TIme to allow for defrost large rat?

[GreatSage]

Hi,

If i am defrosting a large rat in a tub of hot water
how long do I leave it in there? and is this the best way to defrost it?

Thanks in advance
Sage

[MrBredli]

Should only take about 25-30 mins.

[GreatSage]

Thank you Mr.B just didnt want the ol' microwave pie syndrome!

Cheers
Sage

[alienpunk]

Stick it in a plastic bag and dump that in the water....then no draining will be necessary...sandwich bags are good for that, or even a plain old shopping bag....

then you little critter will be more inclined to think its fresh....

[TrueBlue]

the best method is to leave over night in the fridge then slightly warm it before feeding.

[Pythoninfinite]

I just put them into hot water, no bag, and a large rat takes only about 20-30 mins as Mr Bredli says. I don't even bother drying or draining them when offering to the snake, and always get an enthusiastic response. In that short time, there can be no decomposition, especially in the gut. The longer they have to warm up, the greater the chance of that. Having said that, o/nite in the fridge as per TB would be OK too.

I feel that the wet fur aids hydration and makes no difference to the snake's reaction. just make sure that the feeding takes place on a clean substrate so that nothing can stick to the food as it's swallowed, but that should be the case however it is fed.

Jamie.

[GreatSage]

Thanks guys just worked a charm did the bag thin, will post photos soon

Sage

[craig.a.c]

It is best to let them thaw over night. If you try and thaw them to quick you might end up with a frozen bit in the rat. Just because the outside feels hot doesn't mean the inside is. Stick them in the fridge over night, about 1 hour before feeding them to your snake place them in a container with hot water to warm them up.

[cris]

I just chuck them into a bucket of hot water, straight from the freezer and leave them until they are all floppy on the inside, never timed it but it would take about half and hour or a bit less like Mr B says.

I have found using a plstic bag to keep them dry is a good idea for fussy snakes but a complete waste of time otherwise. It also slows down the defrosting.

leaving them in the fridge over night would allow them to defrost quicker, but i dont usually plan that far ahead and i dont have a spare fridge that i can stink up with rats.

[alienpunk]

yeah, i originally tried just dumping them in water, but i have a coupla fussy kids, so the bag saves me giving them a Stefan-like blowdry

will def try the fridge defrost thing just to make sure there are no frozen bits, sounds definitely worth it just to make sure

[Pythoninfinite]

Easy to tell if they're cold in the middle, just press your thumb into the middle for a moment, and it will begin to feel cold very quickly, just replace for a few more minutes if you need to. Been doing it for years, never had a problem.

J.

[alienpunk]

awesome thanks mate......apparently my little guys were feeding on freshly killed fuzzies, so are there any techniques for getting them as close to the real deal, considering I could never kill a rat myself;

humans yes.....rats no....