'nice' way to kill a rat?

[suckrpnch]

is there??

Kind of a picky eater... We've made it from live to fresh killed.. Wont do frozen though. Anyways, my girlfriend has to feed my snake for a couple weeks. Is there a 'nice' way to kill the rats before she feeds the snake?

thanks

[Matt]

whenever i have to kill a rat/mouse i do it by cervical dislocation

works really well on mice, small rats, but larger rats are a little harder

you place a hemostat or any stong peice of metal right at the base of the neck and then grab the base of the tail and yank hard.

its not the funnest thing to do, but i was taught that it was a perfectly humane and quick way of doing it.

I think alot of people may suggest ways they prefer here, but as long as the method is quick and painless, its really your choice

[unBOAlievable]

Co2 chamber.
they just go to sleep. Plus you can kill hundreds at one time.

[Jayson]

If you wait a couple of weeks your snake might just eat a frozen thawed rat.
Personally I just wack them on somthing hard, however if not done right the rodend my not die the first time. So as with cervical dislocation it takes a little experience.
If it were me Id save everyone the trouble and wait until i got home to feed it myself.

Jason

[Jayson]

unBOAlievable when using a co2 chamber they dont just go to sleep they actually die from lack of air (suffication) people like to think they just go to sleep to make them feel better.

[Ed_r]

unBOAlievable when using a co2 chamber they dont just go to sleep they actually die from lack of air (suffication) people like to think they just go to sleep to make them feel better.

While this statement is true. the brain DOES fall asleep first from lack of oxygen, since the brain actually controls breathing the rodent then stops breathing. This is the most humane way to kill a rodent. Regardless you still killing the animal.

[unBOAlievable]

This is true, but if you monitor the air flow mix with the co2 you can first put them in a coma or sleep before delivering the full co2. Very similar to falling asleep in a running car in a garage.

[suckrpnch]

I could definitely wait the couple weeks but I would love for her to learn to do this anyways (could come in handy at a later date) I usually just grab the rat and whack its head against the enclosure which for me works great the first time, every time. She just cant bring herself to "beat the cute little rats head against anything"

hmm... I wonder if chloroform is toxic to reptiles ( <--joke )

[garterguy]

i dont know anything about feeding rats but would a mouse trap work because it snaps its neck very quickly without pain

[CyberGhost]

My way may not be humane or nice but it works. I get suram wrap [cling wrap] the plastic stuff you wrapp food in. I get the mouse/rat and wrapp him up in it suffacates them quick. Plus if I need to freeze them I can just pop them in the freezer without a baggy.

[jwsporty]

A mouse trap is not as effective on Rats because of their size. Even a Rat Pup takes much longer to croak in a mouse trap. So a larger rat is going to be a problem. A rat trap is a better choice (large and stronger). Harder to find but check your local farm supply shops. My methods vary according to size. I believe Cervical dislocation is still the fastest way though.

[Lizzy001]

I dont think there is a NICE way to kill ANYTHING.....the fact that your killing something isnt nice.....But it has to be done...i buy my food.

[Thomas]

I agree with Lizzy, but if it has to die then cervical dislocation wins hands down.

[SD-SNAKE]

i think the best way to kill the rats is by using a co2 chamber, plus its less hands on then the cervical dislocation and less of a mess if the rat bleeds from smacking it on a hard surface. I need to make one can some one post a pic of a chamber or list of things you need. thanks take care Nick

[Scales Zoo]

When we used to raise rats, we would use the C02 or oxygen deprivation method to kill them in large quantities. Horrible as it sounds, whe we had to kill only a few, we would hold the rat and throw it to the floor with a very deliberate whack. This kills without any blood, screaming or suffering - we just picked up the lifeless body and proceeded to feed. In the odd case, one would twist during the fall and break the neck or have a skull fracture, causing some blood, but no suffering. We called this "Falling from a height at work" as there were no apparent signs of trauma, most were internal injuries. This is not acceptable for killing in large quantities for freezing, as the rats do not thaw well with the cause of death, it is preferable that they are fed right away.

Another trick to convert from p/k to frozen is to take the water away from the snake for a few days, and offer a thawed wet rat when the snake is good and thirsty. I use this on all our stubborn feeders with much success. When the snake discovers something wet in the cage, and is thirsty, it will often start to suck up the water off the prey, and get so involved that they actually open up and begin to eat. In my experience this has worked with 95% of the test animals - from hatchlings to adult rescues.

Sheila

[Gregg M]

When I have to kill big rats, I put them in a strong plastic bag like the ones you would use for putting leaves in...... Then I smack it up against a real hard surface....... It is over in one shot and the rat feels nothing....... I hate killing rats and mice...... I love all creatures hairy and scalely, but my snakes gotta eat...... That is why I mostly buy frozen mice and rats.....

