If you soak the feeder for too long in water, it can cause the skin tissue to become soft and break -- that's what happened to me in the beginning. It's not only trying to thaw too fast, but leaving it to thaw in water for too long is just as bad!
Either thaw in a ziplock bag in warm water or take it out way before feeding time and let it defrost at room temp. Then dip it in hot water or heat it up under a heat lamp or with a hair dryer.
I heat mine with a hair dryer and check the temp with a tempgun before feeding.
(No matter what, if you squeeze it too hard with the feeding tongs, it'll burst.)

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Andrea

Maybe it's the change in temperature from cold to warm to hot that's doing it, diggy415...perhaps that weakens the tender areas of the skin somehow....I thaw steadily in warm (not hot) water in a ziploc bag...then I rinse them in warm water before feeding but only because my snakes seem to like them better wet than dry. I've never had one explode, thank goodness...YUCK

Merlin, I really hate the picture your story puts in my head! *Pop* goes the feeder....*gack*

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~Juliane~

thnls guys and gals will do the dry thing, everyone got fed last night and only the boas went gut soid. lol

That was pretty much the attitude of the other people who THOUGHT that they wanted to use the microwave!

Just slightly different tasting Nachos!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

visualizing a rat in the microwave brings back fond memories of the gremlins movie, just glad we don't have to puree our food for them?? wait.,...some do GULP

Ick...if I remember, I take the mice out of the freezer the morning I plan to feed them that night and put them in the fridge. Kind of like gently thawing chicken or steak. Then they get warmed on a heating pad til they get nice and warm. If I forget to thaw them in the refrigerator, I put them in hot water inside the ziplock bag and then proceed to warm them with the heating pad as soon as they are pliable. Then on to dinner!

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0.1 jungle/coastal carpet python: Sheila
1.0 anerythristic boa constrictor imperator: Severus Snake
1.1 rats: Eowyn, Gandalf
1.0 ferret: Walker Texas Ranger
0.0.1 gold fish: Tiger
3.0 dogs: Strider (Aussie/husky), Zoso (Belgian Malinois), Buck (husky/Rottweiler)

I learned from someone that if you thaw the feeder in too hot water,all the nutritions and vitamins and whatever is inside a feeder a snake needs,could be killed .I was told to always to first test the water with your hand;if you don't feel a pain from the hot water,then that's the right temp to thaw the feeders without killing importand stuff the snake needs from that feeder.(OMG,I feel again that my English was too complicated again. )
The pinkies I thaw directly in water.The big rats I put in a plastic bag and then in the water.The big one I thaw for about 1-1,5 hours,and in between I change the water so that it doesn't cool down.

Us too. Thawed to room temp on counter, then ziplock bag dunked in hot water for a few minutes to warm it up.

I would just DIE if a mouse exploded on me!!! Ewwwwwww.

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Regards,
Dominick
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"Do you watch too much television? Did you do so as a toddler? Evidence tonight that it could be the cause of learning disorders, like attention deficit and hyperact-Ooooh, a kitty!" - Keith Olbermann