I feel like a monster

[Riyeko]

Someone comfort me.

I finally got some live feeders from the petstore today (cause my mice arent humpin like they should), and I had to put several of them under and then put them into the freezer.

Im using chloroform because I dont have a CO2 gas chamber yet, and I figured if I knocked them out before hand it would be better than just throwing them in there.

But theyre so small. So helpless.
Im sad.

 

[deedee]

Don't beat yourself up. You need to feed your snake so it remains healthy and sadly to do that you have to feed mice. I know it's tough. I look at popcorns pinkies & think 'aw! Poor lil bubba' but it's part of the great circle of life. At least you killed them humanely instead of feeding live and letting them die scared out of their minds and in great pain. I try to look at it as...im a carnivore, I eat meat and sadly animals have to die to feed me. It's no different for popcorn. In fact her food probably has a more humane death than mine :s You did the best you could and if they were unconscious before you froze them they probably felt little more than drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

 

[restes]

There is a great lack of memory and emotion in animals for the most part. Beyond it being a living organism there isn't much going on up there beyond food and maybe mating.
I used to have pet mice and they are nice little critters but won't haunt you over what you are doing
Just observe the gorgeous pattern on your snake and think of the mice as being honored enough to contribute to the stunning well-being!

 

[JohnNJ]

Where do you get chloroform?

 

[starsevol]

This is going to sound awful, but I don't mean it that way at all. It is kind of good that you felt bad about it, because if you feel bad, then you do everything you can to make sure the mice die as painlessly as possible. It means you are a good person trying to do the right thing.
If you feel nothing about it, or are one of those sickos that enjoy it, and you just don't care, the animals can suffer.

 

[deedee]

I used to have pet mice aswell which is why I sometimes feel bad for the little guys but a snakes gotta eat, & sadly lettuce leaves & carrots just won't cut it lol.

 

[Checkersthecornsnake]

Where do you get chloroform?

Lol I had to laugh at this, but also I'm pretty sure chloroform is quite toxic, I would do some research on it, but from what I think I know the chloroform itself will probably kill the mice before the freezer does (depending on the dosage). But if you use it in sedating/killing a mouse then it may very well be absorbed into them and when eaten by a snake possibly cause health issue.

This is really all guessing so I wouldn't worry to much, but I have heard that chloroform can kill a person if the dose is wrong. Personally I would just throw the mice in the freezer until you get the CO2 chamber, because they die rather fast in the freezer and if using chloroform could injure your snake, you defiantly don't want to be using it.

 

[ghosthousecorns]

Personally I would just throw the mice in the freezer until you get the CO2 chamber, because they die rather fast in the freezer

I disagree, it is still a cruel way to die even if it is "rather fast"

 

[MysticExotics]

I personally would steer clear of the chloroform. I don't know enough about it to feel safe in using it for something that is going to be fed to another animal.
For pinkies, I put them in the freezer. Without the fur, they lose body heat very quickly, they go to sleep & die. Anything with fur, I use my home made CO2 chamber. It was relatively easy, & not too expensive.
I had a clear shoebox sized bin on hand-clear lid as well. I drilled a hole in the lower corner to connect the hose, & a few small holes in the lid on the opposite end for oxygen to be pushed out.
I bought a 24oz CO2 canister from a sproting goods store, along with a hose attatchment that connects to the box, & has a control valve. (That was the most expensive part.)
I picked up a washer to help seal the hole where the hose goes into the box, and a nut that screws onto the end of the hose.

 

[MysticExotics]

Here's the finished set up.

It does not cost much to refil the bottle, & it will last you a while.

Be sure to open the valve slowly. The bottle will get cold because of the CO2 being released. If you open it too fast, it causes it to freeze up & you have to wait for it to thaw before you can use it again.

I got my idea for this from someone here, & modified it to what I had available to me, & it works very well.

I do not like taking a life, but it is a food source for my snakes, & right now, the primary reason I have feeder mice, is to have access to live newborn pinkies, in case hatchlings don't eat (like half of mine are doing now).

 

[solo1979]

After driving 3 hrs in crazy traffic to get live pinkies today...I seriously contemplated the same thing. So much so that after I left the pet store I literally turned around to go back and grab a few juvenile mice to start a tiny colony of feeders to have pinkies for my brat spotted python. I stopped myself, because it's not really worth the extra work right now but if I had several difficult feeders I'd be in the same boat as you. You do what you gotta do for the snake kids.

 

[Checkersthecornsnake]

I disagree, it is still a cruel way to die even if it is "rather fast"

It is cruel but if the chloroform can possibly make the snake ill what choice does he have? Unless he wants to smash their heads against a table, but I don't think he'll want to do that.

 

[Green Oasis Reptiles]

"Wheee!" *Thunk!* That's what the mice "feel" when Hubby whacks them against the freezer just before feeding our stubborn "live only" snakes. I'm just happy I've finally gotten HIM to do some of the killing. Used to be just me!

We toss pinkes & fuzzies in the freezer. It's actually faster for them than the "gas chamber" because young rodents don't need very much oxygen to survive (they have to "breathe" squished underneath their mommas with 12 other siblings, after all!") They last WAY too long in the "gas chamber."

For the older ones, I used my homemade "redneck gas chamber," VERY similar to the one pictured above, except modified to have a controlled mixing of baking soda & vinegar. Baking soda + vinegar = Carbon Dioxide! Yay! Chemistry at work! It's much cheaper & easier for me than buying the valve, having to go and get it filled, etc...and works just as well. Even large rats are asleep w/in a minute or so. I really need to post a thread on this, for those who don't want to deal with gas or just don't have access to it!

I've been out-of-the-loop here on the forum for WAY too long, so I figured it was about time to pop up and say HI again!

P.S. I agree with the person who says, "feeling something about the feeders just shows that you still care" or something to that effect. There are times when I wonder, "Am I becoming heartless & cruel?"...but then I look at a cute little baby rat with it's eyes barely open and think "AWWWW...YOU have to be a breeder."...and I remember that, there's nothing wrong with me...yet. :O

 

[ShenziSixaxis]

Be sure to open the valve slowly. The bottle will get cold because of the CO2 being released. If you open it too fast, it causes it to freeze up & you have to wait for it to thaw before you can use it again.

Introducing a lot of CO2 like that is also very similar to shoving a mouse under water and drowning it. It's a sudden lack of oxygen, so introducing CO2 slowly so they fall asleep is best. Course, they USUALLY don't wake up, but I think we're aiming for that.

"Wheee!" *Thunk!* That's what the mice "feel" when Hubby whacks them against the freezer just before feeding our stubborn "live only" snakes. I'm just happy I've finally gotten HIM to do some of the killing. Used to be just me!

We toss pinkes & fuzzies in the freezer. It's actually faster for them than the "gas chamber" because young rodents don't need very much oxygen to survive (they have to "breathe" squished underneath their mommas with 12 other siblings, after all!") They last WAY too long in the "gas chamber."

This is what I do with rats being frozen, though I do occasionally do CO2 for the skittish rats I don't feel safe handling, or I hold it down and snap the neck if it's a heavy male I might lose my hold on. IMO snapping the neck is the best way period.

Exactly. I do this as well.