Brought my first sand boa home and was searching the net for info on thawing f/t and best way to offer 1st meal. I left the mouse in the bag and placed it in fridge in a Tupperware container I purchased at the dollar store the day of feeding for several hours with the lid on but not sealed. When I saw the boa come out at 9:45pm I took the mouse out of the fridge. Filled empty Tupperware with water 3/4 to the top. Placed in microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds. Placed the mouse in bag submerged in the water for 15 minutes. Took temp and then removed mouse from bag with tongs. Took the mouse on the tongs to the tank and removed top. I held mouse at backside and walked mouse up to boa. Walked it around a bit in front of him. He latched on and I pulled slightly and wiggled lightly before letting go. It took him about 30 minutes to take it down. Hope this helps any other first time KSB parents. I was really nervous and stressed because this is a huge milestone.
This is peanut
4 Likes
Do not microwave feeders. For one thing, it can be an absolute mess. Secondly, microwaves heat irregularly, which can result in portions of the prey item being too hot and other parts too cold.
On feeding day, I take my feeders out of the freezer and sit them on the counter for about 6 hours or so. Probably wonât need so long for a single pinkie, but always err on the safe side, itâs not like the feeder is going to go bad over the course of one day inside a plastic bag.
For heat sensitive animals like ball pythons, I soak the prey in hot (95-100f) water for about 5 minutes to feeding. Doesnât matter whether itâs in a bag or if the prey gets wet, but keeping it in a bag preserves the smell of the prey better which can be good for picky eaters.
Eryx colubrinus is the species I work with the most, so please ask questions.
Another thing I thought to mention was that as per Warren Treacherâs âThe Sand Boa Bookâ, itâs a good idea to get these guys on pinkie rats pretty quickly rather than feeding them progressively larger mice. In nature, these are nest-robbers and I find that they take juvenile rats better than they take comparably-sized adult mice as a matter of preference.
3 Likes
With my Royal I take out in the morning and put in a tub and on the heat mat by him. When defrosted I put it directly on the heat mat to heat a bit more and thatâs that.
I did used to defrost in water until 1 exploded! Never again, was the most awful thing having rat insides everywhereâŚ
And agree. Donât use a microwave! Never have I heard of this even being done!..
1 Like
Funny you mention exploding feeders. The only time Iâve heard about that is in the microwave. Expanding gasses and uneven heating are an explosive combo.
2 Likes
I think you may have misunderstood my post, I microwaved the water not the mouse and soaked the mouse in the bag. Came out perfect and the mouse wasnât wet so the substrate didnât stick. The only reason I posted it is because I couldnât find anything as detailed anywhere on the internet.
5 Likes
Ah, fair enough. Thanks for the clarification
4 Likes
I use hair dryer, but same idea as everyone else. Thaw for multiple hours. Heat with hair dryer until temp gun says itâs in the low hundreds at head and 90s for body. Feed. I use tongs and for my constrictors pull and prod the feeder once theyâve struck for a tad bit of enrichment. Make âem work for it a bit.
1 Like
