Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been feeding frozen rats to my snakes for the past three years, up to that point I always used fresh killed with those few exceptions which would only take live. I would like to know how everyone dethaws there rodents. I have always placed them directly in a bucket of warm water and let them sit until completly defrosted. Then I dry them off with paper towels. I always use a very clean bucket to dethaw. I have been using this method with my boas and pythons from the begining with no ill-effects. Never had an animal get sick and never had one regurge a meal. And I have had over 70 different animals in the last few years. I have heard that most people leave the rodent out at room temp over night. Does anyone else use the method that I have described? And if not is there something wrong with the way I am doing this? I have read something about the bacteria in the rodents stomach going bad if dethawed to quickly. Is that true. This is just how I have always done it and my snakes seem to love it cause for the most part they all take instantly. I have 14 '04 female ball pythons that I have switched over to dethawed using this method and every boa constrictor I have owned with the exception of one Nic. have all taken frozen. Also I should mention that after the rodent has been dethawed I dispose of it after an hour if it has not been consumed. I have never let one sit in a cage for longer than that.
Please respond to my method and I would like to hear yours.
Thanks
Josh

You are doing fine. I have been feeding f/t for what seems like ever by putting my frozens in a decent ziploc, then immersing it into a 2 gal pot full of VERY hot water. I usually weigh it down so it is immersed, with the top of the zip loc above water level. I have found it does no harm to soak your mice/rats but I try to keep them dry if possible.

I soak my food until the water is warm, then refill again with very hot water. I find after an hour or so, it is easy to tell that the prey are thawed. It is important to make sure the inside of the prey is totally thawed as these are cold blooded creatures we are feeding and it would cause harm to feed partially frozen in any way.

If your snakes are taking your 'soaked' prey fine, I see no harm, in fact it might even help digestion more than my method of trying to keep them dry.

I do not see the need, nor the advantage of keeping f/t out overnight to thaw. Im my opinion it thaws so slowly that parts of the prey are not near as fresh as when I use the hot water technique. Just make sure your food is fully thawed.

So what is your total thaw time from the time you start the process to consumption? Doing it directly in the water it is fairy quick. Mice are like five to ten minutes and big rats are maybe a half hour. Some longer of course depending on size, but all in all it is fairly fast...

I leave mine out over night in individual sandwich bags.

By warming them in water the decomposition process can become accelerated. This results in a meal that would decompose inside your snake faster than nature intended and can result in gastrointestinal problems. While this is true it doesn't always happen, and I know many people who use lamps or water to thaw faster. However, for me, the risk is too great and I would rather practice preventative measures to assure the health of my boas. And with Bolivians, and a baby albino which are more delicate I have good reason.

So Chris do you leave them out overnight then?
This is my Collection and all of them have been taking frozen in this manner, many of them for over three years. If there is a possibilty of harming the snake then I will change my method.
1.1 Amarali (I have had since baby's and they are 4 years and breeding I hope they produce this year...Her follicles are 25mm)
1.2 Hogg Island
1.0 Albino
0.1 DH Sunglow
0.2 Pastel
0.1 Colombian
0.1 Surinam (she is gravid) I crossed to Hypo Colombian
1.0 Hypo Colombian
0.14 Ball Pythons
1.1 Het Albino Colombian

I used to thaw mice for my ball pythons when I first was getting into snakes with water. After one essentially fell apart while thawing I decided to change my methods. I did and do not want to risk anything. Like I said a lot of people I know thaw in an excellerated way, water or lamps, with no problems.

I just put them in ziplock or sanwich bags and let them thaw overnight at room temperature.

my collection:
1.1 66% het blood '04 (Burke)
1.1 Western Costa Rican '04 (founder stock)
0.1 Kahl Albino '04
1.0 Anerythristic '01
1.0 Argentine X Colombian 50% het albino '03 (Pete Kahl)
0.3 66% het albino '04
0.1 Surinam X Hog Island
1.0 Orange Crush Bolivian '04 (Barnett)
0.1 Blonde Bolivian '03 (Barry Miller)
0.1 Hypomelanistic '04

What does your Surinam X Hogg look like? If you can you should post a pic. I am trying to picture it and it's just not working.=)
Thanks
Josh

They were pretty variable, Serpent's Den produced them.

Nice Snake.
I had it pictured having more Surinam influence, but I like it a lot.
Thanks Josh

Her color is Hog, but everything else is Suri. Her growth pattern, feeding response, head markings, solid saddled tail blotches, and a sharp contrast on saddles.

She is a very pretty and interesting animal.

I've done the quick thaw in a plastic bag in water (never thaw the animal directly in water) as well as thawing at room temperature... depends on how quickly I want to get the feeding done!

I think in either case the idea is to avoid accelerating decomposition to the point that your snake gets poisoned. Personally, I wouldn't let anything smaller than a really large rat thaw overnight... otherwise, it sits too long at room temp.