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Thawing Nutritional Question

BlackBear123

BlackBear123

New member
I've done a search on this topic and from what I've read, the majority of you thaw in warm water. And because many of you have kept healthy snakes for years, it obviously doesn't take too much nutrition away. Just wondering, has anyone had a mouse analysis done to see just how much and what type of nutrients are depleted from thawing through in warm water? It would be an interesting comparison to see what is lost through cold water thawing, warm water thawing, thawing by leaving out at room temp, and thawing with hot water. I came across this USDA regulations on feeding thawed meat and pray to captive exotics. It's mostly meant for tigers and such, but I'm wondering if it is applied to captive snakes in zoos too.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/meatprey.pdf
 
I generally put the day's meals in the fridge in the morning. When it's close to feeding time that evening I take them out and let them sit at room temp for about 30-45 minutes, then warm things up with warm water for about 10-15 minutes.

That's an interesting read ya found there.
 
I thought it was fairly interesting. I was just wondering why it was okay for snakes to have food sit out at room temp and thawed in standing room water, but not okay for other carnivors. Is anyone a herp keeper at a zoo? Do you have to follow these rules?
 
I think it may partly have to do with the fact that a lion's prey would have to sit out at room temp or in water for a very long time, whereas a mouse doesn't need very long.
Having said that, I would never leave mice out at room temp to thaw due to concerns about safety. I thaw in warm water and it takes maybe half an hour to get the prey to get nice and warm. If I was thawing larger prey (bunnies or big rats) I would leave it in the fridge and then warm it (in its bag) in warm water so it would be more appetizing for the snake.
 
Thats a good point. If thawing at room temp, a big piece of meat may take so long to thaw the center, that bacteria has a chance to start doing dumb stuff to the outside.
 
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