How do you thaw your prey items?

[Aaron_S]

This is a really popular topic right now on another forum I belong and it's interesting the answers that I've read.

How do you thaw your frozen prey items?

I'll start.

I use a rubbermaid and with the hottest water my tap will give me I fill it and place all the rodents into it. I re-do it roughly 30 - 60 minutes later and then just again before feeding so they are nice and hot. I pat dry a bit so not to be dripping and serve!

I currently have all my snakes on paper and when they were on substrate I had no fear of impaction either with the wet rodents.

[lady_bug87]

I do it the same way.

[Calihusker]

Depends on how much time I have, if I have all day I just leave them out to thaw. Otherwise, I do the same as you.

[alessia55]

I do it that same way every time. I take the wet rats in a bowl to the snake cages, pat them on some paper towels, and serve wet and hot. Mine also feed on substrate.

[Jay]

[QUOTE=Aaron_S;806533]
I use a rubbermaid and with the hottest water my tap will give me I fill it and place all the rodents into it. I re-do it roughly 30 - 60 minutes later and then just again before feeding so they are nice and hot. I pat dry a bit so not to be dripping and serve!

I currently have all my snakes on paper and when they were on substrate I had no fear of impaction either with the wet rodents.

Ditto.

[EmbraceCalamity]

I had heard (don't remember where) not to use hot water, just warm. Is that not true then?

~Maggot

[jarich]

I put them in a plastic bag first as the smaller ones get a little gooey sometimes. Otherwise pretty similar; hot water for a half hour or so.

[SSSSnakes]

I put them in an air tight container and let them thaw over night. My snakes have been taught to eat them at room temp. If I have to warm one up, I put it under a heat lamp for a minute or so.

[CK SandBoas]

I take all mine out first thing in the morning, and thaw them out at room temp . If need be, i heat them underneath a heat lamp, but most, if not all my snakes readily take them without having to use the heat lamp.

[dinosaurdammit]

put rat in plastic wrap, place rat on top of screen that houses the lights. Thaw rat.

OR set it outside. We have 70 degree days in winter so that works to

[red ink]

Bucket... hot water from the tap... marinate for 30-45 mins... quick drip dry...serve while warm.

[dinosaurdammit]

Bucket... hot water from the tap... marinate for 30-45 mins... quick drip dry...serve while warm.

only reason i dont use hot water is ive actually seen it cook rats not much, but enough

[moshirimon]

I had heard (don't remember where) not to use hot water, just warm. Is that not true then?

~Maggot

I think they must have meant boiling water. Hot water from the tap is fine. I put mine in a good Rubbermaid filled with hot water from the tap. I make it as hot as possible and leave the water running on top of them for a few minutes. I then just leave it for an hour or so, no maintenence necessary. I then just take them out, pat dry and feed.

[Jendee]

I fill my bath tub with hot water :D My guest has turned into my boa bathtub all things snake related happen in there..

[Aaron_S]

Not as much variance as the other site lol

Just to quickly mention a couple.

A good handful of people over there also thaw at room temp overnight but will warm up with a hair dryer.

Someone uses a human heat pad to warm them up.

[Jendee]

eww at the hair dryer..idk but that idea grosses me out lol

[lady_bug87]

The heat pad grosses me out...

[Aaron_S]

I know right?

I dislike the smell of rat,especially rotting rat and I think blowing hot air over them somehow wouldn't help with it.

[lady_bug87]

So gross...

I wonder if the heat pad smells like cooking rat

[infernalis]

I usually just set the plate in my reptile room for a few hours and feed when I get around to it.

[iBaman]

i stick it in a plastic bag, fill the kitchen sink with hot tap water, let it sit until the water is warmish, fill it back up with hot, again, let it sit until warm ish, then once more so the guinea pig is nice and hot. then i bleach my sink xD

[Gungirl]

Normally I just toss the frozen ones into a tub with a lid in the morning and feed at night. I only have to heat one prey Item up. The rest eat at room temp and I am working on getting my last one to do the same.

