A bloody mess

[Wrath]

I haven't been on the boards for a long while! Got a new job, really lessened my internet exposure, started excercising a lot more! I don't know how you guys do it. In any case.

I am a big wussy, so i never really kill the rats that I feel my BP. I usually put them in a paper bag and whack it against the wall, but they never die, just get stunned.

I found this awesome pet store by my new job that offers to sell me the rat alive or "sleeping", and I greatfully have them take them out for me. BUT this week, I had to go to petco (ugh!!) because I was in a different part of town. So I took the rat home and decided that I was going to whack it the way the guy at Scales and Tails does and I re-discovered that I DON'T KNOW HOW TO KILL A RAT!!

Okay so I whacked it against the floor and (I hope no one too sensitive is reading this) essentially I made a big bloody mess all over the floor, the tank, and all over my snake (i was pretty ticked off). It seems that it hemorraged through its nose and twitched until it died. And Anoushka, being the lady that she is, was as shocked by the display as I was and didnt eat it until she could not resist the smell (I would wager, as she did not strike).

I felt really bad, and I'm never going anywhere but Scales and Tails again. What did I do wrong? There is apparently some sort of technique that I am missing here. I give my Rosy F/T fuzzies, but should I just get F/T rats for my BP or is that not good for her?

Sorry if this is a repetetive question. I appreciate any input!

[ballpython5000]

happened to me once only i wacked it against my wall and when it hit it seeped blood through the bag and went on my wall. my guess is that on impact it was hit head first, that usually causes loads of bleeding. i dont know if that can be prevented but it does not happen often. just try not to let it go head first. and i always give the mouse about 3 good wacks
so any and all twitching ceases. i once had one somehow come back to life. you could also find another way to kill it. like breaking its neck.

[Anole Guy]

Why don't you go outside at tie up the bag and step on the bag or hit it wil a shovel.Thanks.

[Wrath]

If I don't aim for the head what am I supposed to aim for?? I thought that's how you kill it.

Anole Guy: I'm not sure, but I would imagine that stepping on it, or hitting it with a shovel would be even worse.....

The guy at the petstore slams it down on the counter by the tail and it dies instantly, without blood (and it looks real quick too). Guess it takes practice.

[marisa]

With the mice we have a board. What we do is grab the mouse by the tail, and place him near the edge of th board. By instinct I assume, the mice ALWAYS grab the edge of the board with their front feet. So we have the tail, and they are stretched out with front feet holding the edge of the board. As soon as that happens it gives a perfectly clear shot to hit them on the head (we hit right behind or directly on the ears most times) with the very heavy handle of a large screwdriver.

When we do this we have no blood, and the are dead instantly as we don't normally even have a twitch. Maybe this could work for your rats.

Marisa

[vanderkm]

Frozen rats are just great for your ball python and if you have a problem with killing prey, that is definately the way to go - no mess, no hassle and usually if the snake is used to eating stunned or dead, there is no problem converting them over to thawed. Just make sure you warm the prey (rat in a baggie, baggie in warm water - no microwaves!) and wiggle it a bit if you need to to get it to seem alive for your snake.

The excessive bleeding occurs when the stunning blow is directly to the braincase causing bleeding from the nose and ears. It does take practice to deliver a stunning blow by slamming a rat on a hard surface and even with practice many times there is bleeding and twitching. If you want to learn the method, I suggest having someone show you several times and then practice with dead rats until you feel comfortable doing it (not the same as a wiggling live one, but at least it is some practice). You will still have occasions when it won't go well, so on the whole, frozen are the way to go -- leave the stress of killing to the pros - they usually use CO2 gas and if done right, that is pretty easy on the rats.

mary v.

[Anole Guy]

You could use a rat trap?Just a thought.Thanks.

[nouserpif]

This is jsut what I have heard.
Rat traps jsut succeed in paralyzing them, and don't kill them, jsut make them unable to move... I guess that is OK, but it is kinda mean to the rat, it is better to give it a quick and painless death.
Dan Conner

[sara]

I guess you could try the ruler trick, place a ruler right under the base of the skull and pull hard on the tail, it dislocates their neck/head and they die instantly. I haven't used this for a while, mainly because it takes alot of practice to do it properly every time, but the results are worth it.

You should try to get your snake feeding on FT, it'll be worth it in the long run. :)

[paul_le_snake]

believe me i have to put down about 300 rats a week at work at it aint nice always. even with c02 they can sometimes be braindead, and then start squealing!
no fun at all
cheers
paul

[Xetox]

Best is F/T for price and u dont have to kill em, plus they pack em full of the good crap that your snake needs!

[Linds]

I agree with xetox. If you're having so much trouble killing them yourself, IMHO it is your only option. Feeding f/t is just as good, if not better for your snake anyways (you can get rid of some nasties by freezing). Hope this helped, good luck ;)

All I do with my feeders is put them in a pillowcase and wack them off the cement wall in my coldroom. I'm not a big girl so I have to put jump into it to kill em on the first wack (anything medium-sized and up - small ones are easier to kill). Does ths trick though, no mess and they die on the first shot everytime (sometimes I hit the babies too hard though and split em open... better that than not hard enough though).

Originally posted by Anole Guy
You could use a rat trap?Just a thought.Thanks.

Inhumane! :eek:

[Big Mike]

Go for F/T...you can buy in bulk and save yourself a bundle.

[Lisa]

Unless you require live feeders, go with ft. They are more convienient, don't have to buy one every week, and are less likely to wake up and bite your snake or you.

[stormyva]

F/T is the way to go! No chance of the prey item waking back up from it's "sleep" and the freezing kills parasites that might be in or on the prey item. Another advantage is that you can order online and have them shipped right to your door packed in dry ice. http://www.rodentpro.com and http://www.cajunmice.com are two popular suppliers for frozen prey.

I put the feeders in the frig the night before feeding day so that they slow thaw the whole day then about an hour before feeding I put them in a sink full of hot water.

[Wrath]

Thanks everyone. Marisa, I think I'll try the technique that you suggested. It seems like the one I'd be most inclined to do. Yeah, I would really like to switch to F/T. I don't think she'll have a problem converting, she seems to not mind if it's dead or alive (or dripping).

I'm moving back in with my mom next month (scary). Somehow I know that she'll be opposed (to say the least) to having rats in the freezer. I can probably get away with the pinkies in there though.

Yes, frozen would be much less stress......maybe i can get a mini fridge in the garage.

[Big Mike]

Just get a colored tupperware with a lid and put your name on it ...with "Do not open"...if you mom finds out that you have rats in the freezer..you can say it's her fault for snooping...lol

[Xetox]

LOL that what I keep my frozens in, and I live by myself, but I am not keen to when I open up ther freezer looking for that one last ice cream sandwitch to see a bag full of mice! So I hide them from myself :)

[Syst3m]

I put mine in a snake bag and overhead swing them with all of my might. Usually works. If they hemorage I just place them on something usually a plastic bag until the heart stops beating wich usually happens within a few seconds. clean up the blood and feed or freeze them.