Write an article based on this "Prepare frozen rodents away from the kitchen when possible. Put the frozen rodents in a plastic bag. Place the bag in a heat-safe bowl or mug. Set the rodent in the refrigerator for easy thawing. Thaw the rodent in cold water for quicker thawing. Use hot water to warm up the rodents after they thawed. Wash your hands and the area after handling the rodents."
Rodents can bring germs into the kitchen that can make you or people in your home sick. If possible, keep the rodents out of the kitchen, preparing them in a separate area. Many pet stores sell frozen rodents, or you can purchase them online. Don't feed your snake frozen prey that's more than 6 months old. Place it into a zip-top bag, as you don't want to thaw it in water without a bag around it. Remove as much air as you can before zipping up the bag. It's actually best to place the mice in bags before you stick them in your freezer, but if you didn't do that, just place it in a clean bag now. It doesn't have to be microwave safe, just heat-safe. Make sure the bowl or mug is big enough to hold the rodent and enough water to cover the bag completely. Keep the bowl separate from your food bowls. You don't want to use a bowl for eating that you've thawed a rodent in. Leave the rodent in the refrigerator overnight, and it should be thawed by morning. Because a mouse is so small, it may only take a couple of hours to thaw, but a rat will take 4-5 hours. If it smells really bad when thawed, the rodent is likely not good to give to your snake. Don't offer feeders that have been in the freezer for more than 6 months to your snake. Just toss them. Rodents have to be thawed, warmed, and then fed to the snake to allow the snake to digest the prey properly and avoid an overgrowth of bad bacteria. Pour cold water over the rodent, which should still be in the bag in the bowl, and set it out on the counter. Leave it for 30 minutes, and then check on it. Some rodents may be thawed in this time. If it's not, replace the water and leave it another 30 minutes. Pour the water off when you're done. Don't thaw the rodent in the microwave or in hot water, because this can make it spoil. You don't want to feed your snake a cold rodent, because cold will slow down your snake's digestion. Pour hot water over the rodent, but don't use boiling water. Let the rodent sit in the water for 10-20 minutes. Check on mice after 10 minutes, but rats will take a bit longer. You may want to use a temperature gun to check if the inside is warm. Once you've thawed and warmed the rodent, feed it the snake as soon as you can because it will quickly start to decay. Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 30 seconds before rinsing. Wipe down the area with a disinfecting cleaner to make sure you remove as much bacteria as possible.