[Lankyrob]

I take them out of the freezer when i go to bed, lay them all in a bowl in one of the kitchen cupboards (so the cats cant get them :rolleyes:) then sometime in the following day i take the bowl and put it on a hot radiator.

As i feed each snake i take the prey item and press the skull against the radiator to make sure there is a nice hot target and then feed in the enclosure on the reptibark :)

[StudentoReptile]

I just put them in a ziplock and leave them out to thaw for a few hrs. I used to do the warm water method, but it got messy; rodents always busted when struck by the snake. Never could get the right temps for the water.

[CK SandBoas]

Not as much variance as the other site lol

Just to quickly mention a couple.

A good handful of people over there also thaw at room temp overnight but will warm up with a hair dryer.

Someone uses a human heat pad to warm them up.

I've done the hair dryer bit before, i've never smelled anything from the particular prey item when i've done it, though i admit, i do tend to be able to block out a lot of unpleasant smells to get the job done.

[shaunyboy]

i defrost overnight at room temperature...

then heat the prey with a hair dryer

cheers shaun

[MoreliAddict]

Hot water. As hot as my tap goes. 30-35 minutes time. (for small/medium rats)

Serve em up soaking wet.

[KORBIN5895]

I thaw on top of my enclosure stack then toss them in hot water.

I'm so waiting for some college guy to admit they defrost them by anal insertion...... wait, maybe that's hamsters ......

[Terranaut]

Same way as Aaron.

[SpOoKy]

I take them out of the freezer when i go to bed, lay them all in a bowl in one of the kitchen cupboards (so the cats cant get them )

This made me laugh, Once I had forgotten I had taken out rats and had them in the kitchen. Came downstairs in the morning to the guts of a large, 4 medium, 4 pups and 6 pinkies spread across the kitchen floor, and 3 very happy cats :)

[SnakeyJay]

I just leave them on tissue ontop of the warm vivs... They thaw nicely and the smell gets the snakes ready for feeding :)

[jausi]

I put mine in a cup on top of the cabinet in the kitchen, wait for at least 3 hours and the boild water in the microwave for 1 minute, put the pray on a plastic cup inside of the a coffe mug with the hot water, cover it a left it for another 2 min, then feed them warm and dry.

[Philmul]

I fill the bucket with hot tap water and put rats in a sealed bag and leave them for an hr then ready to feed

[Philmul]

Hey Jendee my wife would have a fit if I filled her bath with dead rodents

[Donnie]

I use a rubbermaid and with the hottest water my tap will give me I fill it and place all the rodents into it. I re-do it roughly 30 - 60 minutes later and then just again before feeding so they are nice and hot. I pat dry a bit so not to be dripping and serve!

Same as this

[Jendee]

Hey Jendee my wife would have a fit if I filled her bath with dead rodents

Oh donnie does too he hates snakes and everything that comes with it.,.I used to thaw them in the sink the bathtub was our compromise lol plus my collection grew along with rat needs

[Philmul]

Well I think that your fella needs a medal if he doesn't like snakes yet he lets you have 40 in the house. Lol

[Will0W783]

I use the hottest water my tap will give me, and add about 3 parts hot tap water to 1 part water heating up to just below boiling on the stove. I've found that this method keeps the rats from getting too gooey or "cooked", but thaws them out rapidly. Usually 10 minutes is enough to start feeding the smaller items, and then by the time I've fed all the small stuff off the bigger items are thawed and ready to go. Certain of my snakes are particular about food temperature, especially the pit vipers, so before I feed them, I dump out all the water and refill with hot tap water to make sure all the food is toasty warm. I feed the items wet, as this helps give the snakes a good dose of hydration as well as the nutrients from eating.

[Sorraia]

I usually just set the plate in my reptile room for a few hours and feed when I get around to it.

I do this too.

