Which way is best to defrost food?

[grimbeny]

I use the heat matt, but on two occasions i have had mice explode when the snake strangles them(Really not pretty but its only happened twice in nearly 3 years). SOmeone on here says that the heat matt may weaken the stomach lining and that could have caused it.

[IsK67]

Originally Posted by Dan19

oops didnt finish the sentence... Im just gunna put in the water now... how long will it take for it to defrost. ( adult mouse )
Thanks

It can vary. 5 or 10 minutes. All depends on size and heat of water.

Just make sure that when it comes out it is warm, dry and no sign of cold/frozen spots. It needs to be as warm as your hand.

IsK

[Anthony88]

Doo little company says on their pamhplet to not use warm water or microwave. But to defrost on warm surfaces.

[junglepython2]

I either let them sit out and defrost on their own, or if the prey is large or I am in a hurry I use a freezer bag and put it in a container of hot water. If the water is too hot the guts tend to pop out when the snake constrics which can be messy, so just be careful.

[IsK67]

Originally Posted by grimbeny

I use the heat matt, but on two occasions i have had mice explode when the snake strangles them(Really not pretty but its only happened twice in nearly 3 years). SOmeone on here says that the heat matt may weaken the stomach lining and that could have caused it.

Unfortunately it's a common occurrence when they've been frozen.

That's why I prefer fresh kill. (Yummy )

IsK

[IsK67]

The problem with just leaving it out to thaw is that as soon as it starts to defrost bacteria start breaking down the tissue and can cause problems.

Snakes are not scavengers. They need fresh food.

IsK

[Dan19]

ok im going to put it in warm water for 20 minutes??

[Wrasse]

Originally Posted by Anthony88

Doo little company says on their pamhplet to not use warm water or microwave. But to defrost on warm surfaces.

That's a nice easy safe instruction. With the lack of intelligence of some consumers, I could imagine the minefield of specific jargon if they tried to suggest any other method...

[Pythoninfinite]

Hot tap water ( from the hot water tap) is by far the best way - leaving an animal out to defrost at room temp for a couple of hours or longer allows decay (bacterial activity) to set in, and while 99% of the time you will have no problems, just occasionally you might run the risk of poisoning your animal.

As a breeder of rodents, I can assure you that well frozen FRESH rodents will not burst after thawing and feeding. If they burst when constricted, they are partly rotten, and this may be because they weren't frozen properly at the time of killing, (they are often placed into bags by the dozen and frozen en mass - this means the ones inside the mass don't freeze for a day or two...), they weren't stored at the correct temp in the freezer, or they were left to thaw for too long at room temperature. When you buy frozen rodents from a retailer, you have no way of knowing how they have been handled before they get to you. All you can do is minimise the chance of further breakdown by thawing quickly, and hot water will do this in a matter of minutes.

You don't need to keep the food animal dry either if you don't want to - all of my snakes are just as happy to eat them dripping wet, and I believe it helps with hydration anyway. They don't have any problem recognising them as food and invariably are able to find the nose and begin swallowing.

If killing your own rodents, spread them out for about 30 mins after death to allow most of their internal heat to leave the bodies, then pack a few at a time into bags and freeze flat - not more than 2 deep at the most to allow them to chill quickly and begin freezing as fast as possible. Allow airspace between all bags at least for 10-12 hours until everything is very cold, then you can stack together in the freezer, and you will have very high quality, non-bursting rodents to thaw in hot water whenever you need them.

Jamie.

[nickamon]

I defrost food in the fridge.