"but i only like'em live!"

I used to use that method for all my mice. If you're doing one or two it's no biggie but if you doing a hundred I would get tennis elbow.

It was years ago and F/T wasn't available....
I had a pet shop that knew the score and sold me feeders (they probably had a better brief existence than the ones in the shop)
I collected them in long thin boxes that opened either end....
I had it down to an art.... Out of the box, tail first flick of the wrist, dispatched, all in about 0.005 of a second.....
I have always been more scared of being bit by mice than fully grown snakes.... LOL

I've tried killing the mouse by taking it by the tail and slamming against a counter, but I wasn't very good at it and sometimes the mouse wasn't dead just not really alive either
(never thought of a bag or pillow case)
Another way, also by hand that works better for me, is to put a pencil or something behind the mouses neck (not with the point or back, but across, holding it down) and then you give a sudden pull on the tail. It breaks the neck and he is immediately dead.
But you have to be in for that of course. I myself don't mind killing them manually, as long as it is quick and painless.

Being a wuss as well as a rodent lover that is something that I could not do myself..ever.
But as long as the rodent dies fast and does not suffer, I am all for it!!

Originally Posted by jayhimself

i've heard of gassing baby mice with a co2 chamber before. is this effective with larger mice? i haven't searched the DIY section but is there an easy enough way to build one?

I haven't built a DIY one but yes it will work with adult mice and yes there are directions here on the forum on how to build one.

The main reasons to convert your snake to dead mice is safety & convenience. If you can get it to take freshly prekilled, it CAN'T get bitten by the rodent. Rodents have VERY sharp teeth & if the snake hits it in the middle instead of in the head, or doesn't wrap right, the rodent could bite the snake. Imagine a sharp pointy rodent tooth going into your snake's eye. Yech. So that's the safety part. The convenience part is that if you can get it to take freshly killed, eventually you probably will get your snake to take frozen/thawed. Now meals are available whenever needed, stored neatly. No running out in bad weather because your snake needs dinner! You can buy a few a head of time when you get get a windfall of money & then if you have a financial hassle your snake doesn't miss any meals.

thanks for all the advice everybody. you have all been very helpful. call me a wuss but i would rather not manually break their necks or bash them against something... i think i'm going to attempt building one of these co2 chambers. i have a paint pall gun with canister already, i figure why not.

Originally Posted by jayhimself

thanks for all the advice everybody. you have all been very helpful. call me a wuss but i would rather not manually break their necks or bash them against something... i think i'm going to attempt building one of these co2 chambers. i have a paint pall gun with canister already, i figure why not.

There is nothing "wuss" about not wanting to bash or snap. Not at all. There is something really good about being willing to try to do the safest thing for your snake though!

Originally Posted by wstphal

There is nothing "wuss" about not wanting to bash or snap. Not at all. There is something really good about being willing to try to do the safest thing for your snake though!

I wholeheartedly agree!

The reality is that sometimes no matter what you do, a snake that has been reared on live will only take live. I have a snake that refuses F/T'd, fresh killed no matter what you do. I reside myself to the fact that this is how it is. Good suggestions have been offered up, but when all else fails, then live is how it is i guess.

happy to say that after a few unsuccessful attempts at feeding her live mice she finally took a fresh kill and has been eating them since. all thanks to this little device i threw together... check it out!
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97760