[OSMDEATHOWNER]

Let thaw in fridge, warm with warm water, hair dryer when time to feed

[Zoo Nanny]

After reading through this thread I see that very few people after thawing rodents do not warm in hot water. I was under the impression that during the freezing process rodents dehydrate and should be rehydrated in water. I've always rehydrated for both reptiles and raptors.

[Tracy33]

Well i just take mine out the freezer in the morning when i get up , they take the day to thaw , then pop on the storage heater at 8 pm, and feed at 9 pm. Tracy.

[marvelfreak]

I use a 3 gallon bucket fill it with the hottest water i can get from the tap. After two hours i dump and refill it again half way with hot tap and one pot of boiling water. Unlike all you lucky people i have three snakes that won't eat if the rats not super hot. Just never use boiling water with anything smaller than a large or they swell up and the gut burst open. Very, very messy.:no:

I use to pop a couple thaw rats in the microwave for like 15 second to get them super hot. Then Tami caught me and said if i ever did it again i have to get rid of my snakes. So now i just use some boiling water.

[Joeyyb]

I use to pop a couple thaw rats in the microwave for like 15 second to get them super hot. Then Tami caught me and said if i ever did it again i have to get rid of my snakes. So now i just use some boiling water.
This made me laugh out loud. I usually take the rats from the freezer and let them sit in room temp water for an hour and then use hot water from the sink for 30min to an hour depending on the size of the rat.

[h3h]

I do the same as the majority of the responses here. I put them in a glass bowl designated specially for the mice with tap water as hot as it will go. 45 minutes later I drain the water, and replace it with hot water again, then fifteen minutes later I serve them dripping wet.

- h3

[GDZILLA95]

I place the rats in a ziploc bag & leave them on the counter top to thaw for around two hours at room temp. I heat a coolwhip bowl filled with water in the microwave for two minutes. I then place the bag of rats in the water for 1-2 minutes, then feed.
The first time I thawed some rats, I used the same method, but left the bag of rats in the water for a longer period of time. I had one rat bust when it was constricted, so I cut the time back and haven't had another rat rupture since.

It should be noted that my "rats" are rat pups, not adults.

[Revenant]

I try to freeze bags of feeders in roughly the assortment I usually want to feed so I have two big Ziploc bags to make a meal. I also have bags of spares of like sizes in case I want to add more. I usually pull the bags first thing in the morning and set them in a tub with a lid on top of a shelf to defrost. I haven't had a problem yet, but I'm not keen to have a first time I lose a whole week's feed to a dog, cat or toddler.

I usually let them defrost for at least a few hours, depending on how warm the house is.

Usually after lunch I'll get off my bum and decide to feed them. I fill a small container with hot water. I just dip them in and pull them straight out to make sure the snakes can find them right off, but most of my snakes don't have any complaint taking them after they are only room temp either. Pretty straightforward.

[Wildside]

I had heard (don't remember where) not to use hot water, just warm. Is that not true then?

~Maggot

I learned the hot water trick when I came here. Works like a charm!

[Hillsberry]

I take mine out in the morning let them thaw and then I will warm them up in a tub with hot water. Sometimes the XL rats need a little help thawing out.

[Laery]

I usually place prey items in a Ziploc and let thaw for several hours (until completely thawed) and then boil water hover the bags over steam 1-2min until relatively warm (NOT cooked) this then gives me time to move the snakes into their feeding bins while the prey item cools into an eating friendly temp and then feed. I wait roughly 1-1.5 hrs after a feed to return the snake to its original housing.

[Loucifer]

Rodent completely sealed in plastic. Warmest water out of the tap for about 15 min., rodent fully submerged. Then pre-boiling water for 4-5 mins. Lil man nails it!

[Gregg M]

Hot water, in a bucket for a half hour. Anything else is just a needless waste of time. I see no reason to defrost at room temp and I really do not get the hair dryer thing at all. I do not even bother to pat dry the rodents. A little extra hydration never hurts. Snakes and lizards feed in their racks and cages complete with substrates.

