i dont know if i can

I think your best bet would be to buy from a reputable breeder and make sure the little one is well started on thawed food.

Originally Posted by ~slither~

I don't know if you mean to thaw them out or kill them, but people actually put mice in the micro???? I'm not saying that you do, but whoever you've heard does that needs shooting. Cooked food aint good for sankys, and if it's to kill them then thats a terrible way to die.

Yeah i am wondering that too.

If you put mice in the microwave for a few seconds, it doesn't cook them, it only thaws them out. You're supposed to put them in on a "Defrost" or "Low" setting, or else they'll explode.

Ew... I just thaw them in warm water. I feed them wet and none of my snakes mind it.

You can't trust a microwave to heat evenly, so why risk it? Thaw in hot water-- the hottest you can get from the tap. I think a good rule of thumb is to heat the prey item in water that is just barely tolerable to YOUR finger...

I did give some hatchlings live pinky gerbils last year--put them in walked away!

I've never fed gerbils/hamsters myself, but I hear once they start on them it's hard to get them back on mice/rats which are much cheaper.

The gerbils were for the non feeder hatchlings. Everyone else gets mice.

I would disagree with putting the mice in the microwave to defrost as it dries out the mice with also the risk (like chibitamalove mentioned).
I put mine in hot water from the tap and while it is defrosting, I handle the snake being fed.

You can either just put the mouse in the water, or you can put the mouse in a baggie and then in the water.

By the way, I'VE never put a mouse in the microwave. I've just read that it can be done, with the risk of mice blowing up. I don't know if you guys have heard of this, but there's also an "urban legend" of an old lady who stuck her weiner dog into the microwave to dry it off and the dog exploded. True or not, I'm not putting mice into the microwave after that story.