[Linds]

C02 works well and is the easiest way to do them in for the squeamish. I just put them in a dark pillowcase and hit them hard off the concrete floor or wall in the basement. Have to do it hard enough though. Your girlfriend won't have to actually see the animal being killed this way so its a step up from banging them off the tank ;)

Originally posted by CyberGhost
I get suram wrap [cling wrap] the plastic stuff you wrapp food in. I get the mouse/rat and wrapp him up in it suffacates them quick.

Quick??? This can take more than 4 minutes for the animal to die... have you ever ran out of air under water? Every second seems like eternity... think about 4 minutes of this... can you imagine what kind of panic you put the animal through by this???

[CyberGhost]

I find this to be totally untrue science may say this but how many times has it been proven wrong. They die in less then a minute besides I usually put them in and stick them in the freezerso they also coulf freeze to death. I likr/love rats/mice and keep some as pets but my snakes have to eat and they have to die somtime I put them in a plastic wheel thin gand drop them they die instantly but when I have to freeze suran wrap all the way its easy and fast. I would use a co2 chamber but I dont know where to get one and their probly expensive.

[vanderkm]

CyberGhost - even if they did die in a minute, they do not lose consciousness immediately and putting rodents in the freezer and using Saran wrap to immobilize them is not a humane method of killing. A minute is a long time to be struggling for air and even pinkies, that operate on very instinctual drives, will struggle to find warmth and to breathe if they cannot. I cannot dictate what method you use to kill prey animals, but I can't let you suggest either freezing a conscious animal or suffocating it is a humane and acceptable method of killing. These are cruel and brutal and result in excessively prolonged suffering, as Linds has said. Don't kid yourself by putting them in the freezer out of sight - it doesn't change the facts.

Carbon dioxide causes death from lack of oxygen, but differs from suffocation in that the gas produces unconsciousness very rapidly, so the animal does not feel the suffering of being without oxygen. For people who do not want to invest in a proper set up to use carbon dioxide gas, cervical dislocation (breaking the neck) or severe blunt trauma to the head (whacking) produce instantaneous unconsciousness when done correctly. These are humane methods, but require practice and are too hands-on for some people. For them, I suggest buying frozen prey. No one should be putting rodents in a container and suffocating or freezing them - where you can fool yourself that it is ok because you don't see them struggle and twitch.

I hope you will reconsider the methods you use to kill prey animals or make the switch to buying frozen, but regardless, I hope no-one will follow the advice you gave on this thread.

mary v.

[Linds]

Freezing is far worse than drowning, adult rats have been known to survive more than 24 hours in a freezer! :eek: They feel this slow death, they feel their blood cells crystallizing and so forth.

[yankeefoxtrot]

I agree, that sounds really mean to me. I usually just put them in a bag and smack them against the wall. Its still hard for me to do but i love my snakes. I would rather be smashed against a wall than froze!!!

Lucas

[remsin76]

yea freezing wrapped in saran wrap is terrible.

i have a stun gun i think it can knock a rat out in less than a second u think that i should use that???

[theroom101]

My preferred method of killing is cervical dislocation for larger rodents, like rats, and a good thwack for smaller rodents, like adult mice. I have found it very very rare for an adult mouse to not suffer instant death when thumped in a proper manner.

However, since rats strike me as somewhat "smarter looking" than mice (and make better pets), I prefer to avoid having to pre-kill them at all. I made deliberate efforts to get all of my rat-feeding snakes on F/T diets before they moved beyond adult mice. It would probably worthwhile for you to get your baby on a F/T diet for ease of feeding and your girlfriend's peace of mind. ;-)

Good luck with whatever process you choose. =)

[Mike177]

i hear if you put a rat in a sock first and then wack it, it wont move and it is easer never done it myself. also if you want to get a snake from live to frozen try doing prekilled for a month and then try frozen thawed and then warmed and if that dosent work try not feeding the snake for a wile(not too long but long enouph to make it realy hungry) and then try it worked for me and all my snakes now eat frozen thoed

[baller]

I just feed my snake live then im not the one actually killing it. I only do this because this snake was born eating live and he wouldnt eat dead.

[suckrpnch]

:::Update:::

I think I finally have her eating frozen / thawed. I had to dangle it in front of her by the tail,, but she took it. Didnt really seem as enthusiastic about eating but I feel a little better.

Thanks for all the info people.

bryan

[reverendsterlin]

I guess the ol Rev has no feelings, I figure dead is dead and how they get that way in the long run is irrelevant.

[V.hb]

I somewhat agree with Rev, In the end the animal is dying anyways, one way or another you're killing it. each way has its own suffering, and each way also has an explanation to make the person doing it feel better. You can believe all of the methods are "humane" but they're not.. A living thing is still dying.. And to be perfectly honest I dont see any reason to fresh kill an animal. Defrost, and scent on a live rodent. it works just as well.

