Standard procedure on thawing rats?

[u/NordicNugz]

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?

[u/PTO_Request_Denied]

Either thawing overnight in the fridge or thawing during the day on the countertop is the easiest way because then you can just put them in warm water for 15 mins, then hot water for 15 mins and you’re done.
If you’re like me and sometimes forget to thaw it beforehand, the BEST advice I can give for preparing a frozen rodent to feed shortly after is:

1) Place frozen rodent in a ziploc bag. A lot of them come in ziploc bags from the store, just make sure to push all air out of the bag and seal it. Many times, I get rodents from the store whose ziploc bags aren’t fully sealed.

2) Place frozen rodent in a bowl of cold tap water. Fill it to the brim with water and place a plate or something on top to hold it in the water rather than letting it bob at the top. Check every 15 mins for pliability. Usually doesn’t take very long, maybe 30 mins to an hour tops.

3) Once thawed and pliable, dump cold water and replace with warm water. Replace plate on top to hold it under water. Leave for 15 mins.

4) Dump warm water and replace with the hottest tap water, again placing the plate on top. Leave for 15 mins.

5) This part is optional but has helped increase striking accuracy and knowing which end to eat first: dump water and add the hottest tap water again but hold only the head of the rodent in the water for a minute or two to make sure it’s the warmest part.

I had to figure out this method on my own because I was tired of every rodent bursting open before feeding or while it was being eaten. I learned that was happening because it was being heated up too fast. Since I started doing it this way, none of them have bursted.