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I feel awkward...

Okeetee_Corn_Snakes

Okeetee_Corn_Snakes

=O)
Sooo....

The pet store I usually get my feeders at had their one and only freezer die on them. They no longer sell feeders and they were the only place here for miles that sell feeders.

To add to it, the mice they aquired through some small fish company stink! They are little deformed anorexic looking mice...The milk spots in the pinkies are not white...but black! I will not feed these to my snakes...so after a lot of research I bought myself some gerbils and made two colonies.

*sigh* This was a while ago. I have already put some pinkies in the freezer and I didn't feel too bad, because apparently you cannot put them into the CO2 chambers and freezing them is the best. (Correct me if I am wrong)

Now I have some hoppers I just put into the freezer, this is where I feel bad. I broke their necks first. Its was horrible. I know they are bred for feeding and if I didn't breed my gerbils my snakes would have nothing to eat. So I had to do it. And I have not been able to concoct a CO2 chamber yet.

Here is the embarrassing part....I cried ....LOL >.<
 
This is going to sound horrible...but if you cried its a good thing. It meant that you care enough to make it as easy on them as you could. You have a good heart. HUGS
 
Hey thanks! I know a few people who think they can convert their snakes from eating rodents to bugs if they ever get one. -_-

I have argued with them so many times not to buy a snake. The way I see it is...If I am going to keep snakes...I am going to do my very best to give them everything they need. I love all animals, but the food chain exists for a reason. Still....it sucks. Lol!
 
Actually, euthanasia has been a hot topic today. Of the several methods recommended by the AVMA, cervical dislocation appears to be the most practical humane method for killing pinks on up, if you are the average pet owner without a pharmacy at your disposal. CO2 works for older mice, but cervical dislocation is still applicable. Whacking on the head is not considered humane. Putting live mice straight into the freezer is not humane. Chilling neonates prior to freezingas a means of anesthesia (prior to killing them) may be used if "adequately justified." They don't define that.

http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf
 
That story stinks.... I'm still not sure yet if I would be able to kill rodents for food if I ever bred them.
 
Don't be embarrassed. I've had to do the same thing, and cried my eyes out afterwards. I love animals so much that I won't even eat meat, so you can imagine how bad I felt when I had to kill some mice when I was in a pinch. It was awful. But in the end, I had to remind myself that I have decided to keep an animal as a pet that requires other animals as food.

I'd still hesitate to kill mice again for my snake...but if there was no other way, I'd still do it.

Crying about things like that can show you that you're gentle enough to understand what it means to take the life of another creature, but strong enough to realize that the purpose of what you are doing also provides life for another creature. Gah, I'm starting to sound like Mufasa from The Lion King... You see, simba...we're all part of the circle of life. LOL. :)
 
Nanci said:
Actually, euthanasia has been a hot topic today. Of the several methods recommended by the AVMA, cervical dislocation appears to be the most practical humane method for killing pinks on up, if you are the average pet owner without a pharmacy at your disposal. CO2 works for older mice, but cervical dislocation is still applicable. Whacking on the head is not considered humane. Putting live mice straight into the freezer is not humane. Chilling neonates prior to freezingas a means of anesthesia (prior to killing them) may be used if "adequately justified." They don't define that.

http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf
Click to expand...

From what I've read, putting pinkies in the freezer is better (in effeciency and humanity) then most of the other options. Freezing older mice is inhumane.
 
Now I have some hoppers I just put into the freezer, this is where I feel bad. I broke their necks first. Its was horrible. I know they are bred for feeding and if I didn't breed my gerbils my snakes would have nothing to eat. So I had to do it. And I have not been able to concoct a CO2 chamber yet.

Here is the embarrassing part....I cried ....LOL >.<
Click to expand...

Embarassing.. Naw, that indeed is somethijng to be cherised.. I have been in the hobby for a little while, not nearly as long as others though, I never feel very comfortable when having to knock off the food.. But like you said, the intended purpose was for food..

Regards.... Tim of T and J
 
TandJ said:
Embarassing.. Naw, that indeed is somethijng to be cherised.. I have been in the hobby for a little while, not nearly as long as others though, I never feel very comfortable when having to knock off the food.. But like you said, the intended purpose was for food..

Regards.... Tim of T and J
Click to expand...

Hey Tim! Good to see you are still kickin' around this forum =D



Thanks everyone for the comforting comments and Nancy, thanks for the info.

