Dumb way to humanely kill rodents.

[Runaway987]

Forgive me if this is just dumb...


Could you inject a rodent in a vein with some air to just stop it in its tracks like blood clots can do to humans? How about chemicals? Or water?

Another thing i was wondering about was microwave, i know that sounds really brutal but as far as my understanding goes the Radiation would knock it dead in seconds...

How about electrocution?


I just thought maybe these would be more humane/painfree than being slapped against a wall in a football sock.

[surfrkidTS]

hmmm, i dunno if microwave would be humane.... or injecting it. It would be easier to freeze it or Co2 it.

[Jicin]

Nasty as it is, it *does* kill instantly.

Don't use chemicals. Imagine what that does to your snake when he eats them o.O Probably die the same death. You can use a microwave. May i recommend you only do that when the microwave needs cleaning :) You might want to feed the snake with a spoon afterwards ;) The electrocution? That must be a awefully painfull death. A few seconds of excrusiating pain. I don't know if the snake can eat it afterwards.

I've heard some members make notion of some sort of gass that quickly nocks them out yet isn't harmfull to the snake. Try the search feature. Otherwise i'd wish i knew the awnser to your question :/

[Cornfan]

CO2 is the gas used by many rodent farms which dissipates within hours to ensure a safe meal for your snake. Freezing, however, is an horrifically slow and painful way to die...

[surfrkidTS]

heres some help on killing live mice

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13476&highlight=freezing+live+mice

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10127&highlight=freezing+live+mice

[Runaway987]

Cool sites cheers...


Can i get anymore opinions on microwaving? I tried it on a cricket in a tub and he leapt into the air and was dead when he landed...

Whole thing took about 2 seconds.

[surfrkidTS]

LOL, i think microwaving a rodent could be very different then microwaving a bug. Mice have a nasty habit of exploding in the microwave, and i don't know how long it would take for them to die. It might be possible that by the time they died they would be cooked! :-puke01:

[Runaway987]

:-puke01: Erm yeah that is a bit rank.... :sobstory:

[Sabbas]

microwaves cause water molecules to excite... if they are in an enclosed area (like a body) they would most certainly run the risk of explosion. The cricket (along with most other insects) don't contain anywhere near the amount of water that a rodent would have.

- just an explination on why some things go *pop* while others do not.

[Taceas]

You ever noticed when you're nuking a piece of pizza how the edges tend to get really really hot before the middle? I can just imagine a mouse with his extremeties literally boiling before death. :-puke01:

That is definitely something I would NOT recommend, and if done I would consider calling the humane society, ASPCA, or whoever else and have that person seriously looked into for animal cruelty. I'm not a PETA freak, I just don't like seeing animals suffer needlessly, and a microwave would surely be torture.

Injecting isn't feasible either. Most people do not possess the smallest of needles capable of injecting an air bubble or poison into the veins of a rodent. And more than likely you'd end up hurting the animal rather than killing it. And with poison, whatever you kill the rodent with will be digested by the snake and potentially kill it too.

For me, I simply deliver a quick flick/whack to the head and all is done in an instant. CO2 is acceptable and is veterinarian approved and humane society approved the last time I looked as a humane way to euthanize animals.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish? Euthanizing feeder rodents for a snake? Or shock value and coolness?

For pinks and fuzzies, I just freeze them. Flicking or whacking creates an unnecessary mess. It's only a few minutes before they expire. Suffocating is difficult in that small of a mouse because they're built to tolerate a small amount of asphyxiation. All of their litter mates and bedding material would kill them if they weren't.

But for crawlers up to adults, I simply deliver one flick to the head, place them in a lidded container (as they'll hop and jerk and fall on the floor if you don't) and then once they're dead, I bag them up for freezing.

The last time I tried the wall trick, all I ended up with was a still alive mouse who's bones were broke and re-arranged. Not pleasant.

And if you're curious about how hard to flick, my goal is to flick hard enough to cause a grape to crack open.

Nifty science experiment my husband found:
And speaking of grapes and microwaves and the like...take a grape, cut it in half lengthways and place them halves wet side down and make the stem hole end touch so they look like OO and nuke em. Fun stuff. =P

[Runaway987]

What exactly are you trying to accomplish? Euthanizing feeder rodents for a snake? Or shock value and coolness?


Back off i was only asking...

I genuinly thought that the microwaves would fry its brain super quick.

I managed to get my hands on this contempary vase type thing its basically a tall open topped rectangle about 18 Inches tall.

C02 tank is coming on saturday with a variable regulator.

More than i wanted to pay for a dead mouse but after the pizza comment i get the idea now and i coudnt hold a live mammal and knock its brain out of its ears :-puke01:

Now i can gas them fairly slowly - I have read this is the best way for em to go as it acts as an aneasthetic before death if done at the correct rate.

[Taceas]

I apologize for the "rude" comment, but I've seen a few people post on here that seems as though they're looking for the cruelest way to kill something.

