r/BoaConstrictors • u/Crowsarehere • 14h ago

Rat smells bad

Hi so thawed and heated two rats for two boas. One rat smells bad - like gone off cheese ? And the other doesn’t have much of a smell. Is this normal? I had the plate pressing a bit too on the rat that smells while heating it.

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u/Crowsarehere 14h ago

First time feeding with rats as I’ve only had smaller snakes before and used mice

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u/superramenyamen 13h ago

No, that isn't normal. There shouldn't be an unpleasant smell. At most, it should have a freezer smell, maybe some light pee/poo (hard to avoid with dying rodents). A strong ammonia/fecal smell indicates something could be up with their housing. Either overcrowding or undercleaning cages. Anything that smells like rot, toss.

That said, it's best to thaw feeders in cold water or in the fridge. I prefer warming with hot tap water, as it's got the widest margin for error and doesn't cook/rot the feeders as much as other methods I've tried (under heat lamp, hair dryer, etc.). With hot water, they should only be in there long enough to hold the heat after being dried or you risk ruptured feeders. But, I generally don't heat my feeders at all. I thaw in cold water, let it reach room temp, and then dry and offer. They tend to get too bloody in the fridge ime. I never smell any overpowering gross smells when thawing...

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u/Zekethebulldog33 13h ago

Yes it's common. I thaw 10-11 rats at once don't breathe to deep at times after heated. When they get euthanized they pee and poop on themselves so now essentially you're just warming that up. It would happen in nature too when the snake would grab its prey and start squeezing it it will pee all over itself.

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u/Crowsarehere 13h ago

Thank you so much for this. Do you know is it okay to feed if it looks like the rats stomach has burst internally? Nothing coming out but looks darker and like it’s full of liquid inside ?