Killing the Mouse

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Originally Posted by Deven

thats an idea. dry ice. they sell it here in volume with either chuncks or pellets. now wonder the frogs freaked out when i used it in their waterfall. just kidding. it's such a heavy gas, if you use larger sweater boxes that had a small hole at the top for the O to leave, you could inoculate quite a few, like maybe a few dozen with just a peice the size of a ravioli.

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lol, That's a random comparison. The size of a ravioli. Was someone hungry when they were posting? :P

lol! That is sort of random. I'm not even hungry, but that's making me hungry.

yeah, can you smell the garlic and tomatoes?

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Originally Posted by Shelby

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Originally Posted by Brandon.O

How much gas would it take to kill a litter of pinkie mice ?

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You cannot gas pinkies. Anything less than 2 weeks old is hypoxia resistant. Just put pink mice straight into the freezer.

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Questions: first, is there a faster, more humane way to do it than that? And second, how cold is a freezer, if you know? Because at this time of year it might be faster to just set the boogers in the carport for a while at night than to put them in the freezer. I'm asking because we're hoping for a litter of mice here shortly that we intend to feed off to Jess' baby king as pinkies.

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Originally Posted by Marla

Questions: first, is there a faster, more humane way to do it than that? And second, how cold is a freezer, if you know? Because at this time of year it might be faster to just set the boogers in the carport for a while at night than to put them in the freezer. I'm asking because we're hoping for a litter of mice here shortly that we intend to feed off to Jess' baby king as pinkies.

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Well, it actually is quite quick, and from what I've read, humane. There really isn't another way. I suppose you could whack them, but that'd be a bit difficult to say the least, plus that they'd probably... erm.. go squish pretty easily.

I suppose if your freezer is actually set to be warmer than it is outside, you could do it that way, but I'd be wary of wild animals trying to raid for a free meal

If you've ever picked up a pinky that has been away from it's mother for even a minute or two, you realise they do not retain heat very well at all. The extreme cold of the freezer will slow them down very quickly, so I doubt they feel any pain. Besides that, animals like mice that are born hairless, eyes unopened etc do not have a fully developed nervous system until awhile after they're born. That's why newborn puppies can be humanely docked and cropped without anaesthetic.

I haven't heard anything about animals less than 2 weeks old being hypoxia resistant... I'm in my 2nd year of Vet Tech school and nothing of the sort has been said. Yes, you can gas them, or just hold your fingers over their nose for a little bit, but that would take too long if there was a big litter. Marla, putting them outside would be a good idea, as they would just go to sleep, and die in their sleep. Wouldn't be as much of a shock as being put in the freezer, where it's -10 degrees. You could whack them also. I had to do away with a baby gerbil that had some health issues and it barely took anything. Put it in a surgical glove and hit it against the wall. Death instantly. I know it's not condoned by most associations, but it's the cheapest and most effective method that I have found. Dry ice was too expensive for me, $10 for a square foot piece, and I would really not have to separate the spine on a wiggling little mouse that could bite the hoodiddy out of my finger.

But anyway. Marla, putting them under the carport seems to be the best bet, fast and effective. Also, they shouldn't go to the bathroom on themselves since they are babies, and don't yet know how. Let us know how it goes :)

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

I haven't heard anything about animals less than 2 weeks old being hypoxia resistant... I'm in my 2nd year of Vet Tech school and nothing of the sort has been said.

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Really? I can't remember where I read that.. but I never tried gassing them. Hey if it works, it works. Popping them into the freezer is quick and simple. Not all freezers are -10 degrees though.. I'd think the colder the temp, the quicker the deed is done.

Something else that might work, that wouldn't shock their bodies into emergency mode, is maybe put them in the garage, if you have one, or a colder room in the house with the window open, and leave them in the cage without their mum. Would most likely cause them to just fall asleep and die. I don't know, whichever way you choose should work. I just think if I were a mouse/rat(no anthropomorphisizing here), it would be nicer to fall asleep and die, than be shoved in a plastic bag, a put in a really cold place, and freeze to death. Maybe it's like being caught in a snow storm and passing away like that? Sorry to be morbid, just thinking too much :)

I don't freeze mine in the plastic bag.. I don't know if it makes much difference, but I'd think it'd be more stressful to be really cold AND have no air, rather than just fall asleep really cold. I freeze mine in a deli cup.. when I move them over to the bag, they're all peaceful looking.. no open gasping mouths, just sitting with their heads resting on their feet.

Wouldn't putting them in just a cold room w/o mom make them survive longer before their death? You wouldn't want them to die of starvation. I don't know..

Oh definately not, it doesn't take babies that young very long to die. If they are about a day or 2 old, even in a regular room temp area, they would most likely freeze to death, as their bodies can't regulate their own temp yet.

I like it when they rest their heads on their feet, it's so cute. Ours do it when they want something, when they are laying down and have their heads on their feet, but they look up at you. Big Ol' Moochers, All of them! :)