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How to Thaw Frozen Foods for Reptiles or Amphibians

Published on April 6th, 2022

Updated on December 16th, 2025

Written by Petco's Animal Care, Education and Compliance Team

Reviewed by Petco Editorial Team

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How to Thaw Frozen Foods for Reptiles or Amphibians

Overview

Feeding live rodents to reptiles and amphibians is strongly discouraged for various reasons Live rodents are often stressed during this time and may bite reptiles or amphibians inflicting serious, sometimes life-threatening wounds during a feeding. Appropriately thawed frozen foods are much safer and healthier for your pet, and teaching a pet currently eating live to readily accept a frozen thawed alternative may not be as hard as you think.

Types of frozen/thawed foods

Pinkies are young mice that are almost hairless and are the smallest of the rodents typically offered to small reptiles and amphibians
Fuzzies are juvenile mice with some fur that are the second smallest rodents fed to reptiles and amphibians
Hoppers are larger than fuzzies, but only about half the size of adult mice
Adult mice and rats are commonly fed to larger reptiles and amphibians

Benefits of frozen food

Some pet stores, reptile and amphibian experts and books state that feeding live prey is the best choice of food. This is simply not true. Frozen/thawed foods are just as good, if not better than live foods for the following reasons:

Some people argue that pets have to kill their prey like animals in nature or that they should feel the “thrill of the kill,” but pets act much differently than animals in nature. Pet reptiles and amphibians do not spend their days searching for food and hiding from predators; instead, they are housed in comfy enclosures and have all their habitat needs met. They are also enclosed in a much smaller space than their counterparts in nature, so they cannot get away from a live, biting rodent in their habitat if they choose not to eat it
It takes much less room to store frozen foods than it does to house, feed and care for live prey before it is fed to pets
Live foods may have internal and/or external parasites; the process of preparing frozen rodents eliminates most parasites that may harm pet reptiles or amphibians
Purchasing frozen rodents costs less than purchasing live rodents
All frozen foods are humanely euthanized according to a set of government-dictated guidelines, while feeding live rodents may be inhumane to the rodents

Feeding Tips

Safety for your pet

Feeding frozen/thawed foods is safer for your reptile or amphibian than feeding live prey. An animal that is not hungry will most likely not eat; it will ignore the prey animal. The prey animal, on the other hand, when left alone in a tank with a predator, may not be so relaxed. Rodents may become aggressive, attacking and injuring the disinterested reptile or amphibian and inflicting serious, sometimes life-threatening damage to skin, muscle and even bone.

Even when a pet is hungry and tries to catch the prey, the prey may use its teeth and claws to defend itself, injuring the pet. Serious bites and scratches may lead to blindness, wounds and even death for pet reptiles and amphibians. Feeding frozen/thawed prey eliminates this risk and keeps your pet safe when feeding.

Converting pets to frozen/thawed feeding

If not immediately, most reptiles and amphibians will learn to accept frozen/thawed food eventually. Some pets are stubborn and may take a little longer to accept eating frozen/thawed prey. For more stubborn pets, try these techniques:

Try foods in different sizes or colors
Make sure food is warm through the center (place in a plastic bag to keep it dry and soak in warm water prior to feeding)
Use long tongs (not your fingers!) to dangle the food in front of your pet
Let your pet get inside its hide box; then, using tongs, wiggle the warm food in front of the entrance
Try different movements with your tongs, such as up and down, side to side, at different speeds, etc., to stimulate your pet’s interest in the thawed prey
Using tongs, drag the food across the feeding container, making it look like it’s hopping
If all else fails, feed a single small live prey item, being sure to monitor that the pet eats it, and follow it immediately with a frozen/thawed item

If your pet is still stubborn about accepting frozen/thawed foods, have patience and try leaving the food in the feeding habitat for longer periods. You may even try leaving the frozen thawed food in the feeding habitat overnight to encourage your pet to explore the food.

Look for positive reactions (head turning, tongue flicking, stalking behavior) while you are feeding your pet. If the pet appears stressed, stop and try again later. Remember, missing a meal once in a while will not hurt your reptile or amphibian. Don’t give in too easily and return to feeding live as needed to maintain a healthy body composition.

How to thaw frozen foods

Never feed your pet food that is still frozen or cold! Thaw it and ensure it is warm through the center before feeding. Do NOT use a microwave to thaw frozen food, as it can leave hot spots that can burn your pet’s mouth, along with cold spots in the middle. Microwaving also may make the food explode. Since frozen prey can carry germs that may cause illness in humans, it should not be thawed in areas such as kitchen sinks or countertops where human food is prepared.

