Thawing out frozen mice?

[Koula]

Hey all, what's the best way to go about thawing out frozen mice?
Do you just let them sit out to thaw naturally, or do you soak them in warm water? (bagged or unbagged?)
And for how long?

Just wanting to know what's right, in case there's any hazards involved with bad thawing techniques...

PS: I've been putting my fuzzies in a small plastic bag and then sitting/sinking the bag in lukewarm water for 30 mins.

 

[instar]

Thats fine swiftrat, mine dont care if wet so i dont bag em, just tap hot water change after 10 mins, nother 10 mins make sure thawed thru and feed. Leaving to thaw naturally takes much longer and is risky as bacteria build up. Fast in hot water is prolly best, no microwave!
Just found out ,apparently a reputable paper says studies undertaken showed greater bacteria levels in hot water thawed rodents than in naturally thawed! :shock:
Confused now?

 

[Jason]

Just found out ,apparently a reputable paper says studies undertaken showed greater bacteria levels in hot water thawed rodents than in naturally thawed!
Confused now?

doesn't make sence surely that aint right.... any way i put them in hot water, defrosts in about5-10 min then dry and feed

 

[instar]

Who knows Jason, I was just informed of it, I havent seen this paper yet. :?

 

[steve6610]

hi swiftrat,
i always let them defrost naturally and have never had a problem, i put them on paper with a fan blowing on them to speed it up, i feed when all defrosted and are at room temp, but i'm not saying that hot water doesn't work, just haven't tryed it that way yet,

cheers,
steve........

 

[craig.a.c]

I put my rats/mice in a small container in the fridge over night. The next day I put the container with the rats in some hot water for an hour. (Just make sure the water is still hot).

 

[da_donkey]

Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

I put my rats/mice in a small container in the fridge over night. The next day I put the container with the rats in some hot water for an hour. (Just make sure the water is still hot).

I do it the same as craig, always works well for me.

 

[serpenttongue]

RE: Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

I get my rodents out of the freezer at night and put them in a container. They thaw overnight and i use them around lunchtime the following day. If i need a rodent quickly then i will soak it in hot water. I will give wet rats to snakes who have newspaper as their substrate, but dry rats to snakes on BC cat litter.

 

[BROWNS]

RE: Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

I don't know the name but i have like a steel plate that defrosts..if you put an ice cube on it and one next to it on the bech the one on the plate is gone in no time and the other ice is still melting so this is what i put my frozen rodents on still in bags but open....takes an hour or 2i dump the lot rats and mice in an icecream container and i feed off, very quick and simple ,no wet rats ,exploding etc etc!

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

RE: Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

like this andrew,,,
i think the main reason it work is because steel surfaces helb the thawing process more than leaving in plastic,,,something about the steel drawing the coldness..... :?
http://www.netasia.net/users/truehealth/Food for Thaw-t.htm
any way check the link

 

[BROWNS]

RE: Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

Yep sounds similar but believe me it works but as i said 1-2 hours depending on size of rodent,a pikie is ready in 5-10 minutes...i got it at some cheap shop and have thawed several times with other methods and this has worked best for me by far...

Regarding bacteria thawing at room temp i still think 1-2 hours is fine and as you've read others leave them much longer.What about those that get fed and not taken but you know will be eaten if left in there?

No waste of money and didn't get sucked into any gimick...maybe it would work just as well in the frypan but i haven't tried that and don't need to :wink:

 

[Surfcop24]

RE: Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

I have been putting my fuzzies in a container.... leaving them on a bench for about an hour or so..... and then float the container is some warm/hot water to warm them up a lil... Then feed them straight away

 

[peterescue]

RE: Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

Ideally, all frozen foods should be thawed in the fridge. This inhibits bacteria.
Saying that, if you thaw your rats in warm wter bacteria will take advantage but the idea is to feed them to your animals asap. This should forestall any problems. If you thaw them this way then leave them then you could be looking for trouble.
With human meat its suggested that you either thaw in the fridge or at room temp and place in the fridge once it is thawed. This will maintain it at lower than room temp as you put it back in the fridge before it loses its chill.
The problem with this for some snakes is that they like there rats lightly warmed.

 

[Guest]

RE: Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

Its ok to thaw in warm water if they are feed straight away but they will thaw as quickly in room temp water. Cold food must be kept below 5 degrees to prevent bacteria from breeding and hot above 50 degrees between these 2 temps it will breed the idea is that it is consumed quickly before the bacteria multiplies to the extent that it become harmful.

 

[tweety2]

RE: Re: RE: Thawing out frozen mice?

hiya, i let my rats thaw naturally and have never had any problems. If you are thawing in hot water be very careful as you tend to start to cook the rat if the water is too hot, thats how you get a greater bacteria build up
cheers lisa