Frozen mice with slit throats

[ineedsoap16]

Hey all, been a while since i've been active here. We had our first daughter in November so that has been pretty much full time. I usually buy bulk frozen rats and mice online and recently I've run out and had to go to the local pet shop to get snake food. This shop always has frozen in pretty much whatever I need and it always has seemed to be good quality, the only down side being the marked up price. The other day I went and got a coupla rats and mice and when I went to thaw them I noticed that the adult mice had their throats slit. None of the rats just the adult mice. I haven't had a chance to go back and ask the owner why.

They semed like regular frozen mice, clean and dry. I can't imagine some kind of lab testing deal because I cleaned them up and looked under magnification and the basic anatomy was all still there intact.

Anyone got any ideas or seen this before?

[infernalis]

Never seen it, and I am sorry, but that sounds like a horrible way to "euthanize" them.

[shaunyboy]

i've had headless rats in a food order but always found the head in the bag at some point

i think in my case it was due to rough handling after they were frozen and packed in bulk in an order box

slit throats though is a tad strange imo

its like some sicko had a go at them while still living ?????

cheers shaun

[infernalis]

Could be cracks from freezing them and rough handling.

I find mice broken in half, but not often, and I have gone through thousands of them.

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by ineedsoap16

We had our first daughter in November so that has been pretty much full time.

Big time Congratulations!!!

[Will0W783]

I've seen it. It's a common way to euthanize them, although I think it's got to be a nasty way to go. I go to reptile shows regularly and some suppliers slit the throats of adult mice and larger rats. I think the most humane way has got to be the CO-2 chambers; they just slowly go to sleep and don't wake up. But a lot of small-time suppliers can't afford the set-up or don't know how to make one I imagine. I would never want to kill vast numbers of rodents as a job, even though I have no trouble feeding my snakes...just seems like a morbid occupation. But don't worry about the safety of the slit-throat mice to feed your snakes...all the good stuff is still there for them.

[infernalis]

Don't want to bust your bubble Kim, have you ever seen rodents get gassed with CO2?

It's far from peaceful.

ask anyone who has ever gassed a tote full of mice if they just went to sleep.

It's the most humane way to do it without contaminating the meat.

However, I would not want to go out that way.

[Will0W783]

I've never personally seen it, but they do it a lot here at the university. I've just heard other lab workers saying it's the most humane way and they just go to sleep. So I assumed they were telling the truth.
For my experiments, I anesthetize the rats with sodium pentobarbital and decapitate once they're out. Of course, that's not an option for feeder rodents because it contaminates the meat and the drug would harm the snakes. I also had to whack a mouse against a desktop once at home to stun it for a snake...I felt horrible.

[totheend]

I also work in research and have seen mice get gassed and it didn't look bad to me???

[infernalis]

The key is done properly, it is quite quick.

But for a few moments when they first run out of air, the effect would be similar to someone sneaking up on you and taping your mouth and nose shut.

Plain and simple, CO2 gas suffocates the animals.

Suffocation is by no means instant.

I myself find no pleasure in raising a mouse or rat up from birth and then blasting it in the head, but I have to accept it.

Just the same as farmers who raise livestock and then "prepare" it for the freezer.

[ineedsoap16]

Thanks guys, good answers. It was just weird.