killing food

tonyb · 03-04-05, 09:26 AM

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 · 03-04-05, 09:40 AM

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 · 03-04-05, 10:06 AM

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 · 03-04-05, 01:34 PM

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 · 03-04-05, 06:56 PM

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 · 03-05-05, 01:04 AM

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

galad · 03-05-05, 01:31 AM

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 · 03-05-05, 09:35 AM

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 · 03-05-05, 09:37 AM

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 · 03-05-05, 10:27 AM

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 · 03-05-05, 10:44 AM

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 · 03-05-05, 12:39 PM

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 · 03-05-05, 01:03 PM

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 · 03-06-05, 01:24 AM

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 · 03-06-05, 12:30 PM

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