I do not think I will ever be comfortable killing anything. Moisquitoes, yes, but not all bugs. When I was a kid, 13 or so, my friend came over to our farm to hang out. We were out near this big rock pile when she found this strange huge green bug. She pulled out a lighter and hurt it. (probably killed it) It made the most horrible screaming noise. I think that almost ended our friendship actually. She was mad I got upset over a small thing and I was devastated at what she had done. I guess I will always love all animals.

Strangely though...I still like my meat rare...>.<
 
I still feel bad when I "whack" mice to feed to the snakes, I think this is a good thing, not caring is the worst thing in the world. Truth is, that even though the mice are "just food", they are still little creatures who deserve to be treated well, fed well etc etc.

So yes, it does get easier but, for me, it's still something I have to prepare myself for.

PS: You are lucky your snakes eat gerbils,some won't! :)
 
patm1313 said:
From what I've read, putting pinkies in the freezer is better (in effeciency and humanity) then most of the other options. Freezing older mice is inhumane.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you're more expert than the American Veterinary Medical Association.
 
I totally understand how you feel. Even though I am DEATHLY afraid of mice, I have to help my daughters euthanize our feeders from time to time. And it's very difficult for me.

My boyfriend made us a CO2 chamber out of PVC and a paintball CO2 canister. It works extemely well and the animals don't appear to suffer at all once the CO2 is applied.

It never is easy, but we realize that it is for food for our snakes and that helps us get through it abit.
 
Nanci said:
Actually, euthanasia has been a hot topic today. Of the several methods recommended by the AVMA, cervical dislocation appears to be the most practical humane method for killing pinks on up, if you are the average pet owner without a pharmacy at your disposal. CO2 works for older mice, but cervical dislocation is still applicable. Whacking on the head is not considered humane. Putting live mice straight into the freezer is not humane. Chilling neonates prior to freezingas a means of anesthesia (prior to killing them) may be used if "adequately justified." They don't define that.

http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf
Click to expand...

Ok, this is going to sound bad (I am not a serial killer I sware). I use the head + wall method to stun my rodents. I know its not humane, but I don't have a CO2 Chamber and freezing them would take forever (and honestly, I think more so inhumane). You brought up breaking their necks, how is that achieved? Is there a tool, or method?

Ps. The only time I stun a prey item, is when its going to a snake that is worth a lot of $, and I would rather die than scar up my morphs... I know im a meanie head for it, but I would rather that than harm my snakes...
 
Cervical dislocation is really easy and probably requires less effort than the head to wall method. I will try to explain it. I like to use a screw drive because of the handle. Hold the mouse by the tail and set it's feet on a table. Place the screwdrive right behind it's head. While holding it down with the screwdrive, relocate your other hand up toward the base of the tail. Now with a firm pull and upward lifting motion, you stretch the neck. You will feel it give way. It's not just a pull, you need to lift up and a little forward at the same time.

You need to try it, it is much better than what you are doing now.
 
Thanks for the info. I am still not quite certain how to achieve this method. I don't mean to sound wierd, but I want to know what I am doing before I try. I prefer not to actually touch the rodents, lol. I will cruise Goolgle for more info, but in case you find it faster please post a link. Thanks again Wade.
 
I think I got it now. Thanks again. This method does seem easy, and if its the "most humane" way to kill a rodent (really, humane, and murder don't go hand in hand) I will go ahead this route from now on.
 
Morph Collector said:
I think I got it now. Thanks again. This method does seem easy, and if its the "most humane" way to kill a rodent (really, humane, and murder don't go hand in hand) I will go ahead this route from now on.
Click to expand...

Everything I've read and researched points to cervical dislocation as better than any other method.

Let me see if I can help you visualize how this works. Set the mouse on a flat surface, hold the mouse by it's tail with one hand and a pencil in the other. Place the pencil just behind the head of the mouse and in one swift movement press the pencil down and pull back and up on the tail with your other hand. You should try to hold the tail as close to the base (closer to the body) as possible. You run the risk of pulling off the tail, or it breaking off when you jerk back and up. You'll soon learn and get a feel for what actually kills the mouse quickest.

Hope that helps.

-Tonya
 
wow i know this is off topic but you r the first person ive found online that actually feed gerbils to their snakes
 
I ve recently started a colony of mice, and they've just had some pinkys so i'm about to do all this for the first time also. I was told a good "easy" was to do it was to hold the body with 3 fingers of one hand with the head sticking out and to just give it a quick "flick" to the back of the head with the forefinger of the other hand. Havn't tried it yet but it sounds easy, anyone else tried it?
 
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