Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

[Cardiff]

OK this may be a stupid question but wht is the best way to thaw a rat? We had been feeding live but are switching to pre killed because of all the research I have done on it. I would hate for my little girl to get hurt :'(.

Tambra

[bigmitch]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

I take a bucket of warm/hot water and fil it up and throw the rat in... This will put alot of water in the rat wich is good for hydrating your boa. Some people let them sit out over night . There are many different ways to do it just make sure the rat is totally unthawed before you feed him. ;D

[bigmitch]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

Ohh and don't ever use the microwave to thaw out..not a good idea

[Cardiff]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

Thanks. Yah, I heard about the microwave not being a good idea.

[___LEE___]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

i just fresh kill mine lol that is the fun of feeding for me lol just whack the rat don't have to wait for it to thaw and feed right away lol works great for me..


LEE

[Cardiff]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

I can't actually KILL the rats. I didnt really mind watching her do it but now with bigger food I don't want her to get hurt. My 7yo little girl is a little upset. She likes to watch her eat. She'll get over it :-).

[bigmitch]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

Im with Lee 9 times out of ten I give pre killed. I just grab the rat by the tail and dangle him and give him a good whack at the base of the skull with a heavy pvc pipe..lights out and my baby gets a nice warm meal... ;D

[tatdaddy]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

I feed f/t here is what I do. I get all the rats that I am going to feed and put them in a ziplock bag. ThenI let cool water run over them and gradualy make it hoter. I out it in the ziplock bag that way it still has that really stinky smell to it. It takes about a 1/2 hour to 1 hour to fully thaw threee small rats. Hope this willl help U.


TAT 8)

[ClayEnglish]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

I generally thaw 50 to 60 at a time, and I initially fill the bucket with normal cold tap water. I let the rats sit for about an hour, this ensures they are completely thawed but not spoiled. Then I drain that water, and then I will use very warm water to raise the temp of the rats. Then I feed.

[Cardiff]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

Okay, so i put some water in the microwave for about 5 min. and stuck the rat in it for about 10. The rats tail actually came off when my husband picked it up :-\! Was soooooooo nasty!!!! Anyway, she wrapped around the rat like she was killing it. Is this normal? Well, I guess as long as she eats. :-* Thanks for all the info.

Tambra

[eViL_KaRoT]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

Yes, even though the rat is already dead, they will continue to wrap around it. Natural feeding instinct. I do the same as Clay, I thaw them in regular tap water, then warm them back up with Hot water for a few minutes. Also, from experience DO NOT unthaw or warm back up a rat in the microwave. I did that once and the thing blew up!!! It was rather nasty cleaning rat guts out from the inside of the microwave!!!! Good thinking though, switching to F/T.

[WeLsH]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

I do the same thang at tatdaddy, put em suckers in a zip lock back, and let them sit in the sink with warm water. Works like a charm. ;D

[Weazel]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

Here's my experience...

Went to the pet store tonight to get a small rat. Turned out they didn't have any, well I've been going to this same pet store for a few months to buy the rats/mice to pre-kill for my boa. So when I asked if they perhaps had any small rats in the back they knew exactly what I needed it for.

That's when the guy said, we have frozen ones... Well I've read all about frozen/thawed and the benifits over pre-killed, but really wasn't looking forward to having some rats-cubes next to my ice cream in the freezer. But being how i didn't want my baby to go hungry I got one to try...

Came home re-read Clay's care sheet about thawing out the rat... Followed it step-by-step and my baby is now swallowing a thawed rat as I type this...

So my suggestion is to take a look at Clay's caresheet... It worked perfect... and now I can move my boa over to frozen/thawed...

p.s. thanks Clay

~W

[WeLsH]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

COOL! way to go!

[___LEE___]

Re:Whats the best way to thaw a rat?

don't get me wrong on all my posts yea if i have the money i will get a live and kill it but my boas are not picky at all they will take f/t as well so i am all good when it comes to feeding and all i do is get the rat out of the freezer and put it out ontop of my grill and let the sun thaw it for me and then i feed if i don't pre kill i just prekill every once in a while cuz it is more fun to feed that way to me lol

LEE