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Killing Snakes

Susan said:
I'm a veterinary technician and have been euthanizing many species of animals for over 20 years. I put my sick hatchlings in the freezer. Trying to over-dose a herp with gas anesthetic isn't very easy (had a veiled chameleon who broke both front legs in a cave-in of her sand nest while laying eggs...she was under full gas for over an hour while I cut out the unlaid eggs...and still had to be euthanized by another way...and I had to pay $70 for the anesthetic gas/time). "Whacking" isn't instant either, even if you DON'T miss...how many run-over herps do you see on the road that are still alive? LOTS! Cutting the head off isn't an option either...same results as "whacking". Using an injectable euthanasia solution works great on larger herps, but isn't really feasible on a hatchling corn...even the smallest needle will seem like a harpoon...and try to find a vein...have to go for the brain instead...not pleasant for the herp. Freezing seems the most humane for a hatchling.
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I am also a licensed veterinary technician. I totally agree with Susan on this matter. I do have one suggestion about freezing to euthanize, however. If you put the snake in the refrigerator first, it will put them into a brumation cycle. It is then easier on them when they are put into the freezer.
 
Somehow I totally missed the second page of this thread. Chalk it up to exhaustion :boring: I've been working a lot of overtime lately :crazy01:

Anyway, seeing as what I said had already been stated a couple of times, I'll just shut my mouth for now . :wavey:
 
I`ve read all the reply`s. Thanks. It wasn`t an easy decision. But last night I used the fridge/freezer method. Hope it didn`t suffer.
Some have asked if it was neccessary?
The snake looked very weak, in the wild it would have had no chance.
And I didn`t think it right to persist with a snake that wasn`t 100%.
In captivety we keep things alive artificially, that would otherwise have died.
Also I didn`t want a genetically weak snake to perhaps end up in someone elses breeding program had it lived.
Anyway the deed is done and I hope I don`t have to do it again.
 
Sorry about your loss WAS1. I am sure that was a tough decision.

Just out of curiosity from the others with Vet experience, (and I don't mean this to be cruel or insensitive to the snakes), but would drowning be as effective with a snake or worse? Seems like it would be quicker than freezing but maybe more traumatic?
 
well, im very sorry to hear that.
i personally did not agree to any of your methods, we have an excellent vet nearby and we also have an exotic reptile specialist, and i'd always take any of my snakes to them. wold never ever have done it that way. but after all it was your decision.
hope you made the right one.
 
When I went to the vet to have my ball python euthanized after having some ungodly trauma while I was away over the weekend, they used what she called a "heart stick". It's an injection of something straight to the heart.

And she said that you never do this on a small small snake, because A) you can't find the heart as easily B) its more traumatic than doing other methods

What those other methods were, I dunno. If it were up to me, I'd probably do the fridge/freezer method as well. I hope I never really have to make that decision.

I think this was a good thread at least. It does lay out a simple fact that sometimes has to be carried out in reptile husbandry. And there's no clear source on the issue really. It's one of those "unmentionable subjects" it seems.

I do know that for 15 mins of consultation and the heart stick procedure done, it cost me nearly $90. Pretty pricey when you end up with the same results as the freezer.


And yet again, noticing the difference of opinion from people who're from the UK and elsewhere. Sometimes I wonder if people in the UK live in a bubble protected from all of the nasty facts of owning pets. Growing up on a farm in the country, I've had to put down my share of pets and food items alike. Maybe I'm a little desensitized about it, or I I just accept that it's a fact of life, I dunno.

I never will forget the time I had to put down my beloved pet rabbit of 10 years after a raccoon got into her cage and mangled her. I never will forget that scream of agony as I had to lift her out with minimal movement to the pieces barely attached. It's just something that sticks with you. I cried for hours afterwards, but in the end I felt right that she was out of the ungodly pain. So I don't think you could say that I didn't care. I still care.

I'm not in anyway badmouthing the RSPCA, they do great things for animals in bad situations. But sometimes I can't help but notice that it seems as though they're a little too restrictive to pet owners over there. I feel that I shouldn't be penalized for idiots who cannot take care of their animals. Isn't that what Freedom is all about? Choice to do as you see fit within reason?

Eh, I dunno. Don't mind me...haven't gone to bed yet so just sort of rambling along.
 
Is is a sad fact that in the UK more money is donated to animal charities like the RSPCA than to childrens charity. I have to agree with Misty that the RSPCA can be a little heavy handed at times. Sorry about you loss WAS1.
 
i will have to strongly disagree with you there
i do not think the rspca are too heavy at all, if anything i think they should do more.
and like i said before i'd have no choice but to take it to the vet.
 
Hate to tell you this Missy, but I believe that just about any vet would probably tell you that there's nothing that can be done for one so small.

I've had to put one hatchling down, and it was terribly upsetting to me. He was in my opinion, one of the prettiest Amels that I've ever seen, but he would not eat, and had this wierd lump on his head. I had him checked out, and the Vet said just to keep trying, that there wasn't much he could do. The little guy made it almost three months having only taken one pinky when he was about 10 days old.

