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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
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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.
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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 !!!
__________________ ~Kat~ 1.1 columbian rainbow boa, 1.1 pastel BP, 1.0 pastel BP het clown, 0.1 normal BP het clown, 0.1 spider BP, 0.3 normal BP, 0.1 yellow belly BP, 1.0 mojave BP, 1.0 Cinny BP, 0.1 het pied BP, 3.5 corns, 0.2 dogs, 1.2.1 leopard geckos, 1.1 bearded dragons
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.
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
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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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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
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