Im a ratty gramps!

Since newborn rodents are quite resistant to anoxic conditions, (probably so mom can't smother them when they are young) so trying to use CO2 to euthanize a pink takes a VERY long time. I've seen pinkie mice still gasping for breath after about 15 minutes in a CO2 chamber. Freezing is much more suitable than CO2 to put down pinks, but anything older than pinks succumb to CO2 much quicker and should not be frozen. This is just my experience putting down quite a number of rodents. I'd like to hear if anyone has a better way to put down pinks though.


-Evan

That canned air works like a charm. They gasp for maybe a full minute or two, but then they stop and I put them in the freezer. Works very quickly, quicker than CO2 IMO, and you just have to fill the sandwich size ziploc bag and walk away. Barely uses any of the canned air(which costs around $4 at WalMart).

I prefer not to freeze them as they like to urinate, and then when they freeze, they all stick together. Eew.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Evan Jamison

Since newborn rodents are quite resistant to anoxic conditions, (probably so mom can't smother them when they are young) so trying to use CO2 to euthanize a pink takes a VERY long time.


-Evan

---

THis is correct... but you still can use co2....

Co2 is the best all the way around even for pinks.. not to kill them but to put them in a anesthesic state...

Co2 has a couple of properties that we find helpful in human anesthesia gases. Co2 is a analgesic (pain reliever), and it can be used as an anesthetic which causes a rapid loss of consciousness ( hell CO2 may be a great anesthetic for humans excpet for how it displaces oxygen off of hemoglobin .. not a good thing :O.. well unless your trying to kill em )

So befor you whack em, or suffocate them to death try putting em to sleep first.. i know none of those sound humane unless your pain free :rolleye2:



just a helpfull tip..

Becky...thank you for the idea of using the canned air. It did take a couple of minutes (seemed like an eternity though) and they were gone.
Thanks again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ironhead

Becky...thank you for the idea of using the canned air. It did take a couple of minutes (seemed like an eternity though) and they were gone.
Thanks again.

---

Glad that worked for you Carl! Becky rocks. Unparalleled ratty knowledge!

So sorry you lost your female and her litter like that (well not lost the litter but still). Feeders or breeders I just hate that needless waste of life and not knowing why it happened.