Here's a pic of the little fellow, I loved his patterns...
PrettiestAmelever.jpg


As much as we'd all like to, we can't save them all, mother nature sees to that.
 
babbaloo99 said:
Just out of curiosity from the others with Vet experience, (and I don't mean this to be cruel or insensitive to the snakes), but would drowning be as effective with a snake or worse? Seems like it would be quicker than freezing but maybe more traumatic?
Click to expand...

I don't think it would be humane to drown a snake. At least when one is cooled in the fridge, by the time it gets to the freezer it won't be aware of what is going on. I will say this, I do not think the fridge/freezer method should be used with a large snake. In my opinion, if the snake is large enough to do a cardiac stick on it, then it should be euthanized with an injection. I know that is not an option to most people. Like Misty said, it is quite expensive. That is one of the perks (if you want to call it that) of working for a vet, I guess. I have access to euthanasia solution if I am ever in that situation.
 
You could also try using CO2 gas which is released by dry ice. The snake would breath it normally and experience no pain while dying.
 
@mrweaw

I don't know about that. Mice die quiet painfully when killed with CO2. Tearing eyes and sometimes bleeding noses. Death occurs after five minutes. That's quite long
 
If your mice/rats are expeiriencing pain~ tearing eyes and obvious trauma during euthanasia with CO2 you are introducing the CO2 too quickly. This is a common error~ many beleive the CO2 chamber should be "Primed" with gas before adding the rodents. This does cause the symptoms you describe. Instead use a CO2 tank (Paintball store) instead of dry ice~ put the rodents in the chamber and SLOWLY introduce the gas. WATCH. When the rodents appear to fall asleep (CO2 intoxication takes only a few seconds) then you can increase the amount of gas and leave for approx 5 min. Rodents just don't wake up.

I don't know if this would work on reptiles or not. I doubt it. I would have chosen the freezer~ my understanding is the reptile would go "Torpid" which is part of the hybrination cycle~ and then as the cold intensifies it would simply stop resperating.
 
I'm glad this thread has been resurrected. The most recent edition of the International Herpetological Society's publication, "Herptile", contains an article on acceptable methods of euthanasia for reptiles. I've only seen a brief precis on another message board but apparently they no longer view freezing or an overdose of anaesthetic gas, as acceptable or humane.

To quote from the posts following that reference, freezing causes ice crystals to form in the eye to the point where the eye splits whilst the animal is still alive; this occurs throughout the animal's organs prior to death. Anaesthetic gas is ineffective as reptile brains continue to function for long periods without an oxygen supply, causing a lingering death.

I haven't read the article in full myself and I don't know if it's available online yet, but if I find it, I'll post a link. Sounds like valuable info for all of us.

The method of euthanasia advocated in "Herptile" is currently the injection of anaesthetic agents into a vein or bone, or in an emergency (or presumably when the animal is too small for the use of an injection), a blow to the cranium.
 
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I think some of you are NUTS!

This is one small hatchling that could be killed (if necessary) with a crushing of the head in a tenth of a second. Once the brain is gone NO PAIN done.

I love snakes but good grief you people act like snakes are dogs (some of you act like they are people) the millions of mice, chicks, rabbits, chickens, etc that are killed every month to feed our snakes have more personality and intellegence then any snake. We don't sweat it when a snake crushes a mouse nor should we.

I hate having to put an animal down but a hatchling snake is one of the easiest to do (from a phyical standpoint). The reality of breeding is some hatchlings are not going to survive and if you determine you have done all you can for one the most humane thing to do is crush its' head.

Almost no effort is required and death is instant. I don't want to sound crule I love snakes and have tried to prevent senseless deaths of wild animals with education my entire life and will continue to do so. But you people are over thinking this (some of you), get real if you were to be executed and had four choices and they were Frozen, Burned, Gased or Instantly Having your Head Removed what would you pick.

The only hatchling I ever did this with was gone in less then a second. I hope I never have to do this again but if it needs to be done I ain't going to boil or freeze it just do it and be done. Crushing the head of a hatchling is so easy to do there is no reason to do anything else,
 
jjspirko--Crushing a hatchling's head may be the quickest and the best way to do it, but you have to realize that many people here keep their snakes as pets. I wouldn't want to crush my dog's head, even if it was instant, and I wouldn't be able to make myself crush any of my snakes' heads. I mean, I can't even give my adult snake the antibiotic shots that the vet gave us for a respirtory infection. *shudder* I just can't bring myself to harm an animal like that, even if it is better for them in the long run.
 
well, i beleive in humanely killing animals so if you can't bring yourself to crush a hatchlings head, you can bring him over to me so that he can die painlessly. :p Smashing a hatchling is the equivilent to an injection to a dog or cat in my opinion. I have watched many of my pets put to sleep, and i don't like that method, but it has to be done. My bulldog looked just like she was falling asleep, stuck her toungue out and everything. Seeing her die like that totally crushed me. Sometimes it really doesn't matter if the owner suffers, they aren't the ones losing their life. This isn't meant to be offensive, i just strongly agree with Jack that crushing is the best option
 
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