killing food

[tonyb]

i am feeding on defrosted rats at the mo but im having problems with deliveries not turning up on time etc so im losing a lot of rats due to them not being fresh. so im thinking of starting a colony for fresh food.

what i want to know is, how do you guys kill them prior to feeding?

[kpugh]

There are two methods generally considered the most humane: Cervical dislocation, and CO2 gas. Cervical dislocation has to be done properly - and takes some practice to do right....also it can be a little tricky on larger animals like jumbo rats. Do a search on the net and you should be able to find good intructions on the technique. It's probably not worth setting up a gassing system for a small colony...but some people here might be able to recommend a good set up...There may be other methods, but these are the ones I know of that won't get you in trouble with animal rights people.

[Shad0w]

Here is a link to the American Veterinary Medicine Association's report on euthanasia, it will give you insight as to what is humane and what is not:

http://www.avma.org/resources/euthanasia.pdf

Personally my preferred choice is cervical dislocation

[sapphire_moon]

but alot of people whack.

I ONLY pick up my feeders by their tail, so when I do pick them up to whack them, they don't know that there is anything different.
just hit the back of their head off of something (this method only works if you have a few to kill) I ALWAYS do a cervical dislocation afterwords, just in case, I don't want any "coming back" in the freezer afterwords. Plus I feel whacking only knocks them out (unless you do it hard enough to splatter).

[mykee]

I used to "whack" but found it both time-consuming and messy (sometimes dried blood is hard to wipe off certain things). I decided to build a CO2 chamber, if you're interested, I posted an in-depth and truly informative (unbiased) how-to on my website, check it out; www.strictlyballs.ca/info.html click on CO2 Chamber.

[sapphire_moon]

yes, but if you only have one-5 snakes to feed, then whacking/freezing is the way to go (in my opinion)

[galad]

I think when I get my boas I will deff. be building a co2 chamber. For only 130 bucks who can go wrong. Plus it's the most humane way ive seen. Would it be better to feed freshly killed rats other then frozen thawed? Easier anyhow.

Great job on explaining how to set it up.


ws

[tonyb]

im not sure i like the idea of whacking its head against things. whats your thoughts on drowning? is that too distressing for the rat?

[Shad0w]

tonyb,

instead of asking people what method of killing is distressing.. I STRONGLY urge you to read the article I posted here on euthanasia...

Itll tell you exactly the info you are looking for...
Oh.. and drowning is a HORRIBLE method!

[tonyb]

i didnt ask what method is distressing, i asked is drowning distressing. which youve nicely answered. ive read the article you posted,thankyou, i was just wondering what other peoples thoughts were. the fact i asked in the first place means if im going to keep live rodents and kill fresh, then i want to do it in as humane a way as possible. as ive said i dont like the idea of caving its head in or snapping its back so i was enquiring for a less violent means of euthanasia.

[dave68]

That's a really good link you posted Mykee, thanks, and the way you said "dried blood being hard to wipe off certain things" about sums it up perfectly, "whacking" is definately no fun, especially in large numbers, one could go crazy by the end of the "whacking session"LOL!!! and again thanks for that informative link..... Allison

[mykee]

Thanks, glad my link could be of use.
As for drowning, it is probably the most inhumane way, other than maybe freezing, as a method of killing rats. I'll give you my list starting from most humane:
1. CO2 chamber
2. Whacking
3. Cervical dislocation (ONLY if done properly, and I assume that upwards of 80% of people that use this method are doing so incorrectly).
4. Drowning
5. Freezing

[CamHanna]

I've tried my hand at cervical dislocation but couldn't seem to get it right; my feeders almost always had a heartbeat afterwards and were presumably still alive. If you huck it at a wall REALLY HARD that seems to stop everything with relatively little mess. CO2 is still the better option though IMO.

[sapphire_moon]

lets put you under water......feel the panic, the NEED to reach the surface for that fresh air......ya thats how they feel. As for freezing......well, i don't know which is worse?

Considering I do very few at a time, I whack, then break their neck to be CERTAIN they don't come back.

but everyone has a different opinion ;)

[tonyb]

i think ill just stick to buying frozen rats. less hassle!

[JDM2007]

$130 for a Co2 chamber I made mine for aobut $5 using a 1 gallon milk jug aquarium air hose and a 2 liter.
JDM

[samurai]

what does JDM stand for??

[tHeGiNo]

Probably his initials, lol!

[samurai]

damn i didnt even look at his name, i thought it was some type of co2 lol what does he use for co2 in the chamber he made does anyone know?

[sharno]

maybe he blows into the tank lol :)

[RB420]

I have chosen to use liquid CO2 for my purposes for a few reasons; firstly, a 10 lb. tank of CO2 can be purchased or rented fairly inexpensively and stored safely as CO2 is inflammable.

i liked the link about building your own CO2 chamber. just thought i would point out that it says CO2 is inflammable which makes it safe to store......doesnt make much sense to me.

[tHeGiNo]

i liked the link about building your own CO2 chamber. just thought i would point out that it says CO2 is inflammable which makes it safe to store......doesnt make much sense to me.

What doesn't make sense about it?

Flammable + Heat = Boom
Inflammable + Heat = No Boom (of course with enough heat, and enough of an increase in pressure, there is always a risk)

Makes perfect sense to me.

[CARLiTO_]

Originally posted by samurai
what does JDM stand for??

Japanese Domestic Market.

It is a car "tuner" term.

[RB420]

Originally posted by tHeGiNo
What doesn't make sense about it?

Flammable + Heat = Boom
Inflammable + Heat = No Boom (of course with enough heat, and enough of an increase in pressure, there is always a risk)

Makes perfect sense to me.

wrong go look up imflammable in the dictionary.

[RB420]

in·flam·ma·ble ( P ) Pronunciation Key (n-flm-bl)
adj.
Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly; flammable. See Usage Note at flammable.
Quickly or easily aroused to strong emotion; excitable.

Usage Note: Historically, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. However, the presence of the prefix in- has misled many people into assuming that inflammable means “not flammable” or “noncombustible.” The prefix -in in inflammable is not, however, the Latin negative prefix -in, which is related to the English -un and appears in such words as indecent and inglorious. Rather, this -in is an intensive prefix derived from the Latin preposition in. This prefix also appears in the word enflame. But many people are not aware of this derivation, and for clarity's sake it is advisable to use only flammable to give warnings.

source (http://www.dictionary.com)

[robb]

The hands down simplist way to build a CO2 chamber is to get yourself a large plasticware thing or a new garbage bin with a snug top. You then place a riser in the middle of the container to place dry ice (avaible at your grocery store) on. You put your rodents in the bottom of the container, place the dry ice on the riser and close the top. The CO2 is heavier then air and will fill the bottom of the container first. A gentle non stressful death will occur for the rodents.

Just remember, before doing this make sure you understand all the saftey issues that arrise from using and handling CO2. The riser is important as you don't want your prey items coming into contact with the dry ice.