My mice keep POPPING!

[sapphire_moon]

i agree, I wouldn't leave it out for 10hrs.

Use HOT tap water (with mouse in baggie) and let it thaw in there, then once thawed replace now cool water with hot water and warm up the mouse.

I USED to microwave a cup/bowl of water for like 6-8 minutes, then put the mouse in and weigh it down with a coffee cup, it was usually thawed in a few minutses and nice and warm, you might have to let it cool a bit before giving to your snake though.

Also it never takes a small mouse 10hrs to defrost, I leave a small mouse out on the counter for like an hour and it's usually completely defrosted (then again my house is like 78-80 degrees, lol).

[Simon]

Another thing to consider,
other than the defrosting part, it could be the quality of the mice/rat where you got it from. Maybe the mice/rat was already dead before they put it in the freezer (as in decaying, not just fresh killed)

I have known, used, a couple of mice breeder's mice and I was so sure that the mice were dead way before they froze the mice. So I threw the whole bag out. Spend my money on another breeder and never again buy from the same mice breeder~

Just my 2 cents~

[coldblooded]

Auskan: Good call... fridge it is.

All my feeders are from different sources and I've had it happen multiple times with pinkies up to adults.

I guess I just won't leave them out as long from now on. I just dont like the idea of the mouse feeling thawed but having an icy center.

Thanks all


Mike

[marylyn101]

i check by feeling them up. they got squishy bellies :P

[sapphire_moon]

feeling them up! :O lol )

just couldn't resist

ya they get squishy bellies when they are completely thawed, just put them in a baggie, let them thaw, when thawed, dip it in hot tap water for a few minutes and you have a "hot" mouse!

[K1LOS]

I worked in a restaurant for a few years, it is actually against the law for us to thaw ANY meat with warm water. You have to use cold water and the best way to keep the water cold is to keep it running. I know everyone thaws mice that way, but not real food!

Geoff

[ottawaguy]

((as led zepplin plays in the background)what a great band!!!!!



Never experienced what you're talking about. Doesn't sound real good though!!
Auskan is right, KEEP YOUR DEFROST TIME TO A MINIMUM!! You are definitely asking for trouble if you leave it out to defrost overnight. I put my frozen mouse in saran wrap(cling wrap) close it up and secure with a hemostat(surgical locking clamp) which also weighs it down and keeps it under the hot water to defrost.
Water can be as hot as possible from the tap. In 5 - 10 minutes, you're rockin. A ziplock with the air squeezed out should work just as well. I try to keep it under water, ( again, to speed up the defrost time)
*Note* Defrost time will vary on the size of the food item.
If the popping thing still persists...find a different supplier. All the best...Dave

[coldblooded]

no more popping... maybe just 10 wierd ones in a row... :rolleyes

Thanks for the help.

Mike

[ottawaguy]

All's well that end well!!!

[joey]

I do the baggie in a bowl with hot water too and it works great. Last week I took a rat out after soaking, wrapped it in a papertowel and then nuked it for about 5 seconds--just to warm it up a little--made sure it wasn't too hot and then gave it to my boa. He went for it right away and then coiled himself around it, squeezed and the rats belly exploded. DAMN--that was nasty and smelled HORRIFIC!

[ottawaguy]

Did he still eat it?

[joey]

gobbled it all up.... fortunately, not too much of the innards came out. I cleaned the mess up after he ate and moved on.
blech...

[Removed_2815]

I just want to reiterate what's already been said, and add a bit more insight.

Everyone who has said that 10 hours is way too long is right on the money. 10 hours in room temperature water is simply causing bacteria to flourish and multiply at an accelerated rate. This results in putrefaction and gas production (bloating from increased pressure). An aqueous environment is conducive to rot (nothing to do with water logging, it's just that the increased water availability allows for increased decomposition). The mouse has literally rotted away overnight. The feeder becomes bloated, the tissue has literally dissolved into mush, and any amount of pressure is enough to cause what you have described.

I, too, have experience in the food industry (more specifically, specialised food preparation) in which a great deal of training was devoted to proper techniques for thawing meat. Basically, you want meat to be at either end of the spectrum, either hot or cold - anything in between is just asking for trouble.
I thaw mice out in cold water (it only takes about half an hour, not long enough for any significant degree of putrefaction) and then I replace the cold water with hot tap water for about 5 minutes or so to warm the prey up. Thus, the prey goes from cold to hot in a short period of time, and this is what you want. But you don't want the water to be too hot as this will also weaken and degrade the tissue making it more susceptible to rupturing.

Cheers,
Ryan

[CamHanna]

What about 10-12h in open air at 60F?

[sapphire_moon]

no, I wouldn't do that, It should not take 10-12 hours to thaw out a mouse anyways. I used to do it, and it only takes about 1 hour for a adult retired breeder mouse.