Will My CO2 Chamber Kill Hatchling Balls Too?

As I await the hatching of my first clutch, I find myself faced with the unpleasant possibility of birth defects. You never know, right. My fiancee and I just started culling our rats with a newly designed CO2 chamber and it really is so much more quick and humane then freezing them. I just wonder, in case the worst should happen, would the CO2 chamber be an effective way to cull any deformed hatchlings? Would it be as quick for them? I'm sure if the situations arises I will be absolutely devastated :tears:, but I would rather be prepared to deal with it in the most painless way possible.

would this work? Any thoughts on having to cull problem hatchlings?

It would work, but probably much slower than with rodents because of their breathing rate.

I would like to hear how others cull deformed babies.

I do NOT like this thread, but I will continue to follow it due my thirst for new ball python knowledge. And also because I will be breeding someday as well.

The best way to euthanize a reptile is to destroy the brain. CO2 will work, but it will take a very long time. How long? I don't know. You certainly don't want to mess it up by pulling them out early.

Freezing is also a commonly used method of euthanization. Some people argue it's inhumane. I guess there's some evidence that they can feel their cells freezing and that causes pain. I can't point you to the study, but perhaps someone else can. Others say that snakes put into a freezer are found frozen in a very calm state, whereas I know when my snakes feel pain, they react to it. I'm not endorsing this method, just telling you that some breeders use it.

I do not like this thread either....:( ur already thinking of killing babies before anything has hatched??? Besides, just because a baby has a deformity, that doesnt justify any need to kill them. In our collection, we have three snakes with deformities. I would NEVER think about killing them.Just because they dont qualify as breeders, or for a spot in your collection,doesnt mean they cant be given away or sold cheaply as fine pets!

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I think pithing (destroying the brain) is the quickest and pain free for the animal. It is very hands on and I don't think some keepers would be able to do it. I refuse to put any animal in the freezer.
I also keep a hungry king snake on hand to dispose of any bodies. Hasn't happened yet and I hope to never have to. But I would feel a little better feeding the cull to something rather than going in the trash.

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

I do not like this thread either....:( ur already thinking of killing babies before anything has hatched??? Besides, just because a baby has a deformity, that doesnt justify any need to kill them. In our collection, we have three snakes with deformities. I would NEVER think about killing them.Just because they dont qualify as breeders, or for a spot in your collection,doesnt mean they cant be given away or sold cheaply as fine pets!

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It isn't about breeding. Animals can be born too deformed to eat, and will die regardless. Some believe (myself included), that it is more humane to put them out of their misery than wait for them to starve to death.

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Originally Posted by liv

It isn't about breeding. Animals can be born too deformed to eat, and will die regardless. Some believe (myself included), that it is more humane to put them out of their misery than wait for them to starve to death.

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x2 Not to mention that there are all the horrors of spines too kinked for the animal to even function, period. Let alone even attempted to feed. I actually think that although a tad grimdark, it's good that the OP has these things in their head because most people do not before they start breeding and low and behold, a super deformed baby will pop out and you have no preparation to handle the situation. Deformed animals are an unfortunate by product of breeding that everyone should be aware of.

To answer OP's question, I've been told time and time again that in regards to snakes, CO2 chambers are not a humane method since it takes such a long time to cull the BP. If you don't want to go with pithing, you're best bet is to put it in the freezer and just wait until it passes of hypothermia. I think that's the method most people who don't have it in them to pith a hatchling use.

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

I do not like this thread either....:( ur already thinking of killing babies before anything has hatched??? Besides, just because a baby has a deformity, that doesnt justify any need to kill them. In our collection, we have three snakes with deformities. I would NEVER think about killing them.Just because they dont qualify as breeders, or for a spot in your collection,doesnt mean they cant be given away or sold cheaply as fine pets!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by liv

It isn't about breeding. Animals can be born too deformed to eat, and will die regardless. Some believe (myself included), that it is more humane to put them out of their misery than wait for them to starve to death.

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I don't like this thread either, but I do not think the OP is talking about killing a baby that might otherwise thrive despite a deformity. But it is a fact of life that some babies just cannot survive due to severe birth defects. I think it is responsible of the OP to consider what they may have to do BEFORE they are in that position. It is not a "nice" thing to talk about, but breeding is not always a pleasant experience. Sometimes, we have to discuss the unpleasant to better ourselves and do right by our animals whether we "like" it or not. :gj:

I've never had to cull snakes but I've had to due it with farm animals more times than a few. It's a unpleasant part of any breeding but at times it's the kind way, on the farm mostly bullet to put them down fast. Always felt least painful was the brain, if I ever need to cull snakes I'm sure ill go that way too but not with a bullet I'm sure that's kinda dumb to try.