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How do you prep your f/t food?

T

texasreb

New member
I've always taken my F/T food out of the freezer and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before warming it up to feed.

I don't know why, but I thought that the mouse had to remain dry--so I have gone through very careful measures to keep the mouse perfectly dry. I've even gone so far as to discard several meals that had gotten damp in the warming process.

As I peruse the forums, I'm beginning to think that a warmed dry mouse isn't necessary.

So, does the F/T meal need to remain dry or is that something I made up?
 
I'm no expert, but this is how I prep:
I keep my frozen pinkies in a ziploc bag and then inside an additional airtight container because I buy in bulk. When I prepare for feeding time, I put warm-hot tap water into a small container with a lid. I put the frozen mouse in the water and put on the lid. I let the mouse thaw for a bit (for pinkies, I allow maybe 10-15 minutes). I pat the mouse with a dry paper towel just to get rid of extra droplets, then feed.
 
I'm no expert either, but here is what I do....I feed a large f/t mouse by taking one mouse out of the freezer and putting it in a zip lock bag and place it on the counter for a few hours until room temperature. Then I put the bag in a cup of very warm water to make sure it's warm all the way thru, but not hot at all. So mine are fed dry.
However, I have read that the issue with feeding wet is only a concern when you have reluctant feeders, but not an issue otherwise.
 
No expert here either.
I plastic wrap the fuzzies individually (first time I froze pinkies they stuck together and was difficult separating one while frozen to feed later). Then I put them in a very small tupperware to freeze.
To thaw, I take one out, unwrap the plastic off it, and wrap it again in kitchen paper towels, so while it thaws it absorbs excess water (I just have to do this so my family won't see the mouse, as well. I don't have a difficult feeder). I leave the mouse for a couple of hours till completely thawed and room temperature.
To warm, I fill a coffee glass with warm water (or microwave tap water for some seconds), plastic wrap again the mouse, and put it inside the water for 1 minute or so, until it's warm, but not hot. Then successful feeding granted for me.
Sometimes a bit of water may get into the plastic wrap and get the mouse wet. I just dry it with a bit of kitchen paper towel and done.
 
I take the mouse out of the freezer, used cool water to thaw it out totally. Then I dump the container of water and fill it with as hot as it will go tap water. The mouse goes in long enough to get hot. Then I dry it off a bit and serve. I've had no issues with wet mice.
 
The mice don't need to be dry unless you have a really picky snake! I take my mice directly out of the freezer, place them on a mug of tap water, and then pop it in the microwave. The microwave times vary based on what size and how many mice I'm heating up. I always give the mice a feel before feeding to make sure that they aren't still cold in the middle or too hot.
 
I just put the mice straight into a mason jar of hottest tapwater. Fuzzies or larger I leave until the water cools, then repeat with new hot water to make sure they're not still frozen inside. My snakes don't care if the mouse is wet.
 
I put my frozen pinkie in a plastic bag using tweezers. I set it out about an hour before I'm going to use and let it thaw. Before I use it I warm it up, still in the bag, in a cup of warm water. When it feels warm to the touch, I take it out of the plastic bag and use long tweezers to feed it to my snake.

I have a young snake so I've only ever fed pinkies.
 
I fill 5 gallon buckets up with hot water, add mice and stir. Buckets of pinks will be ready in about a minute, fuzzies maybe two minutes, by the time I get to the adults they are thawed and hot. I dry them off on a towel, many of my snakes must be picky.
 
For the last 20+ years Ive always thrown them in a bowl of hot water for about 20 minutes, large rats take longer but then I drain the water and refill it again with super hot water from the tap. I take the bowl with me and an old towel. I use hemostats and take each rat/mouse out, dry it off and dangle it for the snake or whatever im feeding. Unless its a shy one then I just lay next to their hide and leave it.

Way back when I was 20 and had my very first snake(yellow ratsnake) they didnt sell frozen thawed, it was live or nothing.
 
Thanks for all of the responses. Now I know that they can be fed after being fully immersed in water, damp from a leaking bag, or completely dry. That will save some effort!

I was basically going to a lot of extra trouble for no apparent reason. In the summer though, I let the hot Texas sun do the warming for about 5-10 mintues. Easy peasy.
 
I take my mice directly out of the freezer, place them on a mug of tap water, and then pop it in the microwave.
Click to expand...

I have a super nuker...anytime I would use water heated in there the mice would explode...it was disgusting...now I just use the hottest tap water I can, place the mice in their containers (rats in a bigger one, mice in a separate one, pinkies in their own) and let 'em thaw out. I will change the water the rat is in as I like them to be HOT (not that it matters for my bp, he is not picky thank the gods). I will also "squeeze" the excess water off but I let them be damp (I also feed mine in separate bins so as to not have the substrate stick to them)
 
I take mine straight from the freezer and pit them in a glass of boiling water. ( I let it sit for a bit so its not really boiling. ). And wait ten or twenty and then feed. I've never had a problem with water and that's what I use to warm my mice so good luck
 
I thaw for a few hours in Luke warm water and then put the rat into water that was in the microwave for about 30 seconds (no I don't put the rat in the microwave). I dunk the rat in and pull it out dry it off a little and feed. My carpet seems to prefer her rat a little wetter than dry, she also won't eat if it's not warm enough.
 
I put them in the dryer for 40 minutes on high, also on the "fluff" setting.

JUST KIDDING! I actually microwave them. Sometimes it isn't pretty, but what's a little bit of mouse guts between friends??? Wanna come over for some microwaved popcorn?!?!?!?

Okay, now you know I am the dorky one in the group, but all the recommendations above are great. I thaw at room temp in small plastic tubs (like cream cheese tubs) and then 12 hours later I feed.

And NO microwave!!!
 
I just take the frozen mouse out of the freezer and stick it in a cabinet (so the cats can't get it) a few hours before I want to feed. I just feed it at room temperature. I do leave them in a plastic bag as I do this and have seen a small amount of condensation before, but I've never worried about too much moisture.
 
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