how to properly thaw a rat or mouse

[razeraze]

There was a post years ago of a guy on another site who lost all of his snakes because his wife did not thaw the rats out properly. Every one be careful this is the biggest problem with feeding F/T. Sometimes I think pre killed is the safest way to feed, I just hate doing it.

[louise]

prekilled can cause parasites. just make absolute positive that the head and stomack is thawed, that it is nice and squishy to the touch.

[razeraze]

Flash frozen can still harbor parasites. Some parasites go into a suspended animation until optimal temperatures are met.

"The effectiveness of freezing to kill parasites depends on several factors, including the temperature of the freezing process, the length of time needed to freeze the fish tissue, the length of time the fish is held frozen, the fat content of the fish, and the type of parasite present. The temperature of the freezing process, the length of time the fish is held frozen, and the type of parasite appear to be the most important factors. For example, tapeworms are more susceptible to freezing than are roundworms. Flukes appear to be more resistant than roundworms.

Freezing and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours is sufficient to kill parasites. FDA's Food Code recommends these freezing conditions to retailers who provide fish intended for raw consumption.

Note: these conditions may not be suitable for freezing particularly large fish (e.g. thicker than six inches)."

And squishey is not always completely thawed. I have felt ice chunks in an xxxlg guinea pig after 12 hours of thawing and completely squishy. The ice chunks will move freely if you push on them, so it is safe to assume they are not just cold organs. I have also found very cool spots in the head of guinea pigs since they have a much thicker skull than rats.

[Stargazer]

Thanks for the great information. I've decided to stop warming in the oven, now that I'm feeding only medium and large rats. I still like the idea of thawing in the fridge cause then I know they are complete thawed. So it's just a matter of warming them. I am trying the hot water method today. I hope Jesse will eat a wet rat.

[louise]

star just make sure the stomack and head is nice and warm and squishy.

[Stargazer]

See, that's the thing...the head is kind of hard anyway, and you can't really feel it all the way on the inside.

[louise]

feel it befor you thaw it. it feels different after totally thawed.

[Stargazer]

Thought I'd wait until MY dinner was eaten and well digested before picking up this thread....lol

Jesse refused the rat that was warmed in hot water in a baggie. But it's not unusual for him to occasionally reject a meal, especially during the day.

[bleeding_sarcasm]

I always just throw all of my rodents into one big bowl of water [not in a baggy, straight up in the water] and replace the warm water multiple times over the course of like an hour until they are warm and limp. They probably smell like nothing but water. Not to mention that I thaw rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters and rabbits in the same bowl. But they still get eaten. no complaints here.

When I am switching animals from live to f/t, I first feed f/k. after a few times, I kill the food and run some water over it so its wet, after thats taken a few times, then I give them the f/t. Never have any hesitation with that method. I dont always have f/t on hand, but never feed live, so rinsing off f/k food so its wet makes me feel like I am taking precautions so that they dont get a "taste" for f/k food. I might just have pigs, but unless they are holding out for something "tasty" [like a mouse] I never have a snake refuse a meal.