Humane Euthanization?

[TandJ]

I'm so proud of myself. I haven't said one word on this thread.

Oops, there I go again. Opening my mouth.

Oh way to be Wade.. You just blew it all to hell with comment.. *LOL*

Regards.. Tim of T and J

 

[Chip]

...I know it's probably not the most humane thing, but they die rather quickly ....

I bet they'd prefer you just break their necks! I kid, but even though you don't have to see them, they are going out of this world in a lot worse way bagged and tossed in the freezer, I think most would agree. A CO2 tank and regulator is pretty cheap, if you put many down. Anyway, back to Wade.

 

[Em Wright]

Yeah I would agree... that seems like a pretty awful way to go out of the world. Though when you get right down to it anyway to die probably isn't much fun.

 

[danny819]

I use FT most of the time but for some of the fussy ones who want live I find fresh killed works almost every time if you dance it around on tongs so I went to a paintball store and got a small co2 tank, with a regulator and hose for $28. If I am out of co2 I would hold them by the base of the tail and throw them to the floor as hard as possible. I know it sounds cruel but they are dead in seconds and if it was me that had to go I would preffer to have it last only seconds.

 

[wade]

OK, I’ll jump into this foolishness. I have that kind of time.

The fundamental basic premise here is to take a live animal and make it be dead. The word humane is hard to work into that sentence smoothly. So let’s be real. We’re going to kill animals. We hope it won’t hurt. But maybe we should be like a doctor and say, “This might hurt a little,” before we slam it’s little body on the cement floor.

What I’m trying to say is that killing any animal is not going to be fun for that animal no matter what method you choose. The Humane Society has come up with some guidelines but again, keeping reality in sight, they are not always practical for everyone. I think we need to do our best to minimize suffering, give it some thought and use the quickest method available to you.

My suggestions:

#1 best way is CO2 gas. If you can afford to get a set up with a CO2 paint ball tank I think that is the easiest way and would probably even get a pat on the back from the bleeding hearts. If you can’t afford that then next best would be dry ice. For less than a dollar you can get enough dry ice to kill a couple hundred mice.

#2 would be cervical dislocation. This takes a little practice and to be honest there is a learning curve. You may not do a great job on the first few. Prepare yourself for that and remind yourself that you will do a better job on the next one. Once you get the technique figured out it is quick and pretty painless for both of you.

#3 is the whack. This is the way I started years ago and it served me for years. Hold the mouse by the tail and whack its head against something hard. The edge of a table or the like works well. I used to lay a hammerhead on the table and would try to hit the mouse’s head on the hammerhead. The down side to this is sometimes you don’t hit it well or hard enough. Sometimes it requires a second whack. Do your best and God will understand.

There I’ve thrown my hat in the ring. Bash away.

 

[jpccusa]

OK, I’ll jump into this foolishness. I have that kind of time.

The fundamental basic premise here is to take a live animal and make it be dead. The word humane is hard to work into that sentence smoothly. So let’s be real. We’re going to kill animals. We hope it won’t hurt. But maybe we should be like a doctor and say, “This might hurt a little,” before we slam it’s little body on the cement floor.

What I’m trying to say is that killing any animal is not going to be fun for that animal no matter what method you choose. The Humane Society has come up with some guidelines but again, keeping reality in sight, they are not always practical for everyone. I think we need to do our best to minimize suffering, give it some thought and use the quickest method available to you.

My suggestions:

#1 best way is CO2 gas. If you can afford to get a set up with a CO2 paint ball tank I think that is the easiest way and would probably even get a pat on the back from the bleeding hearts. If you can’t afford that then next best would be dry ice. For less than a dollar you can get enough dry ice to kill a couple hundred mice.

#2 would be cervical dislocation. This takes a little practice and to be honest there is a learning curve. You may not do a great job on the first few. Prepare yourself for that and remind yourself that you will do a better job on the next one. Once you get the technique figured out it is quick and pretty painless for both of you.

#3 is the whack. This is the way I started years ago and it served me for years. Hold the mouse by the tail and whack its head against something hard. The edge of a table or the like works well. I used to lay a hammerhead on the table and would try to hit the mouse’s head on the hammerhead. The down side to this is sometimes you don’t hit it well or hard enough. Sometimes it requires a second whack. Do your best and God will understand.

There I’ve thrown my hat in the ring. Bash away.

Great post Wade! I just wanted you to elaborate a little more on the alternative method mentioned in number 1 - the dry ice!

I can see people interpreting that as "freeze your mice" and I know that is not what you mean.

 

[wade]

Thank you JP. No don't use the dry ice for freezing. It will sublime and give off CO2 gas.

