Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think my BP is big enough now where I want to start feeding him small rats. My question is, what is the best and easiest way to thaw one out prior to feeding? I tried feeding him a rat not so long ago and I think maybe I thawed it out too much because (sorry if this grosses anyone out) its guts spilled out all over the place and it smelled VERY bad obviously. I also tried one other time with a rat and got it to my BP OK but then the gut thing happened once he grabbed it and then he didn't seem interested in it once that happened. Can't blame him! Anyway, I need an effective way to thaw it out so that this doesn't happen but also I want to make sure it gets warm enough so my BP will grab it. Up until now I've been feeding him a couple of adult mice at a time and that gets to be a pain. I haven't had the gut problem with the mice though. Just rats when I've tried them. Plus I hear rats are more nutrious for them. Anyway, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Just stick the rat in a plastic bag with a paper towel (so it can soak up some of the moisture). Then just let it sit in a bowl of hot water until it is thawed. Let it sit long enough so it is warm enough for your snake to take it.

Jason

Rats are "NOT" more nutritious than mice, feed them what they will eat.
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Chad Bachman

When you freeze and thaw the rodent, the cells of the body are weakened. So when you subject it to very hot temperatures in the thawing process, you get the exploding gut when the snake constricts it.

When I thaw out the rodents in hot water, I place them in plastic bags making sure that the backs of the rodents are the parts that are in contact with the hot water under the plastic bag. The key is to make sure that the belly region of the frozen rodents are not exposed to the intense heat. Hope this helps.

Eric