Hi Kody
I sent this to you in PM, but will post it here as well for others to see.
I saw that Morti suggested hot water, I would say nearly hot. You don't want to thaw out rats/mice too quickly. What happens: If the prey thaws too quickly, too much gas is released form the thawing tissue and it builds up in the body cavity (why dead bodies float). When the pressure gets to be too much, the skin tears allowing the gas to escape along with the internal organs (why dead bodies sink again). This isn't likely to happen in the baggie, but when your snake constricts the bloated prey, it explodes... and MAN is that NASTY!!
When you can hold the whole head in your hand and feel no cool spots, then it is done thawing. The brain is always last to thaw out since it is encased in the skull.
If you bp has never taken pre-killed before, the best way to get it interested is to take the rat by the scruff of the neck with hemostats or tongs and 'walk' him around the enclosure or tub. Make the bp think it's alive
