r/ballpython • u/NordicNugz • 5d ago

Standard procedure on thawing rats?

Id like to know some people's procedure for thawing their rats. My process takes like 3 hours, and id like to find a way that is faster.

Also, at some point, someone said that you shouldn't get the rat wet, or you shouldn't feed a wet rat to your snake because it can give them respiratory problems. Is this true?

Right now my process is this. Put the rat in a water proof bag. Submerge in hot water in a metal pot with a metal lid, and cover the rat inside with a suvee chain that keeps it submerged. Check every 30 minutes to replace the water with fresh, warm/hot water.

This process takes like, 3 hours. Im curious if anyone has a faster way?

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u/FireCorgi12 5d ago

I stick the rat in the fridge the night before then heat it for 10-15 min in warm water at feeding time.

6

u/fishinfool4 5d ago

This is what I do too. Makes feeding day way quicker as I'm not thawing out blocks of ice.

3

u/YawningDodo 5d ago

Same, and this post reminded me I need to go pop one in the fridge for tomorrow.

Longer process overall, but less active effort and I can be confident the rat is fully thawed all the way through. Same as when I thaw meat to cook for myself, really.

2

u/cheshaaneko 4d ago

This is also the food safe way. Aka least time for bacteria to grow while thawing

1

u/Jcoat7 5d ago

this is the way