I have frozen rabbits coming in the mail sometime this week and I wanted everyone's opinion on thawing. Should I leave it out over night and covered? Run it under hot water?

Suggestions?

Thanks!

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1.1 Python regius - Monty Python & Kana
1.0 Elaphe guttata guttata - Caine
0.2 Boa constrictor imperator - Scion & Rhiannon
1.0 Elaphe bairdi - Enka
0.1 Elaphe taeniura vaillanti - Sora

3/30/54-9/29/04
I love you, Mom.

With the larger rats, I just set them out in a ziplock bag covered in a towel overnight. I have used the hot water method when I forgot, but I always end up with a soggy rodent. lol

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Answers are great. But I prefer questions!

Visit me at www.jaysreptiles.com

I'm trying to decide which is worse. A soggy rodent or an exploded one. I think it's the latter.

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1.1 Python regius - Monty Python & Kana
1.0 Elaphe guttata guttata - Caine
0.2 Boa constrictor imperator - Scion & Rhiannon
1.0 Elaphe bairdi - Enka
0.1 Elaphe taeniura vaillanti - Sora

3/30/54-9/29/04
I love you, Mom.

Oh man... I must stop reading snake feeding threads =)

i never remember anything until the last minute so I allways leae them under hot water. i have a reptile towel that I use to dry them with so that helps.

We choose to either get them out in the morning and let them defrost at room temp, or defrost them in hot water - it's personal preference, and depends on what we are defrosting, eg. if we are feeding the whole clan which includes a few large rats, we will often just defrost in water as it's quicker, however that involves a lot of paper towels to dry and slightly more wiffy rats Sometimes we dry them with a hair dryer but usually only for the fussy ones who won't eat cold rodent

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

Trust me Hannah, its definately the exploded one!
Specially in the microwave! EWWWWWWWWWWWW!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

If I remember, I take the rats out in the morning and let them defrost at room temp. If I forget, I put them (inside their ziplock bags) into a bucket of warm water and change the water about 2-3 times with warmer water as it cools.
Do NOT use boiling water... an exploded rodent is really a stinky disgusting mess!!
Talyn doesn't mind eating a wet rat... and I think it offers her extra moisture. But Q and Monty won't eat anything unless it's dry.
And I have to blow-dry Monty's pinkie rat pups until they are about 100 -107 degrees F otherwise he won't eat them.

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Andrea

I've tried both letting mice thaw at room temp. and using warm water (changing it several times as the water cools). I definitely like the warm water method better...I felt like the ones at room temp. started noticeably bloating, which made me worry about impending explosions...yuck...soggy is definitely better. I dry the mice with paper towels, although if I were using something as large as rabbits, I'd have a dedicated reptile towel for that.


That's funny ...I feel like the water thawed ones are less stinky than the room temp. thawed ones ...guess different people have different stink sensitivities

Yuck, Merlin! The microwave??!? Would anyone actually do that???

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~Juliane~

i will admit that when I was younger I tryed it and the result was..............DISGUSTING!!