Natural v accelerated defrosting

Hi, everyone.

I have read the threads on defrosting and just wondered why mice need to be thawed by means of hot water, rather than left for a few hours to defrost naturally. Is there any reason why the latter is unsafe?

Just for background, I only have the one snake so do not have to face the possible difficulties of defrosting large batches for multiple animals.

I always used hot water because I was lazy and in a hurry. My only concern with defrosting at room temperature, and it may be unfounded, is that if left at room temperature too long bacteria may start growing on the mouse.

Originally Posted by Briancs

Hi, everyone.



I have read the threads on defrosting and just wondered why mice need to be thawed by means of hot water, rather than left for a few hours to defrost naturally. Is there any reason why the latter is unsafe?



Just for background, I only have the one snake so do not have to face the possible difficulties of defrosting large batches for multiple animals.

Hi i do both I leave the mouse to thaw then when it’s thawed I get a mug with boiling water in and I put a plastic lid over the cup lay the mouse on the lid to warm it up so they think it’s alive
I never put the mouse in the boiling water
It works for me
I hope that helps
Pat


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Thanks, that’s great. I actually tried the same earlier this evening. He wouldn’t take it in the viv. Too much distraction I think, so I transferred him to a separate container and the by the time I had rinsed out the defrosting container he had polished off the mouse! I was most impressed!

mice have a body temp just like all living animals do. Snakes can sense that heat coming off the mouse. "A Warm Mouse" is more appealing to the snake than a Cold Mouse. I suppose you could defrost it "Naturally" as you call it, but you'd still want to warm it up before offering it to the snake. On the other hand, if you defrost it in warm water, it only takes 15 to 20 minutes and you're ready to feed, and the mouse is already nice and warm.

Thanks for that, Karl.

I'd also like to add that boiling water is not needed. My tap water gets to 110 F. Even an adult mouse completely thaws in 20 minutes. Pinks and fuzzies thaw faster than that. I check the prey my hand to make sure it is totally thawed. Better safe than sorry. I too prefer quick thawing, though when I occasionally slow thaw I do it in the refrigerator to try to minimize bacterial growth.

Originally Posted by DollysMom

I'd also like to add that boiling water is not needed. My tap water gets to 110 F. Even an adult mouse completely thaws in 20 minutes. Pinks and fuzzies thaw faster than that. I check the prey my hand to make sure it is totally thawed. Better safe than sorry. I too prefer quick thawing, though when I occasionally slow thaw I do it in the refrigerator to try to minimize bacterial growth.

That’s really specific and helpful. Thank you so much. Bri are his first mouse here with no trouble,so, hopefully, he’s going to be a god eater.


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Congrats on Brian’s first meal with you. There’s nothing like your snake eating!

right now i just feed large pinkes but im sure this be good for any mouse i just warm up the water to 100 degrees once mouse is 80 + degrees i feed just make sure you don't use hot enough water so it wont cook the mouse