Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i want to switch my big guy over to frozen/thawed mice but i'm very nrevous about it. is there any special way to thaw out the mice and what if it isn't fully thawed? how do you check to see if it's fully thawed and do you have to warm up or cool down the mouse? please be very detailed as i don't want to screw up and hurt my baby!! thanks guys! ohh yeah, i was gonna order from mice on ice....anyone use them before?

I feed only f/t rodents to all my animals.

I start with a container of really warm tap water (the bigger the container the longer the water stays warm) and place the frozen mice or rats in it.

Maybe 10 or 15 minutes later (for mice; longer for rats) I check them. I take the mouse out of the water and hold it in my fist for a while and feel the temperature. It should feel warm throughout. If it's not completely thawed I'll feel the coolness coming through after about 10 seconds or so. If it's cool or cold I'll change the water to new really warm water and put the mouse back in for a bit.

When they're warm all the way through I place the mice in some paper towels and GENTLY squeeze out the excess water so they're relatively dry.

After that, I either feed with tongs or place the mice in a bowl and feed.

With the drying in paper towels they cool quickly, so I feed right afterward while there's still some warmth in them.

I like the really warm water method because it's quick and clean as opposed to leaving the frozen mouse out for hours until it thaws on its own. I don't use extremely hot water because I don't want to cook the mice, and if you use very hot water the mouse also might burst open and make a mess.

Regards,

Bill

When I first started feeding F/T, i had no idea what I was doing, and didnt ask for suggestion. Hahaha!
Well, I thought it would be a great idea to take about 20 or so mice and put them in a pot of water on the stove to simmer. I figured they would be thawed REALLY fast! I went away for a bit to check my e-mail, etc, and while I was on the computer I smelled something similar to a roast beef cooking. Then I rememebered the mice on the stove! Like the guy above stated, if the waters too hot, they will explode. I was left with a very interesting pot of "mouse stew".

Rodentpro.com They have been a good source for me. My last order some I bought were vacuum sealed. Hope all of them are this time.

Mike B

Sounds delish... I've got a good recipe for mouse mousse:
Blend mice and gelatin and water in the blender until a uniform shade of pinkish gray... LOL!!

Leslie

All I have ever used for the past 2 years is the mousefactory.com They have the best prices plus I have never had a problem with them yet. Super fast shippers and packed very well with dry ice. You need to order large quantities though cause you are charged a flat charge depending on how much you order but they more you order the cheaper it is. I feed mine frozen/ thawed. What I do is take how many I want out the night before and put them into a zip lock baggie then put it in the refrig. Then the next day wehn its feeding time I let it soak insisde the bag in my bathroom sink in kinda warm water for like 20 mins, Depending on the size it varies. Just wehn you are ready to feed it check it and make sure its not cold and kinda sqeeze it a little in the stomach to make sure thats not cold. If you thaw it out the night before in the refridge it will cut the time down a lot. You can just take it out of the freezer and do the same thing. Whatever works for you. You might want to get tongs and make the prey move kinda cause it might not be interested if its not moving. All depends on your tegu. Hope this helps. I would use the Mouse factory though they are great.

The mouse factory

I do .25 ea for crawler/ hopper size, and .50 for adult. free delivery depending on distance. -and only orders of $50.