thawing feeders

[KORBIN5895]

How do you guys thaw your feeders and how long does it usually take? I am looking to speed up my feeding time.

[lady_bug87]

hot water in a glass bowl usually takes a half hour

[KORBIN5895]

Bagged?"??

[lady_bug87]

nope just straight in the water the small rats/mice take 10 mins the medium rats take longer

[red ink]

From the freezer into a bucket of hot "tap" water, depending on quantity (I try and feed all on the same day if possible), 30-45 mins. No bag just straight into the water from the freezer, gives the scents a chance to all mix which has always made it easier for me to switch the mice feeders onto rats.

[alessia55]

I run mine under hot water unbagged, then a quick roll over a paper towel for minimal drying, then off to feed. Mine don't mind a somewhat wet meal. For a pinkie it takes 30sec, for the fuzzies my baby bp eats its about 10mins. Not sure about other sizes though.

What's your current method and time, Korbin?

[infernalis]

I usually just take them out and sit them in a bowl for about 30 minutes on the counter.

[KORBIN5895]

Kk I have always bagged them. I usually throw them in a 2 liter ice cream container and put it in the fridge Monday morning. That night I bag them and toss them in hot tap water. Takes a little longer than a half hour though.

[ZARADOZIA]

I just drop them in a bowl with hot water. No bag, just rat/mouse.


... placed the rat and the mouse in a bowl with hot tap (faucet) water for 20 minutes, then replaced that water with fresh hot water, repeated this every 20 minutes for 1.5 hours. My tap water is 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It cools at the rate of .5 degrees per minute if it's in a plastic bowl and 1 degree per 5 min in a ceramic bowl.
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[Terranaut]

I'm the same. Hot water in a tub but jumbo rats take a solid hour to thaw 4. Then I replace the water with new hot water and put the heads in for 10 min.

[shaunyboy]

i take my feeders out the freezer at bedtime and let them thaw at room temperature the night before i feed

that way anytime the next day i choose to feed they will be ready

i'm not keen on using hot water as i wouldn't thaw my own meat that way

i'd say most prey items are proper thawed 6 to 8 hours after taking out the freezer (just my personal way of doing it)

cheers shaun

[Jay]

i take my feeders out the freezer at bedtime and let them thaw at room temperature the night before i feed

that way anytime the next day i choose to feed they will be ready

i'm not keen on using hot water as i wouldn't thaw my own meat that way

i'd say most prey items are proper thawed 6 to 8 hours after taking out the freezer (just my personal way of doing it)

cheers shaun
Is there an odor present using this method?

[SpOoKy]

i take my feeders out the freezer at bedtime and let them thaw at room temperature the night before i feed

that way anytime the next day i choose to feed they will be ready

i'm not keen on using hot water as i wouldn't thaw my own meat that way

i'd say most prey items are proper thawed 6 to 8 hours after taking out the freezer (just my personal way of doing it)

Pretty much the same.

I pull mine out night before and put them in the fridge. I feed the next night so I take the m out a little before hand and leave them on the counter. I usually give them a quick dip in some hot water to really warm them up but they are already fully thawed and room temp warm.

[Kiljosh]

I put mine in a bag in the sink, fill it with hot water and have a slow drain/slow trickle of fresh hot water.

[Lankyrob]

I am like shaun - snake food gets treated the same way mine does.

Out of the freezer at bedtime (1am usually) and then the snakes are fed sometime in the morning, around 10am usually. They all thaw together in a glass bowl and 5 minutes before feeding time i put the bowl onto a radiator to get some general warmth through the prey, as i pick each item up to actually feed to the snake i press the head/skull agains the hot radiator to give the head the hottest signature and a nice target for the snake.

Jay - i have never noticed any smell from the prey items, they are thawed in a cupboard as otherwise our cats would eat them :rolleyes: - in the same cupboard is our own food defrosting and the dogs food soaking ready for next day feeding.

[lepidus 61]

I use ziplock bags, just put in the mice and fill with hot water from the faucet.
30 t0 45 min and ready to go.