[dshin963]

Bucket, Check
Hot tap water, Check
Rats, Check
45-120 mins... (depending if i forget),Check
Fed happy snakes! CHECK!

I Throw all the different size rats into the same bucket and feed as they are ready... rat pinkies take no time so I pull those out first and feed and let the rest continue to thaw... I also give the rats a good squeeze to make sure the insides are not still cold... usually squeeze for 30 seconds or soo. Then I temp gun them... jeez... never realized I take all these steps....

[limey]

Some snakes will take warm, some take room temp, some only take hot.

I tried the hot water method one time - I kept the rodent in it's bag, put it in the sink filled with hot water. Half an hour later, I took it out the bag and it STANK!!! It had been been partially cooked inside and smelt up the whole house. The snake would not take it.

Now I just thaw at room temp while I'm at work. And give it a 45 secod blast with the hairdryer right before serving. It works best for me and doesn't smell as bad as the hot water method.

[KORBIN5895]

So my question is what size are most of you feeding when you throw a feeder into a bucket of hot tap water for an hour? There is noway in hell a 900g guinea pig is thawing out in n hour using that method.

[Vegasarah]

After reading through this thread I see that very few people after thawing rodents do not warm in hot water. I was under the impression that during the freezing process rodents dehydrate and should be rehydrated in water. I've always rehydrated for both reptiles and raptors.

I've never heard that before! Maybe I should add some water to my process...

I don't have anything that eats anything bigger than hoppers, so I usually just put about 5 in a coffee mug and set them on top of the Bearded Dragon cage which has the hottest top. About 20 minutes later they are de-thawed and ready for feeding! I feed off tongs.

[Little Wise Owl]

I do it the same way as Aaron_S but sometimes I just leave them out over night.

[dshin963]

So my question is what size are most of you feeding when you throw a feeder into a bucket of hot tap water for an hour? There is noway in hell a 900g guinea pig is thawing out in n hour using that method.

I feed from rat pinkies to XL-Jumbo rats... For the larger rats I usually have to drain the bucket and fill it a second time.

[Herpophiliac972]

I fill up a pot with hot water, heat it up on the stove, put the water in a bucket, put in the feeders, and hold them underwater with a bamboo skewer for 20 minutes. Haven't done it in a while though. Had to give back my corn snake. She was awesome.

[Rogue628]

I usually thaw overnight in a sterilite container and the heat in the same container using the hottest tap water I have in the tub. The bathroom is directly across from my reptile room. I pat dry then feed. Allie won't accept anything less than as hot as I can get hers and I have to make sure it's patted dry. If water drips on her, she won't eat. If I don't get it to her fast enough and it cools the slightest bit, I have to start the process again (heat and pat dry). For a burm she's picky as hell.

[Chu'Wuti]

I thaw in ziploc bags placed in hot water from the tap. For the colubrids, once the critters are thawed, I just set them in the enclosures on the paper toweling; they grab them, and no one has ever ingested paper toweling.

For the ball pythons, I do a last warm-up of the head of each rat just before feeding each python--I get the head good and hot so they got after it and not me! Had one tag me once even though I was using feeding tongs--I didn't get the head hot enough, so my hand, above the tank, was hotter than the rat. ooooops

Sometimes the plastic bags leak, so then I feed wet rats, but usually not; it never seems to be a problem.

I have NEVER had any explode or get nasty, unusually squishy, cooked, or any weirdness with this thawing method. Maybe some people have their hot water heaters set hotter than some of us?

[stephanbakir]

I thaw my rats in hot water, takes about 5-40 minutes depending on the size of the rat...
I thaw my rabbits in room temp water, using hot water still takes 4-5 hours with big rabbits and I'm afraid of cooking them. Better to take the rabbit out at night and feed them to the snake in the morning 8-10hours later.

[NBLADE]

I get out the night before and leave them to defrost over night at room temp, some will get warmed up slightly before feeding for the more fussy feeders that like their food warm, the rest get fed as they are.