You don't flick them that hard. =P I've only ever had one that had blood out the nose, ever. And I flick 20-30 mice per week. Once you get the knack of how hard, it's easy as can be.

I don't kill enough to warrant me getting a CO2 tank and apparatus at the moment. So flicking will just have to do.

Best of luck to ya though.

[sumguy]

...
But for crawlers up to adults, I simply deliver one flick to the head,
...
And if you're curious about how hard to flick, my goal is to flick hard enough to cause a grape to crack open.


Really, which part of the head do you flick? Seems too simple.

[Taceas]

Pictured is the spot I aim for when flicking. And to feel how hard you should be flicking, flick the underside of your hand, right in the middle of your palm. Flick once hard enough so that it stings a little afterwards.

This is the progression:

One flick
Mouse curls up and falls on it's side
Mouse kicks a bit, urine drips out
After a few seconds or so, the kicking and other reflexes cease and mouse is dead

I flick because CO2 (dry ice) seemed longer and more excruciating that it needed to be. I don't like to watch animals gasp and don't like to hear it either. So I just started flicking. I don't have enough at any one time to really make me need a CO2 setup.

[Rinpu]

A blow to the head seems like the most merciful way to kill mice if you don't have access to CO2. If you don't think you can flick it properly like Taceas described, you can accomplish the same thing by whacking its head against a table. Hold the mouse belly-up, and thwack the back of its head sharply against the edge of a table or countertop. We used to do this when we had to euthanize mice and frogs for biology class, and it always killed them instantly (aside from the reflexive thrashing, of course).

[sumguy]

Thanks for the aptly named picture and new techniques. Will try next time I buy live or start breeding my own.
:cheers:

[Sasheena]

Killing feeders is one of the hardest things to do, especially when you haven't done it before. Some of the methods I've tried and the results I've gotten:

placed in a sock and whacked on a wall is a little less personal, but seemed a bit too random, killed some ... too messy

whacked I use this method most often. I grab the mouse or rat by the tail, supporting the body gently, until I'm in the right position to give it a solid whack on a horizontal surface (table) or a vertical surface (wall). Most the time the animal is instantly killed or stunned (some I stun, some I kill, depends on the animal being fed) and it goes well.

Gassed I have sometimes "offed" a bunch of rats or mice using C02. I usually purchase a couple of pounds of dry ice. PUt it in a small container (with or without water), put the small container in a larger container with a lid. Place the rodents in the large container once it is fillwed with the gas, hold the lid down tight. They'll jump around a minute or two and then fall over stunned, five more minutes they are dead--suffocated.

[tat2d1]

i buy my pinkies live then stick them in the freezer and they're dead within minutes. for my other snake, i use live mice most the time. i have froze adult mice in the past. i've also put on gloves and just snapped their neck, it's quick.

[JM :o)]

Just stumbled accross this thread~ I almost didn't post in it as the last time I mentioned killing mice on this site I got a lashing for it~ (Guess maybe if I had realized there was a feeder discussion area I could have avoided that huh?) but here are some insutructions I wrote up on humane euthanasia and making a CO2 chamber for those that are interested.

http://www.thereddragonsden.com/co2.htm

[Jicin]

Gassed I have sometimes "offed" a bunch of rats or mice using C02. I usually purchase a couple of pounds of dry ice. PUt it in a small container (with or without water), put the small container in a larger container with a lid. Place the rodents in the large container once it is fillwed with the gas, hold the lid down tight. They'll jump around a minute or two and then fall over stunned, five more minutes they are dead--suffocated.[/QUOTE]

That sounds like an awefull cruel way to die :/ And it takes 7 minutes no less.

[RyanR]

Personaly for my adults i use a small needle with air in it.. its a quick death makes heart jump and they have heart attak... Only reason i dont freeze is because my snakes refuse anything that isnt freshly killed.. and i dont like smashing mice so i see this is my only option!

[Snakemommy]

I found this site that tells how to humanely and cheaply kill mice Let me know if this works.

http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/index.html

[Spirit]

I'm very much against killing the animals myself (hell, I even felt somewhat guilty for feeding crickets to my tarantula, not to mention I have a hard time admitting the frozen mice were once alive *cough*denial*cough* lol), but I do want to add one comment.

If you have to kill a rabbit, several people have told me that a rabbit will just fall asleep if put in the freezer. There is no reason to club these guys on the head (and for all you who think it's "cool" to watch your snake kill a mouse or rabbit, may you someday be a meal to a bear). :)

I like the gas idea.

Ryan: Even if the mouse is thawed in a ziplock bag in hot water (warm the blood)? Hmm... I wonder how the snake can tell a fresh kill from frozen (and properly thawed)...?

Edit: omg, I just made the mistake of skimming this forum. I just don't know how some of you do it... Ugh, now I just feel awful and disturbed. LOL :( Ugh. UGH. I'm gonna go cuddle my cat, and thank her for not being a killer.

