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Thawing methods...

DavidFallows

DavidFallows

New member
Ok, my snake is due for feeding tonight and I'm wondering how I should have thawed his mouse... I've left it out all night in its packaging for 24hrs. Will that be a problem? I thought that was how they are to be thawed and that any other speed-thawing methods may cause problems.
 
well I usually do more of "speed thawing" i will talk slightly warm water and let the mouse soak in it until it feels soft and not cold anymore. I have only done a number of feedings and this seems to quite successful. My only worry with your method is if you leave it out then any bacteria that also survive can begin to replicate due to the temperature change. I won't list them all to bore you but there are several. Most have very high doses but within a snake and the size difference between humans and them an infecting does might be much lower. Just my two cents.
 
I thaw mine in the fridge overnight (basically the same way I'd thaw out meat for human consumption) and warm it in some hot(ish) water for a minute or two prior to feeding. This way the food thaws at a low temp thus ensuring no harmful bacteria have a chance to breed.
 
Damn... I'm flying to amsterdam for 6 days tomorrow at 4am, there's no chance the other mouse I have frozen will thaw by then.

I'll have to get my mum to feed him. What basic instructions should I give her? Warm the mouse up with water after thawing and then place it on a small saucer so that no substrate gets stuck to it?
 
I posted on the other thread in which you asked this question. Thawing only takes a couple of hours at room temp or less than 20 minutes using warm water and a plastic bag.

IMO, 24 hours is way to long. Small mice start to decompose in about 12-18 hours.

Oh, and if you use a saucer, make sure it has a tight fiting lid and ventilation.....
 
I saw in your other posts that your snake is 26". Depending on how long ago he ate (7 days or so) you may wanna wait until you get back. If your mom is comfortable with your snake then you can go along and have her feed it. I think most people on here will suggest feeding in a seperate container so as to minimize the chance of ingesting substrate. If you go the route of using the saucer have her feed at night. If the mouse is still there in the morning she should remove it and not try feeding for a few more days.
If he doesnt feed the first time come back and do a search about problem feeders
 
Will he be alright not eating after 11 days? I suppose that would give him more time to get used to his new home. If he's used to a 5 day margin I'd obviously prefer to try and help him stick with that.

I'll get my mum to try feeding him on saturday/sunday, he should be hungry and ready by then. :)

Thanks for all the advice so far.
 
DavidFallows said:
Will he be alright not eating after 11 days?
Click to expand...

He should be okay waiting 11 days. They probably go even longer in the wild. Just make sure there is water and he should be fine.
 
OK..,.because the replys i wonder am i feeding my snakes poorly....i take warm water....and let the mouse sit in it for 30 mins...then i feed...is that bad or should i boil water.....put mouse in...and then let cool off then feed like my friend does
 
I usually thaw at room temp for an hour or two; longer for big rodents.

If I am in a hurry, I would put the rodents in a plastic bag before submerging in hot water. Otherwise, they get wet and messy, and you wash away a lot of the enticing "aroma". You could use a microwave, but be careful. The tail and nose could get hot enough to burn the snake while the middle may still be frozen, so I don't recommend that method. I have put a plastic bag of rodents outside in the sun to thaw. Works well, but watch them carefully or you will have a disgusting mouse soup!
 
I've never had a problem with 'washing away the aroma' of the mouse by sticking it straight into hot water. He always seems very aware of the little mouse. hehe But I do always dab the mouse off before I put it with the snake.

But I would assume putting it in a plastic bag and THEN the water would be a good way to do it as well.
 
I think MOST snakes won't have a problem with the reduced odor...

but new snakes or picky feeders may need all of the enticement they can get. If somebody finds their snake doesn't mind the reduced smell and the wetness, then of course one can't argue with success. I just don't like the wet, yucky things myself, although I have done it the wet way when I didn't have any plastic bags handy and I was in a hurry.
 
I feed everybody at the same time, so I put all the mice into a Tupperware bowl and add hot water. Just like Top Ramen for snakes. I wait 10 mins and add fresh hot water. Pinks are usually done and the bigger mice will be ready when I'm done feeding the babies.

One of our cats likes drinking the clear mouse soup/broth after the mice are removed so everybody's happy.

PS...I don't mean cooking the mice in hot water. Didn't mean to imply that. It just thaws them quickly.
 
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I put all the mice into a Tupperware bowl and add hot water
Click to expand...
Always done this myself too, and not had a problem feeding from pinkies to adults. Snakey doesn't mind 'wet' mice :)
I would never leave a mouse to thaw out at room temperature.. :nope:
 
I just use warm water because I find that to hot of water on a pinkie will make its skin white and start falling off. I hold the mouse in my hand under warm water til it is soft and squishy. Then I dry it off a little and fed it off. I have done this method with pinkie mice to jumbo rats. I havent no problems. Just my oppinion.
 
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