Frozen Rodent Thawing Basics:
There are several methods to thawing frozen rodents before feeding to your pets. Our guide will address most common methods and you can choose which is suitable for your situation or collection size.
Room Temperature Thawing - Frozen Mice and Frozen Rats
Remove the frozen mouse or rat from your bag and place in a non-porous container and leave in a secure area for approximately 1-3 hours until thawed. At room temperature, a single frozen mouse will take approximately 35-40 minutes to thaw. Once the frozen rodent is thawed, you can feed your pet or place it in warm water for an additional 10 minutes to add heat to the prey item. This may be necessary when feeding animals that trigger off heat such as various python species.
Cold Water Thawing
The use of cold water is typical for the thawing of meat based products. This will ensure that no cooking of the meat will take place with hot water due to the extended time until completely thawed. Ideally you will place the frozen mouse or frozen rat in cool water and change out the water every 30 - 45 minutes until thawed. Once thawed, you can dry off the prey with paper towels and feed to your pet.
Warm Water Thawing
You can use warm water to thaw frozen rodents, just utilize water that is not extremely hot. Hot tap water will be fine. You may be required to change out the water as the water cools during the thawing process. Once thawed, dry the prey item as needed and feed to your pet.
Using Heat Lamps/Heat Pads with Frozen Rodents
Heat lamps and heating pads can be utilized for a short time to increase the exterior heat profile of the rodent. Caution must be taken not to leave the rodent unattended or under a heat lamp for an extended period of time. Increased heat from lamps can cause the prey item to cook or develop hot spots in the rodent that can damage your pet upon feeding. Most commercial heating pads will allow for a more even heat disbursement across your prey item and will not scald or burn the frozen rodent.
Microwaving Frozen Rodents (DO NOT USE):
Under no circumstance should you thaw a frozen rodent in a microwave oven. This can lead to extreme internal hot spots or worst case, the rodent will explode within the microwave during the heating process.
Using Hair Dryers / Heat Guns with Frozen Feeders
We do not recommend using a commercial heat gun due to the extreme heat and focused temperatures emitted. If needing intermittent heating as you feed or a way to scent the room, a standard household hair dryer will suffice. Blowing warm air across the rodent will allow for some lower external heating and will assist in the heat profile of the rodent you are feeding to your pet.