[surfrkidTS]

o no, don't say you have a tarantula. I love every single animal except them (wait, i should change that to mammals). I feel bad saying this, but i've killed more tarantulas than ones i've let escape. BUT, even they need someone to love them. Which makes me think..... I want a hairless cat :rolleyes:

[Spirit]

I have ALWAYS wanted a sphynx (hairless cat)! I should have said had. She had a bad molt and over time she became neglected (tank in a corner in a dark and cold room) so I traded her in for my snake (which I have always wanted). Strange coincidence that someone I know bought her 2 days later from the pet store. Now I have visiting rights! :D

Off topic, tarantulas are pretty amazing creatures to observe. Especially when they molt (ask if you want to see pictures).

And where do you live that you've had to kill that many tarantulas? (did you know that a VERY small percentage are actually poisonous?)

[JM :o)]

CO2 is considered the humane method~ freezing is slow and there is some question of how painfull and long a process it would be. I suspect it could take several hours to go from nice warm, cuddly bunny~ to frostbitten in pain thumper desperatly looking for a way out of the freezer and then on to bunny~cycle. Thumping (Club to the head) would be more humane from the standpoint of speed of the process~ I have no idea about a needle with air in it~ But I'm imagining myself holding down the mouse and trying to explain how important it is they sit still so I don't puncture some organ or other and cause undue pain~

I have tried asking them to fall over and stop breathing~ but I get no appreciable reaction from that.

A CO2 tank is best as you can be sure how much CO2 you are adding and how fast. You can probably get a tank used from a paintball store on the cheap. I don't have any expierience with using Baking soda and vinager~

[Spirit]

I have tried asking them to fall over and stop breathing~ but I get no appreciable reaction from that.

:laugh: I could be VERY wrong about the rabbit in the freezer thing. It's just what I've been told over the years. I would never kill that way though. My lord, it would be TORTURE for me sitting on the couch knowing there's a live rabbit in my freezer, slowly dying... and I made that happen... :eek1:

[surfrkidTS]

Well, i don't kill many tarantulas here in Orange County (but they are big enough to be tarantulas), but the desert house has its fair share. My fear of spiders started when i was told that the average person eats 8 spiders in their life because they crawl into your mouth when you are sleeping. Whether or not that is true, i have no clue, but it sounds disgusting anyway. My favorite kind of tatantula is one in a picture, or on TV. those are cool, but if its loose in the room, i have to kill it before i go to bed.

O yah, just to further jusify my fear of spiders (even though i know i shouldn't be afraid of them), a few years ago i got up in the night and filled a drinking glass with some water, but when i took a drink, a big spider brished against my lips. I am so proud of myself for not dropping that glass..... *gets the chills just thinking about it*

[Spirit]

but if its loose in the room, i have to kill it before i go to bed.

My roommate used to pick her up (her name was Crawl, btw... appropriate, no?) and put her on his chest, then make tea and sit down to watch tv. He would then ACCIDENTALLY FALL ASLEEP. Watching him wake up a few hours later was priceless though. Tea mug resting on knee (always full), forgotten tarantula on chest (realizing he fell asleep with it there, and not knowing if it was still there or not)... and NOT ONCE did he spill the tea. :laugh:

[OysterBoy]

You know, (as mentioned) you can buy a bulk c02 tank for pretty cheap from a paintball store, ranging from a 9oz to a 20oz. Buy them with on/off valves, and you've almost got your own mass euthanasia center! Just get a pop bottle (2L), or large water jug, and cut a square flap on the back big enough to fit mice. Cut some paper to just larger then the flap size, and glue / tape it to the piece of bottle you just cut. Tape one side of this 'door' over the flap, then insert the C02 tank nozzle into the neck of the pop bottle. Twist the on/off valve, and turn off when the bottle is suffitiently filled (Making sure to tape down the flap to prevent precious gas from escaping, as well as re-sealing the jug/bottle). Tada! C02 tanks are pretty cheap, just don't buy from walmart of canadian tire (if you have one); find a good, reputable shop for the best prices, and you can have them filled for cheap at most scuba shops, or paintball shops.

Hope that helped, sorry if its a pre-existing idea.

[lockshockbarrel]

Unless you are really good at "flicking them on the head" (I don't know the technical term), gas is the only humane way to kill mice and rats. Cloroform and Carbon Dioxide are both safe for reptiles to eat. You can use dry ice to give them carbon dioxide. Here's a linky (http://www.dryicedirectory.com/) where you can find the nearest dry ice supplier to you.

Freezing, Drowning, and microwaving are all cruel, slow, and painful.

Someone on another forum I frequent was knocked out by carbon dioxide and Cloroform and said that carbon dioxide was painful, but cloroform wasn't. I can get the direct quote if you want.

[lefty_mussolini]

If introduced slowly, co2 will put the rodent to sleep and they will die painlessly. If they get too much gas too quickly, it causes burning of the eyes and respritory system as I understand it.

[lefty_mussolini]

Sorry, didn't see how old this was.