I threw it in the freezer. This was about a month n' a half ago- she's been in her winter fast since. Anyways, rather than buying a new rat, I figured I could just defrost the previous rat and try that one on her.

For pinkies I usually just throw em' in a plastic baggie and let em' defrost in some hot water. Will this work for the rat, or should I nuke it in the microwave? Let me know what you guys think. Thanks guys.
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"Sweetheart don't make me laugh you's gettin' too big for your pants and I's think maybe you should cut out while you can" - Complicity (Slash/Rose)

No microwaves! Microwaves heat from the inside out. When you touch it and it feels warm, it could be blazing on the inside. Ouch!

I once used plastic baggies, too. That is, until someone told me they're a waste of money and time.

Just take a big pot, fill it with very hot tap water. Drop in the rat. Wait fifteen minutes or until the rat sinks to the bottom. Then sponge dry the rat with paper towels. Done.

Some say they're experienced rats exploding in the pan, but I've never seen it. And I doubt I will.

Chris
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"I don't know about you...but I find comfort in that." -- Cowboy

The only problem with dropping the rat directly in water is that the smell of the rat gets kinda washed off. I've noticed that some of my BPs tend to loose interest in the "wet" rats, even when the rat was still plenty warm. But when they were offered the ones that were thawed & warmed in the plastic bag, where the rats stay dry, the finicky ones will gladly take those. I just use the plastic bags from the grocery store... cheap and free. Just make sure they don't have any holes in them.

Eric

putting in the bag and hot water works for me. I also leave them under a heat lamp for a few minutes to help get them up to temp better(I use a temp gun to check the temp). If you put it in the microwave I think you will have lots of rat pieces to clean up.

I'm with you, We either let ours defrost sitting out (for smaller stuff) or do the hot water thing, I just make sure its in a sealed bag with little air and give it a little while, I usualy end up changing the water twice then setting it under a heat lamp to get it nice and warm.

Cheryl
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Beach Dragons and Reptiles

>>I'm with you, We either let ours defrost sitting out (for smaller stuff) or do the hot water thing, I just make sure its in a sealed bag with little air and give it a little while, I usualy end up changing the water twice then setting it under a heat lamp to get it nice and warm.
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>>Cheryl
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>>Beach Dragons and Reptiles
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"Sweetheart don't make me laugh you's gettin' too big for your pants and I's think maybe you should cut out while you can" - Complicity (Slash/Rose)