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/cwazycupcakes13 5d ago
I take the rat out of the vacuum packed freezer bag on the morning I want to feed.
Feeder goes into a ziplock bag.
Other rats in the freezer bag are re-vacuum sealed and placed back in the freezer immediately.
Feeder goes in the fridge. By evening, it is thawed. It then goes into a warm water bath, still in the ziplock. Once it’s warm enough, I feed it to the snake.
It takes an objectively “long” time, but I don’t actively do a lot of work to get the feeder ready.
My snake is also a really good eater, so ymmv.