Follow these steps to defrost frozen prey:

Remove the appropriate number of food items from the bag
Put the food in a plastic bag to keep it dry and place it in a dedicated thawing container (used only for frozen reptile and amphibian food) filled with cold tap water
Leave the food in the water until it is thawed through the center and then discard the cold water
Next, fill the container with warm water and let the thawed prey, still inside of the plastic bag, soak for 10–15 minutes before discarding the water
Just prior to removing the thawed prey and feeding, run nearly hot water into the container to warm the food above room temperature with a goal of reaching body temperature
Remove food from the container and plastic bag; immediately offer it to your pet
Alternatively, you can also leave the frozen food in the refrigerator (where food for human consumption is not stored) to thaw slowly

Where to buy

Frozen foods for reptile feeding are available for purchase at Petco online and in stores. If you are visiting your local Petco Store, please call ahead to check availability.

Supplies

Feeding Tongs

Frozen Rodents for Reptile Feeding

Notes & resources

Ask a Pet Care Center associate about Petco's selection of products available for the care and happiness of your new pet. All products carry a 100% money-back guarantee.

Because all reptiles and amphibians are potential carriers of infectious diseases, such as salmonella bacteria, always wash your hands before and after handling your reptile or amphibian or their habitat contents to help prevent the potential spread of disease. Pregnant women, children under the age of 5, senior citizens and people with weakened immune systems should contact their physicians before purchasing or caring for reptiles and should consider having a pet other than a reptile.

Go to the Centers for Disease Control at cdc.gov/healthypets for more information.

Core messages for the Zoonoses Education Coalition

Healthy reptiles and amphibians can carry salmonella and other germs that are zoonotic (transmittable to people).
Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling reptiles and amphibians or touching anything (such as food, habitat or habitat décor) where they live or roam
Reptiles and amphibians are not recommended as household or classroom pets for children under the age of 5. Children younger than 5 years of age, people with weak immune systems, pregnant women and senior citizens should not handle or touch amphibians or reptiles or items from their environments because they are at a higher risk for serious illness and hospitalization from salmonella bacteria or other germs.
Keep your reptiles and amphibians and their equipment out of your kitchen or anywhere else in your home where food is prepared, served or consumed. Never use food preparation areas to clean reptile and amphibian habitats or anything in their habitats. Ideally, these items should be cleaned outside of your home. If you must clean the habitat or habitat items in the bathroom, clean and disinfect the area completely afterward.
Don’t cross-contaminate! People don’t have to touch a reptile or amphibian to get sick from their germs. Any items associated with reptiles or amphibians — such as frozen or live rodent prey, habitat cleaning equipment, habitat décor and tank water—may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria and other germs infectious to people.
Do not kiss or snuggle with reptiles and amphibians; this behavior is likely to increase the chances of germ transmission and your risk for infection.

The information on this care sheet is not a substitute for veterinary care. If your pet is ill or not eating, or if you need additional information, please contact your veterinarian as appropriate.

FAQs

Where can I buy frozen mice?

At your local Petco or com.

What is a pinky mouse?

Pinkies are young mice that are almost hairless and are the smallest of the rodents typically offered to reptiles and amphibians.

How should I thaw frozen mice for a snake?

Never feed your pet food that is still frozen! Thaw and ensure it is warm before feeding. Do NOT use a microwave to thaw frozen food, as it can leave hot spots that can burn your pet’s mouth, along with cold spots in the middle. Microwaving also may make the food explode. Since frozen prey can carry germs that may cause illness in humans, it should not be thawed in areas such as kitchen sinks or countertops where human food is prepared.

Steps to defrost frozen prey

• Remove the appropriate number of food items from the bag • Put the food in a plastic bag to keep it dry and place it in a dedicated thawing container (used only for frozen reptile and amphibian food) filled with cold tap water • Leave the food in the water until it is thawed through the center and then discard the cold water • Next, fill the container with warm water and let the thawed prey, still inside of the plastic bag, soak for 10–15 minutes before discarding the water • Just prior to removing the thawed prey and feeding, run nearly hot water into the container to warm the food above room temperature with a goal of reaching body temperature • Remove food from the container and plastic bag; immediately offer it to your pet • Alternatively, you can also leave the frozen food in the refrigerator (where food for human consumption is not stored) to thaw slowly

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