Gas chamber for rodents

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Originally Posted by Ballpythonguy92

my first thought was you Nazi lol but that's just my dark humor lol but have you considered a giant cooler? or maybe even a deep freezer? Or mini fridge/wine fridge? I'm thinking anything that's already air tight and takes little to nothing to setup

retro gaming pokemon for gbc/gba p.s. I've never played go nor shall i !!!!!

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Lol I have considered most options but I love in a house (rent) that is a three family unit and space is limited. Once we buy a house, I would consider getting a freezer and stockpiling frozen yum yums for the snakes lol.

You lost me with pokemon reference lol

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Just wondering, but why do you gas the rats? Can't you just freeze them directly? I know it's likely more humane, but is that the only reason?

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Originally Posted by FlynnTheBP

Just wondering, but why do you gas the rats? Can't you just freeze them directly? I know it's likely more humane, but is that the only reason?

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I gas them as a way to kill them right before I put them in the snake's enclosures on feed day. I'm not doing it for storage purposes.

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Originally Posted by FlynnTheBP

Just wondering, but why do you gas the rats? Can't you just freeze them directly? I know it's likely more humane, but is that the only reason?

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They get gassed first because it humane or cervical dislocation is another humane way. May not be the cheapest but it's the most humane ways. Of course you could just throw them in a circle and smack their head on a table or whatnot but if you don't do it just right it then becomes inhumane plus you could have a bloody mess.


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Originally Posted by FlynnTheBP

Just wondering, but why do you gas the rats? Can't you just freeze them directly? I know it's likely more humane, but is that the only reason?

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I do it this way because like I mentioned earlier performing a cervical dislocation can be trickier on larger rats and I got bit. I can also just drop the dead rats in the cage without worrying about a rat biting my snakes. Also, dead rats are a lot easier to retrieve out of a cage if they don't get eaten.

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thanks for posting this. in fish keeping, we talk about gut loading feeder fish by feeding them extra rich foods just prior to feeding them to larger fish to improve nutritional value. I know this is a bit off topic, but does anyone know if gut loading is a thing that can be done with rodents to improve snake health? if so, what sorts of things can be fed to rodents before they are "offed" and either frozen or fed to a BP?

Can anyone provide more specifics on the hose/valve used to attach to this tank?


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Originally Posted by BPGator

Can anyone provide more specifics on the hose/valve used to attach to this tank?


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Sorry, should have elaborated on that. Do a Google search for "coiled remote with quick disconnect". There are a bunch all in different price ranges. I believe mine in store was around twenty bucks and it works fine. Hope that helps

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Originally Posted by SKO

Lol I have considered most options but I love in a house (rent) that is a three family unit and space is limited. Once we buy a house, I would consider getting a freezer and stockpiling frozen yum yums for the snakes lol.

You lost me with pokemon reference lol

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LMBO : thats his signiture. It says something about Pokemon hahhahha
Also you cant freeze to many Rats to stockpile.. They get freezer burned and they refuse them..

FYI, I've read several news articles where pet stores were killing their rats by banging them on hard surfaces or freezing them alive. Authorities raided the place and confiscated all of their snakes and refused to give them back or give them compensation. The only 'legal' way to euthanize a rat, at least that I know of, is using CO2.

I've actually just upgraded my system, I purchased a couple CO2 bottles on Craig's List. Apparently these are used for pop machines and grow operations. I bought two tanks for $125. Then I bought a regulator, both tanks came full of CO2 and were filled to 800 PSI. I bleed off the CO2 from the tank at a pressure of just under 5 PSI. So far I've been gassing using the same tank for a couple months (multiple times every five days for 20 seconds per event) and the 800 PSI is still showing, I'm guessing I could probably go a whole year or more on one tank. And the guy that sold them to me said he fills them at a grow shop for $8. I think this is the most economical in the long run.

To connect to my 'gas chamber' I use a flexible braided hose connected to a tire valve stem. I removed the core of the valve stem and simply plug the hose right on. I add rodents, cover the chamber with a towel, keep the tank in the basement by the door but put the chamber outside with the sliding door mostly closed, then gas for 20 seconds. I try to keep all of the gas outside of the house. Then I bring the chamber inside, close the door, and put it on a chair for two minutes. I'm finding that if I gas a lot of rodents they start to cool off before I feed them all, so I pop them in an incubator at 110F and pull them out one by one. I also put a paper towel in the chamber because they almost always pee. I really like the little on / off valve that comes with my regulator. That's what I use to turn the gas on and off. If I get an abundance of rats that are just the right size to feed I'll gas them and freeze them. I found that freezing them on a platter in a zip lock bag overnight and then vacuum sealing them the following day works the best. And they all come apart easy when I break the seal on the vacuum sealed bag (don't vacuum seal unless they are frozen!)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-chamber-1.JPG

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-chamber-2.JPG

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...-chamber-3.JPG