 

[MinLynn]

Thank you, Wade! I was thinking to myself that there can't be a 100% humane way to die, can there? I mean dieing is dieing right? I'm thinking the Co2 is the closest your going to get to humane but either way your killing it. Plain and simple. Maybe I just look at it different because down yonder on the farm here, mice are pests so we keep traps and no they aren't live traps. I'm sure that's not very humane but hey they're out of my house.

 

[Buzzard]

Love the post Wade, well spoken, well said.

My 2 cents, if you can not stand to put a mouse down in any of those manners then buy them already frozen.

 

[danielle]

Love the post Wade, well spoken, well said.

My 2 cents, if you can not stand to put a mouse down in any of those manners then buy them already frozen.

I second that, but wades whacking method is gross- do they explode, lol? I just get them frozen thawed and never plan on breeding my own so investing in co2 would be pointless. Death is death and really you can't call killing humane exactly so do it the best way you know how!!

 

[Em Wright]

Wade, I'm so glad you decided to put that up! I do appreciate your opinion and your experience in this matter. Especially since yours is so very down to earth.

And it was the cervical dislocation that I was wondering about, somehow got "hip" in there instead. Thanks again Wade!!

 

[Drizzt80]

The Humane Society has come up with some guidelines but again, keeping reality in sight, they are not always practical for everyone.

I especially like this sentence!

D80

 

[jpccusa]

Before I start researching about snakes as pets, I always thought snakes ate live prey only. That kept me from even starting the research for quite a while. I couldn't possibly cause something's death, even if I didn't have to kill it myself.
After finding out some snakes would accept F/T mice was when I finally decided I would have one, but if my boy decides he no longer wants F/T, I don't know what I would do because I just can't kill, no matter how fast or humane it can be.

 

[starsevol]

Before I start researching about snakes as pets, I always thought snakes ate live prey only. That kept me from even starting the research for quite a while. I couldn't possibly cause something's death, even if I didn't have to kill it myself.
After finding out some snakes would accept F/T mice was when I finally decided I would have one, but if my boy decides he no longer wants F/T, I don't know what I would do because I just can't kill, no matter how fast or humane it can be.

Yikes! We be twins!

 

[LBoz]

Excellent post, Wade! I do the "whack" method with mine and it's very quick and simple. I don't hold them by the tail, I toss them in a bag and smack them on the wall. I know it sounds gross, but no, they don't explode nor do they even bleed.

With fish that I have to euthanize, I've found that a quick decapitation is easiest, but my fish are large. Don't try it with a guppy or you might end up missing a finger.

 

[jpccusa]

Excellent post, Wade! I do the "whack" method with mine and it's very quick and simple. I don't hold them by the tail, I toss them in a bag and smack them on the wall. I know it sounds gross, but no, they don't explode nor do they even bleed.

With fish that I have to euthanize, I've found that a quick decapitation is easiest, but my fish are large. Don't try it with a guppy or you might end up missing a finger.

I thought you had only ornamental fish Lauri. :eek1:

 

[Chip]

Excellent post, Wade! I do the "whack" method with mine and it's very quick and simple. I don't hold them by the tail, I toss them in a bag and smack them on the wall. I know it sounds gross, but no, they don't explode nor do they even bleed.

With fish that I have to euthanize, I've found that a quick decapitation is easiest, but my fish are large. Don't try it with a guppy or you might end up missing a finger.

That's too funny. I do the cervical dislocation on mice and "whack" fish! I have to put a lot of fish down, and find that a long-handled net swung into a 4X4 is as fast as I can come up with. For anything larger, I have a big moray and an alligator snapper.

 

[vetusvates]

Wade, I'd like to thank you and Lizzie Borden (LBoz) for making me feel much better about myself.
Since the mid 1970's I've used method number 3, the Soprano's Method, of execution on...well...many many mice who have stepped out of line, not paid their debts, or been disloyal to the family in general, if ya' know what I'm sayin'. I've either whacked, or put out a whack (delegated a whack), using my special team of whackers, from Florida to Kentucky to Louisiana. I lost tally of my whacks years ago, but I can attest to its' efficacy.

 

[LBoz]

:roflmao:
..............................

 

[wade]

Wade, I'd like to thank you and Lizzie Borden (LBoz) for making me feel much better about myself.
Since the mid 1970's I've used method number 3, the Soprano's Method, of execution on...well...many many mice who have stepped out of line, not paid their debts, or been disloyal to the family in general, if ya' know what I'm sayin'. I've either whacked, or put out a whack (delegated a whack), using my special team of whackers, from Florida to Kentucky to Louisiana. I lost tally of my whacks years ago, but I can attest to its' efficacy.

You could have sent them to Lori's house to sleep with the fishes.