[ra94131]

I just put them in a ziplock and leave them out to thaw for a few hrs. I used to do the warm water method, but it got messy; rodents always busted when struck by the snake. Never could get the right temps for the water.

This is exactly what I do. I've used warm/hot water before but once I realized that mine would eat just as readily at room temperature this was easier.

[sweatshirt]

I put the rat in a Ziploc bag and put it in the fridge overnight so it thaws a bit.

Then one of either 2 things: I either put the bag in hot/warm water for 30 minutes or run the bag under hot water for 15-20 minutes. Luckily we have well water that stays hot forever.

Then I use my hair dryer on low to warm it up a little more. It smells funky but... =)

[EL Ziggy]

I bring a pot of water to a low boil, put the water in a thermal cup or large bowl, place frozen rodents in sealed bags in the water for 10-12 minutes and serve hot. My snakes are eating fuzzys and hoppers now. They're always hot and totally thawed but not cooked. I guess it's working pretty good so far.

[formica]

I use boiled water, putting the frozen rodents into cold water (wrapped in clingfilm), then adding boiled water, about 50/50, 3-4minutes is all it takes to defrost and warm up, longer for larger ones obv, then i pat dry and wait till the rodents are about 30-32C before feeding, they dont usually get above 36-37C so it doesnt take long, and doesnt 'cook' them

[Amadeus]

I have an iced tea pitcher that I fell with hot tap water and just put the vermin in. I don't dry them. If anything the water lubes em up a little bit and gives them some extra hydration.

[serpentgirl123]

I put the rodents (big or small) into a sealed Ziploc bag into the fridge until thawed. Then I put the rodents in some warm water, just to heat them up a bit and add some extra hydration (sometimes I will dry them-mostly don't), and feed. Never had a complaint yet ;) lol

[kala83]

I don't currently own any snakes of my own but I want to feed mine primarily frozen rodents so thanks a lot for this thread VERY helpful!!

[ThornPython4]

This is a really popular topic right now on another forum I belong and it's interesting the answers that I've read.

How do you thaw your frozen prey items?

I'll start.

I use a rubbermaid and with the hottest water my tap will give me I fill it and place all the rodents into it. I re-do it roughly 30 - 60 minutes later and then just again before feeding so they are nice and hot. I pat dry a bit so not to be dripping and serve!

I currently have all my snakes on paper and when they were on substrate I had no fear of impaction either with the wet rodents.

I only have to leave it for roughly 30 mins, if you keep reheating it, the meal might be too hot for the snake.

[drumcrush]

I put water in the microwave for like 15 sec. Then I put my mice in a baggy and I set them in the bowl and let them thaw out while I take a shower.

[TarantulaSteve]

I thaw all my rodents in a ziplock bag overnight in the fridge. Pop the bag in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes for my snakes. Our monitor would probably take them frozen if I offered :P

[snakeman879]

Thats how I do it defrost all night then hair drier in the morning works really well with ballpithons not so much with my boa she just eats it warm or cold lol

[Wama]

Lift out of freezer, place in large rub.....Go to work.....come home and feed

[Caylan]

Take out of feezer and thaw on top... offer when fully thawed. Newspaper is nice underneath.

[Chris72]

>Fill a large plastic bucket 1/2 full with the hottest water I can - add rats.
>Rat pups only- Fill another with only very warm water and add pups (so not to cook)

Place on the floor in the snake room & leave for 30 to 40 minutes.

Near ceiling I have an exhaust fan pulling air out of the room (to outdoors) and this draws the scent to the animals.

Freshen very hot water for both buckets....wait 5 minutes.

Offer to a wall of animals who are, for the most part, very excited about dinner time.

I use two foot hemostats. Takes my heat out of the field of vision for the little ones and takes my hand away from the big ones that early leap out if I don't get the rat in there quickly. Going from 6 inch feeding tongs to 2 foot hemostats was one of the best things I ever did.

.

