Home Euthanasia
The only humane way to euthanize a rat at home without veterinary help is with carbon dioxide (CO2). Euthanasia with CO2 is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
Concentrated CO2 is a central nervous system depressant and actually causes anesthesia. You know how you yawn when you’re sleepy?:cens0r: This is the body’s way of getting rid of excess carbon dioxide in your system which is making you sleepy. CO2 does not cause suffocation. The rat will be able to breathe normally, will become anesthetized and will then die.
The key to using CO2 humanely is its concentration. The normal concentration of CO2 in the air is only 0.038%. According to the 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia, breathing concentrations of 7.5% increases the pain threshold, and concentrations of 30-40% cause anesthesia (unconsciousness) within 1-2 minutes. However, concentrations of 50% or higher irritate the eyes and respiratory tract and cause pain. Your goal is to create a concentration of 30-40% CO2 and hold it there until the rat is unconscious.
At first I used a cylinder of compressed CO2; however, with this method, the concentration of CO2 can easily get too high. (Using dry ice is not recommended because the CO2 amounts cannot be controlled and it also can cause severe burns.):cens0r: Then I learned of a website written by Eric Lee of Maralee Rattery in St. David, AZ at
www.alysion.org/euthanasia/ that tells how to euthanize mice by creating CO2 with baking soda and vinegar.
The vinegar and baking soda method is quite simple and even better than using compressed CO2 because the concentration of the CO2 can be more precisely controlled. I have modified Eric’s method so it is suitable for rats.:cens0r: I have euthanized many rats with this method.:cens0r: If you want to test this method before using it, you can use a short candle to stand in for the rat.:cens0r: The CO2 will put out the candle.