[shaunyboy]

Is there an odor present using this method?

i lay the prey items on a plastic serving tray,then cover the prey with 2 squares of paper towel and leave over night at room temperature

no theres no odor present that a human can smell,but the snakes definitly pick up on them

my carpets become very active,if theres food thawing in the same room as them.i would NOT go into their tanks at this time or for at least 24 hours after they were fed.imo they definaitly go into feeding mode on defrosting day/feeding day

i sometimes defrost in a different room from the snakes,as they can tip over water bowls and wreck their tanks in general once they sense the rats presence

the FIRST i smell any odor,is when i start to heat the rats with a hairdryer.i can't remember which,but males smell stronger than females or its vice versa.i will check next feeding day,but one sex imo has a much stronger scent to them when heating them up

even in summer i defrost at room temperature ( 80f to 90f ) and have NEVER ONCE smelled any odor from my prey

i get peace of mind using this method,as it's how my wife and i would defrost our own meat

[Lankyrob]

Our snakes are all very much in "feed mode" once the prey are defrosting, even tho the prey items are in the kitchen and the snakes in the living room.

[millertime89]

put em in one zip lock bag then place the whole bag in a tupperware dish with hot faucet water.

[ladyjustice33]

I put mine out to thaw at room temp in the morning or at lunch when I come home, then that evening we put them in a baggy and put the sealed bag in very hot tap water for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the rat. I have to get mine really really hot for my BP's to take frozen/thawed. Even doing all that, I have to pass a few of them under the blow drying for a couple of my BP's to get them to strike. I have 22 to feed so it takes a while, lol !!!

[AaronRiot]

I'm for the thawing overnight method. Fridge preferred so I don't have to worry if I can't get to them later in the day/ evening.

Speed defrosting, especially in contact with water, leeches nutrients and can cook the outer skin/meat. Think about what boiling your veggies does, all those vitamins get wasted in the water. In addition to this, if I'm buying/ producing "good" feeders for the fact that they're healthy and well fed, I don't want to lose any of that in the process of getting it into my animal.

Warming bagged and thawed items up in warm water is a little different because it will warm and later cook more or less evenly since the entire item is thawed. That's why chefs are big fans of the immersion circulator. Wikipedia them ;)

Also with speed heating/thawing there is always the risk of a cool/cold/iced core which is stressful on the animal's system to digest. After a workout we drink room temp water because cold water with cubes feels good in the mouth but is a lot of work in the stomach.

As far as scent goes, I would liken this to our food as well when I connect the dots. When meat cooks it's smell is much much stronger and slightly different. Maybe something to watch out for..

Just my opinions... I'm not one to judge, why fix it if it's not broke...

Oh yeah! As for speed, if I'm cooking up a couple steaks I thawed the night before... 5 min a side. If I procrastinate or forget, 15min in the mic on "defrost" which is 20 really for breaks and flips to make sure the corners don't cook, PLUS 5min a side, and a far less tasty steak to boot.

[knox]

Glass jar, hot water, mice go in. 15 minutes later I dry with paper towel and feed.

This has worked for me for years and years.

[Skumbo]

i would only defrost bagged, as any items in water, especially being defrosted or cooked will lose nutrients.

I would just use hot tap water or warm water, anything too hot and youre going to cook the rat a little (gross) or not thaw it all the way through.

more time and less heat is better, sometimes ive just taken it out and let it thaw on the counter for an hour or two then put it in warm water for 30 min and its good

[alessia55]

I use pretty much the same method as Aaron. I thaw the rat in the fridge or in a container, and once it's no longer frozen, then I warm it up with warm/hot water.

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[MoreliAddict]

spot, my carpet, takes small rats. my tap gets scorching hot, and i have a glass designated for thawing rats.

i fill the glass with hot tap water, and drop the rat directly in. i change the water every 5-10 mins to keep it hot. when im about to feed, i switch the water one last time and bring the glass with me over to the cage. i use tongs to grab the rat out of the water and offer it right to Spot while the rat is still hot. - works for me