[Mikoh4792]

preheat oven to 375f, put on a foil baking sheet and cook for 40 minutes






No I just let it defrost at room temperature and then heat it up in warm water.

[Chris72]

preheat oven to 375f, put on a foil baking sheet and cook for 40 minutes........

LMFAO....

All you're missing is garnish the rat with mouse bedding to taste and serve on a bed of fuzzies and you could be the iron chef of rodents.

[marvelfreak]

I been thinking about slow cooking mine in the crock pot with a little seasoning and chicken broth for flavor.

[Caylan]

I been thinking about slow cooking mine in the crock pot with a little seasoning and chicken broth for flavor.

Everything's better slow cooked right? Lets just tie them to sticks and smoke them over a camp fire... Yummy!

[marvelfreak]

Everything's better slow cooked right? Lets just tie them to sticks and smoke them over a camp fire... Yummy!
Oh now that does sound good. Nice and crispy on the outside and tender and juice on the inside. With a touch of BBQ sauce.:D

[Mikoh4792]

t with a little seasoning and chicken broth for flavor.

That should definitely get a feeding response from picky eaters.

[Chris72]

Oh now that does sound good. Nice and crispy on the outside and tender and juice on the inside. With a touch of BBQ sauce.:D


In a word....."hhuumlblaaauuugggck"

O.o

[Caylan]

In a word....."hhuumlblaaauuugggck"

O.o

I can't imagine it tasting much different then squirrel, which is commonly eaten... I'd try it :D

[Aaron_S]

>Fill a large plastic bucket 1/2 full with the hottest water I can - add rats.
>Rat pups only- Fill another with only very warm water and add pups (so not to cook)

Place on the floor in the snake room & leave for 30 to 40 minutes.

Near ceiling I have an exhaust fan pulling air out of the room (to outdoors) and this draws the scent to the animals.

Freshen very hot water for both buckets....wait 5 minutes.

Offer to a wall of animals who are, for the most part, very excited about dinner time.

I use two foot hemostats. Takes my heat out of the field of vision for the little ones and takes my hand away from the big ones that early leap out if I don't get the rat in there quickly. Going from 6 inch feeding tongs to 2 foot hemostats was one of the best things I ever did.

.

SIX inches?! Dude...That's panicky for me lol.

I have big hemostats too. Makes things way easier.

[Mikoh4792]

lol 6 inch tongs is what I would use for neonates. Wouldn't ever try feeding my gtp at night with those.

[Chris72]

Yup.

6 inch tongs should be used for the BBQ and that's about it.

I upgraded because a couple of my big girls feed rather aggressively...so self preservation...and also had a couple of picky yearlings clear up instantly with the two footers. (Very nice additional benifit)

Squirrel....?.... At the of repeating: "hhuumlblaaauuugggck"

.

[KORBIN5895]

I just dangle by the tail with my fingers if I have to dangle.

[Chris72]

I just dangle by the tail with my fingers if I have to dangle.

You are a brave man Kevin...!

There is a YouTube video of a kid (looks 9yo) feeding a blood by hand.
(Can't find it right now)
I remember thinking:
Damn....
It's all fun and games until someone's tiny ligament is severed....
Stupid dad is probably video taping his little kid doing that.
:sorry:

[Mikoh4792]

You are a brave man Kevin...!

There is a YouTube video of a kid (looks 9yo) feeding a blood by hand.
(Can't find it right now)
I remember thinking:
Damn....
It's all fun and games until someone's tiny ligament is severed....
Stupid dad is probably video taping his little kid doing that.
:sorry:

Have you seen this one?

QjZ69by5i2I

[KORBIN5895]

You are a brave man Kevin...!

There is a YouTube video of a kid (looks 9yo) feeding a blood by hand.
(Can't find it right now)
I remember thinking:
Damn....
It's all fun and games until someone's tiny ligament is severed....
Stupid dad is probably video taping his little kid doing that.
:sorry:

First off I bet the dad knew what could happen and was just snickering.

