Killing Mice

So I do realize this has been brought up in the past, and while I may not be a total tree-hugger, I have been known to shake their branches now and then.
I read other posts about killing mice humanely, and they all seemed to deal with chemicals or gases..
Just dispatched my first victim for my snakes first meal (with me that is) and I'm interested to know what you all think of my method.
(Not to sound stupid, but before you've ever killed a mouse, you don't really know how you're going to go about it!)
I just sort of put my hand over it, held it firmly on the table- and then placed the back of a butter knife (dull side) behind his head and pushed his head away from his neck.
Well, he twitched a bit but died quickly- I feel that this was about as kind as killing can be.
Any body who can offer any suggestions (or reassurance, lol), I would appreciate.

If you did it properly your method is called "Cervical dislocation". Try a search for that.

Easiest and most humane in my opinion is a CO2 chamber. Cervical dislocation if not done properly can end up with a pissed off or severely injured and suffering mouse. Gas with CO2 and they just drop unconscious and die. There's a small initial expense if you want to do it right with a co2 tank but after that it's just the occasional $1 refill. One fill lasts me for months.

That sounds... really horrible! >_< well, I'm definatly not expert but... yeah. I've read that freezing them is better, or something like that.

I thought about the co2, but it sounds like suffocation- is it very quick?

Ok, I just read up on the cervical dislocation (seperation? don't remember..) and it sounds like that's what I was trying to do..
If I do it right should they twitch at all, or should it be more quicker than that.
Mine twitched. And I now admit, I panicked right after and thumped him once on the head with the heavy end of the butter knife. I'm not trying to be funny about this, but it did shock me and maybe I wasn't prepared for that job.
You'd think after a year in Iraq, this would be easier! lol

Originally Posted by tom e

Ok, I just read up on the cervical dislocation (seperation? don't remember..) and it sounds like that's what I was trying to do..
If I do it right should they twitch at all, or should it be more quicker than that.
Mine twitched. And I now admit, I panicked right after and thumped him once on the head with the heavy end of the butter knife. I'm not trying to be funny about this, but it did shock me and maybe I wasn't prepared for that job.
You'd think after a year in Iraq, this would be easier! lol

first and foremost..........thanks for serving our country.
i don't feed live, but you might check into f/t (frozen/thawed) as they are more humane since alreay deceased, cheaper and readily available.........all in your favor. you can order online, pay a bit higher at the pet stores or check out your next expo. there will be more people that come later to tell you about the live option, but i wanted to throw this in there anyway.

I don't answer these questions much anymore (I used to~ but I got tired of being the "how to kill it Lady")~ but I appreciate your service to our country as well~

So~ cervical dislocation. Yes~ the mouse should twitch. It's the nerve endings firing off. The mouse is dead once you dislocate the spine~ but the spine has it's own nerve firing systems (there is a name for it I don't know) that store energy~ when the spine is dislocated the energy is dispersed and the mouse twitches. It will often bleed from the nose or mouth as well~ this is just residual from the warm blood moving through areas that where torn in the process.

As far as being Humane. CO2 is endorsed by the American Veternary Medical Association as being the most humane method. If done properly the mouse will fall out in an "intoxicated" state~ fall asleep and never wake up again. I did a write up several years ago~ it's here:
CO2 setup

At home, I use a co2 chamber that I made using Cheryl's suggestions. At work, we often have to kill one, or a couple of rodents at a time and so co2 wouldn't be the best option. We'd be going through many co2 tanks in a day. So we use cervical dislocation. after you get it down, it can be very efficient.
What I do for cervical dislocation is grab the rodent behind the head (at the base of the skull.) I use a hand-towel for this to avoid bites. I hold the tail with the other hand and pull. I have noticed that if you pull on the tail, or pull too hard, the tail will come right off. You don't want this. It will give you a major case of the heeby-jeebies. I pull with the hand that I am holding the base of the skull with. You will feel the "give" when the spine breaks. This might cause heeby-jeebies for those of you that are a bit more sensitive. If it's done right, the legs only kick a few times, if that. And like Cheryl said, that's just the nerves firing.

I use the cheap method. Grab them by the tail and swing their head into the wood rack once or twice and then into the freezer. Basically I knock them out and put them in the freezer real fast encase they are not dead from the head trauma. They freeze to death really fast less than 5 minutes. I know this is not the most humane way to do it. But that is how I do it.

I would say CO2 is the most humane, but it sounds like you did the dislocation right, so it should be okay.