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Co2
- Thread starter TheHated
- Start date
Fenderplayer108
MC Reptiles
..TheHated said:I know you use co2 to kill off feeders but where can you buy dry ice or co2... what form is it? Thanks guys.
C02 you can get at any paintball store, or just order it offline. Dry ice you can usually get at any grocery store. (just ask)
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Ryan,
Lifesong Photos
I use a 20 oz paintball co2 tank. One fill lasts a long time. There's an initial cost of about $25 for the tank and $20 for the remote coil but it works better than dry ice and is a lot more convenient. My only source for dry ice is an ice company and they sell it for $7.50 for 10 lbs. I'd never use that much at once so most would go to waste and you can't exactly keep it around for when you need it. Another source is the small co2 cannisters used for BB guns, but those are one-shot deals and I don't know if they would have enough gas.
Fenderplayer108
MC Reptiles
.TheHated said:
Someone on the forum posted a good tutorial on how to hook them up. Search around and Ill try to find it too.
.
Ryan,
Lifesong Photos
Fenderplayer108
MC Reptiles
TheHated said:
Mostly, I'll find that tutorial.
.
Ryan,
Lifesong Photos
Lennycorn
Just see the truth
You hook up the remote coil end to an airtight container of some kind, like a rubbermaid tub. drill a hole in the side and put the quick release end thru it. seal it with silicone or hot glue or something so it doesn't leak. drill a hole in the lid and put through a length of rubber tubing and seal that as well. put the mice in the tub, Put on the cover and make sure its sealed tight. out the other end of the rubber tubing in a glass of water so it will release extra air without allowing oxygen to leak back in through the tubing. hook up the remote coil to the quick release end that is on the tub. The other end of the remote coil should be attached to the co2 tank. Slowly open the valve and release co2 into the tub until the mice go unconscious. open up the co2 valve for a second to make sure the tub is flooded with co2 and then shut it off. Leave them for 5-10 minutes in the co2 filled tub to make sure they are dead. open the tub and remove the mice. put dead mice in ziplock bags and seal. open your freezer. insert mouse filled ziplock bags into freezer. close the freezer door.
If you can get dry ice cheaply in small quantites that would work, though it will take some experimenting to get the proper combination of dry ice and warm.hot water so you get the proper amount of co2 gas at the proper rate. not enough and they will just wake back up. That's why I prefer using a tank.
I find that it takes much less time and stresses the mice much less (read: "renders mice unconscious faster") to pre-charge the container by running the CO2 into the container for a count of twenty to forty (twenty for mice with developed fur, longer for pinkies and fuzzies - it's a factor of CO2 resistance, not necessarily of animal size) before putting animals into the container.
Also, don't make the mistake of using too large a container - better to do two or three mice at a time in a fairly small container and have them go out quickly rather than trying to flood and fill a larger container with home-available equipment.
My setup is considerably more simple than what has been described.
Take one tall container - for pinkies, even a tumbler with some paper towel in the bottom works, for larger mice I use a 4X4X7 tub. Remove lid and replace with clingfilm (Saran Wrap for the Americans) - cover three quarters of the top.
Get CO2 canister, and open valve pointing output down into the container. CO2 is heavier than air, so it sinks - pushing the normal atmosphere out of the container as you fill. Count to twenty-or-forty depending on what age of mice you're using.
Close the CO2 valve but keep the cylinder handy.
Gently place mice into the container and pull the clingfilm over all but a corner of the container. Top up the CO2 - by the time you've done the clingfilm, mice with fur will have toppled over and will be deeply unconscious, mice without fur will probably be staggering around looking drunk. Keep topping up until you see the 'agonal gasps' - it looks painful, but the mice are not conscious and this is a reflex only.
Close the clingfilm over the top of the container and keep an eye on the mice.
Adult mice are usually dead by this time - my average with any mouse bigger than a fuzzy is a minute from introduction to chamber to 'being offered to the snake' (I usually pick to order on feeding days - I've got enough mice to do it, and I also alternate feeding freshkilled with feeding frozen/thawed so I know that nobody's getting picky).
Fuzzies do take longer and you may need to top up the container again if you see that you've got one 'breather' who just doesn't go as quickly as the others.
If you're working with baby-baby pinkies, you may want to consider freezing once they're in the agonal-gasp stage; this can last a while for them, and though it's not stressful for them, it may be for you.
Also, don't make the mistake of using too large a container - better to do two or three mice at a time in a fairly small container and have them go out quickly rather than trying to flood and fill a larger container with home-available equipment.
My setup is considerably more simple than what has been described.
Take one tall container - for pinkies, even a tumbler with some paper towel in the bottom works, for larger mice I use a 4X4X7 tub. Remove lid and replace with clingfilm (Saran Wrap for the Americans) - cover three quarters of the top.
Get CO2 canister, and open valve pointing output down into the container. CO2 is heavier than air, so it sinks - pushing the normal atmosphere out of the container as you fill. Count to twenty-or-forty depending on what age of mice you're using.
Close the CO2 valve but keep the cylinder handy.
Gently place mice into the container and pull the clingfilm over all but a corner of the container. Top up the CO2 - by the time you've done the clingfilm, mice with fur will have toppled over and will be deeply unconscious, mice without fur will probably be staggering around looking drunk. Keep topping up until you see the 'agonal gasps' - it looks painful, but the mice are not conscious and this is a reflex only.
Close the clingfilm over the top of the container and keep an eye on the mice.
Adult mice are usually dead by this time - my average with any mouse bigger than a fuzzy is a minute from introduction to chamber to 'being offered to the snake' (I usually pick to order on feeding days - I've got enough mice to do it, and I also alternate feeding freshkilled with feeding frozen/thawed so I know that nobody's getting picky).
Fuzzies do take longer and you may need to top up the container again if you see that you've got one 'breather' who just doesn't go as quickly as the others.
If you're working with baby-baby pinkies, you may want to consider freezing once they're in the agonal-gasp stage; this can last a while for them, and though it's not stressful for them, it may be for you.
I haven't tried it myself but I've heard that pre-charging with CO2 causes distress and choking rather than having them calmly drop off unconscious. Like shocking them with instant suffocation rather than slowly building up to it. That's why I do it the way I described. The AVMA report however claims that precharging works with some species, so perhaps that source was incorrect. I don't know either way but the method I described has worked fine so far.
tigermuffin03
New member
walmart does sell dry ice if you would rather its pretty cheap and its convient for most
Freezing is considered to be ok for pinkies because co2 doesn't work very well on them, they are naturally resistant to suffocation. They have no fur and die quickly in the cold. Once the mice or rats are furred it's very cruel to just freeze them.. That's when you use CO2 or cervical dislocation or some people "wack" them which could be troublesome if you don't do it hard eniugh.