Buy from a reputable "Pre-killed" supplier and let them do the killing for you.

[17730turtlegirl]

cant you just grab its head and body , and very quickly twist your hands in opposite directions???

[Lisa]

For quick, bloodless, painless killing I prefer CO2. It's not all that expensive to set up either. We use a bucket with a lid (we use a bucket that kitty litter comes in), so the bucket cost us nothing. For CO2 we use dry ice. dry ice is cheap. $1 a pound. thats a canadian dollar btw, and you don't need a whole pound to knock off alot of rats. it's not as convenient as a tank but it's cheap. now to quickly convert the dry ice into gas we use a deli cup with a hole in the lid filled with warm water. drop the ice in the water and instant fog made of CO2 this quickly pushes the warmer oxygen filled air out of the bucket (the lid isn't a 100% seal) and the rodents pass out quickly. I'm not sure how quickly the rats pass out but i tossed a mouse in after i was done doing the rats (so the air hadn't changed from CO2 to oxygen filled) and it managed 3 steps and then fell over. thats pretty quick if you ask me.

There is no room to mess up with CO2 either. if you don't whack or pull the rat right it will cause the rat pain, and twirling through the air for the last few seconds of death is probably not the nicest way to go (think of how freaked out you would be if you fell off a large building). If you don't use enough CO2 your rat won't feel a thing. it may not die but you won't cause it pain in the process.

[Smilts]

i just thump them at the base of there head they die right then

[Smilts]

wife says i cant thump the kids to get them in trouble though

[Smilts]

Ive heard that if you put a thum tack into its skull after dethawing the smell is stronger

[steen]

Just thought I would post this info, as it may help some of you...I work in a research lab at a university that uses mice, rats, and gerbils for disease, feed, and breeding studies. A lot of research has been done to find the most humane way to "euthanize" these animals. They take into consideration the suffering of both the animal and the person doing the deed. They have found that the most humane way to kill a mouse is (by far) CO2. I can attest to this as I use it nearly every day. The most humane way to kill a rat, however, is technically decapitation. Since this is often more rough on the person (and not favorable for a feeder), the next best choice is cervical dislocation. The downfall to this is that, if a person is not properly trained to perform it, it can lead to a lot of pain and suffering for the animal. If it is not possible to have someone experienced show you this method, then CO2 for rats is the third most humane method. There is research to back this up...thought I should mention it. Hope it helps!

[meluvstgr]

Thank god I don't have to worry about this for a while. Mikey won't be eating mice or rats for a while. And my ball python was eating fuzzies live when I took her back.

I like the whacking in a bag method tho. Guess I'll decide when the time comes.

[stkkts]

Where can you get dry ice in the US?

[KingJaff]

I would like to say that putting an animal in the bag cant be that humane because u dont know which part of the body is going to hit the ground first so this is bound to be unpleasent and messy.
I am interested in the way my animals (mice, rats, hampsters, gerbils and chicks) have been killed and in england it seems most of them have been droped into liquid nitrogen as they often have a flat side to them (as if your face was pushed up againts a pain of glass) but this could be done after co2. Also i have noticed that occasionally some rodents obviously have been killed by a blunt truma as they have blood on the heads and indentations in their heads (not nice). I would suggest cervical dislocation to be humane (and keep the animals "good karma", free range and all that.)
I was wondering how do you store dry ice as it needs to be kept at -30 odd degrees rite? I may breed a feeder some time in the future

[Linds]

Originally posted by KingJaff
gerbils and chicks) have been killed and in england it seems most of them have been droped into liquid nitrogen as they often have a flat side to them (as if your face was pushed up againts a pain of glass) but this could be done after co2. Also i have noticed that occasionally some rodents obviously have been killed by a blunt truma as they have blood on the heads and indentations in their heads (not nice)future

Have you been told that they were dropped in to liquid nitrogen or is this an assumption based on the fact that they have a flat side? I've never heard of anyone using liquid nitrogen??? All my rats die via blunt trauma, and most of them come out of the freezer flat, jsut the way I lay them out so they don't get frozen together. At work they were often flat, and they were not dipped in liquid nitro either...

[V.hb]

There is NO nice way to kill anything....... its going to hurt when force is involved....... Trying to explain to yourself and others that it doesnt is just denial..... It;s gotta be done unfortunatly.... But if you're doing it yourself invest in some sort of gassing..

[Lisa]

here is a website that has info on where to buy dry ice in the united states http://www.dryiceinfo.com/where.htm

I'm sure there's other places besides their listing, look in your phone book

Here in canada you can go to praxair.