Lost my first litter... :(

im not 100% sure how much pain they feel when they are only a few days old ( not sure how well developed there nervous system is yet) but it would be the longest time form of euthinization if you think about it, it takes like 3 hours to freeze ice cubes so its at least the same amount of time to freeze them solid. if you use the vaccum they would run out of air very fast . if you dont have co2 then the vaccum would be the next humane way lol. you could wack them in the skull to instant kill they dont feel that but its if your up to it

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Originally Posted by reptileguy

im not 100% sure how much pain they feel when they are only a few days old ( not sure how well developed there nervous system is yet) but it would be the longest time form of euthinization if you think about it, it takes like 3 hours to freeze ice cubes so its at least the same amount of time to freeze them solid. if you use the vaccum they would run out of air very fast . if you dont have co2 then the vaccum would be the next humane way lol. you could wack them in the skull to instant kill they dont feel that but its if your up to it

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Freezing pinkies, from my understanding, it a very quick way to kill them. They have no hair and can't regulate their body temperature. They will actually die on their own from exposure if they don't have the warm bodies of siblings/mom to keep them warm. The freezer speeds up this process and they're dead long before they freeze. Adults, however are different and for them, freezing isn't an option.

CO2 isn't as effective on pinkies. They will die from it, but rather slowly, so it is debatable how humane it is. My understanding is they naturally have a high CO2 tolerance, to prevent them from suffocating while mom and litter mates pile up on top of them.

As Raptor said, pinkies die very quickly if you put them in the freezer, probably long before the painful ice crystals begin to form. That is probably the best way to kill pinkies to use as feeders.

Older babies and adults should NEVER be put directly into the freezer. They need to be CO2ed first.

Thanks for all the tips, guys! Unfortunately, I just have BPs...so not much need for pinkies...unless they'll eat them despite the pinkie's tiny size...i'd rather see the BPs eat them than the mice!

And I suspect the moms are just too darn young...wasn't sure about their age as I'd gotten them from a pet store...so for future reference I'll wait until they're at least 12 weeks old next time! Everything else, husbandry-wise, seems to be in check...they're in lab-style enclosures with pine pellet bedding, a little aspen, some toilet paper tubes, a couple of hides...I feed them mazuri 6f but am wondering if I should supplement with something high in fat and protein?

Ah, well....like I said, not surprised but still disappointed! Looks like the other mom will deliver sometime in the next couple of days. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Well, good news! The second mom had her pups last night...and they're still alive! :) I walked into the room to check on them and immediately heard an unfamiliar "peeping" sound...hurray! I could see a couple of them through the top of the hide...so cute! Mom is doing well and nursing away...I'm wondering if she is just a bit older then the 1st mom.

On a sidenote, I noticed that the 2nd mom's pups are a little larger than the 1st mom's...so I'm wondering if her pups were premature or even already deceased when they were born?

Anyway, very excited! Now I just have to get over the hurdle of getting attached to this first group...they do have a purpose! ;)

Jen