Cervical Dislocation of Rats -

Do any of you use cervical dislocation of rats? It seems most gas but it seems this is an equally humane way of euthanizing rats prior to feeding.

I fed off two rats tonight and used this method for the first time using a screwdriver to hold the neck. It was somewhat distasteful but they seem to sort of turn off like a light switch.

I had one get bit last week and will likely use this method moving forward. Was wondering what the general consensus was on using this method and the ethics of using this as a method of euthanasia.

It is an acceptable method.....but when you have alot of snakes to feed using gas is the prefered method for obvious reasons.

good point - i only have 8 so i can knock it out way faster and feed while still up to temp....

it's pretty much the quickest way to get it done. I've heard stories of people stripping the skin off the tail though (yes, just the skin! gross...), so just grab it close to the base! I don't see how it could be any less humane than CO2, it's just the more hands-on approach

yea - i'm a convert - not for the faint of heart however ;)

Yea this is an acceptable method of humane euthanasia most commonly used in labs. I have however had the tail skin come off in my hand and it's gross. You really need to grasp up close to the tail base to avoid this.

Do any of you kill adult male rats (500+ grams) this way?

When I was feeding rats out of my colony, I grabbed right above the rear legs (around the hips) instead of the tail. This is better for larger animals and you don't have to worry about stripping the flesh on their tails.

It's not humane if the tail slips. I still prefer f/t.

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Originally Posted by girlundertherainbow

It's not humane if the tail slips. I still prefer f/t.

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How you think your rats became frozen. Some breeders use co2 some use cervical dislocation. :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by gardenfiend138

it's pretty much the quickest way to get it done. I've heard stories of people stripping the skin off the tail though (yes, just the skin! gross...), so just grab it close to the base! I don't see how it could be any less humane than CO2, it's just the more hands-on approach

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Yea you need to grab by the base or grab the rear hips...

my feeders come from larger scale producers and are not killed using cervical dislocation.

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Originally Posted by girlundertherainbow

my feeders come from larger scale producers and are not killed using cervical dislocation.

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Every large scale some point in business runs out of CO2 and resorts to cervical dislocation till tanks are refilled.

Alternative to filling tanks of CO2 is Dry Ice. It cost about $0.99/lb.

Place a little piece of Dry Ice in a rubbermaid bowl, add water, poke a whole in the lid and you have CO2.

Just my $0.02

Trey

A few thoughts

1) Yes it is a great, even on large rats. It is the preferred method in fact for dispatching meat rabbits at rabbit farms, so is still good for even larger animals.

2) CO2 is tricky to do right, and using baking soda+vinegar or dry ice gives you practically no control over flow, which I don't like.