Secondly I just toss it in and walk away every time. The only dangler I have is my blind girl and I have to bump her with her prey.

[Chris72]

First off I bet the dad knew what could happen and was just snickering.

Secondly I just toss it in and walk away every time. The only dangler I have is my blind girl and I have to bump her with her prey.

Guessing you feed live then...?

[KORBIN5895]

Guessing you feed live then...?

No, I feed f/t. I have just conditioned my snakes to eat off the floor. Much more convenient this way. Especially when I have 20-30 snakes to feed.

[EL Ziggy]

No, I feed f/t. I have just conditioned my snakes to eat off the floor. Much more convenient this way. Especially when I have 20-30 snakes to feed.
So just warm 'em up and drop 'em in Korbin? How long before they take the bait? I've tried that before and mine would just ignore the mice. Then I would reheat it and dangle it in front of them and they'd go for it. I also like watching my snakes strike and constrict so I dangle the mice on tongs.

[Mikoh4792]

So just warm 'em up and drop 'em in Korbin? How long before they take the bait? I've tried that before and mine would just ignore the mice. Then I would reheat it and dangle it in front of them and they'd go for it. I also like watching my snakes strike and constrict so I dangle the mice on tongs.

That is the only way my male gtp will eat.

Now my jcp will strike from the tongs but before I had to leave it in his enclosure too. All snakes are different I would have to wait hours for my GTP and only a few minutes for my jcp.

[KORBIN5895]

They all usually hit it within a couple of minutes. Some will hit it as it is flying mid air.

[Mikoh4792]

Some will hit it as it is flying mid air.

I would like to see some footage. That would be awesome.

[Chris72]

No, I feed f/t. I have just conditioned my snakes to eat off the floor. Much more convenient this way. Especially when I have 20-30 snakes to feed.


Wow dude... That's fantastic.

Would you tell us the process you used to condition your animals to do that?

When my collection is "on" feeding can be done in 15 minutes.....

But if I have 10 or 15 than I have to:
dangle....
tease....
wait...(yawn)....
re-heat...
keep dangling...

I have been in there for more than an hour before. (I'm at about 59 now I think)

The "Kevin - Drop and Go" feed method would be a game changer for many.

[KORBIN5895]

Wow dude... That's fantastic.

Would you tell us the process you used to condition your animals to do that?

When my collection is "on" feeding can be done in 15 minutes.....

But if I have 10 or 15 than I have to:
dangle....
tease....
wait...(yawn)....
re-heat...
keep dangling...

I have been in there for more than an hour before. (I'm at about 59 now I think)

The "Kevin - Drop and Go" feed method would be a game changer for many.

I used to dangle til it would strike. Then I would drag it on the ground and take it out. Waited five minutes while ot hunted then just tosses it in.

[MikeM77]

I call the pet store the night before and have them pull it out

[Caylan]

I do the same thing Korbin does, though my carpet pythons will take it out of the air, as I can barely get the cage open and they're learning how to fly themselves all of a sudden. Once I turn the key they are salivating and ready to go....

[marvelfreak]

My Carpets, Bloods and Boas sit at the cage door waiting for me to throw it in. 90% of the time it never hits the cage floor. As for using tong i never do and i never been bit.

[prairiepanda]

I thaw mice in a bag in hot tap water. My king goes for the mouse within a couple seconds if I just drop it near her. No strike; she just wanders up and starts eating.

[exwizard]

I have 1 snake that eats f/t (my Coastal Carpet, Argus). I heat her rat up in a ziploc baggie in hot water in a thermos for about 45 minutes. While that's going on, I feed the rest of my snakes, then when I get her rat out, I just dangle it in front of her which she takes promptly, although her previous keeper told me that after heating it up, he lays it on the top branch and lets her get it on her own which I've been told that she flicks it off the ledge and in mid fall, she catches and constricts.

[LoLzMachine]

place frozen rats in freezer bag thaw in sink with cold water once they thaw start adding hotter water till they are ate feeding temp