Humane way to euthanize rats?

What's the most humane way to euthanize your rats without gassing them?

if your gonna euth your own rats, why dont you want to gas them?
spooky

I dont breed rats, I actually get f/t for my normal, who I've had for a while. But the new guy isn't eating at all, and he ate live before I got him. So I offer a live rat once a week. Which he doesn't eat. So, I have to kill them, and I do hate doing it...

not saying its the best way but you can put them in a bag and thump them on the counter or something hard. They die quickly so I assume it would be humane. I personally just feed live but occasionally I have to thump them.

what size rats are they,,,,,,, nevermind,, i dont know how your killing them now,, but gassing them is way better than however your doing it . you dont have to wack them on the head, or anything like that,, just put them in and be done. 10 gal aquarium, small co2 tank, plexiglass top to fit the top of the aquarium, and some plastic hose and your good to go. gassing is about the easiest way for the rat,,,, and you.
spooky

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Originally Posted by Rat160

not saying its the best way but you can put them in a bag and thump them on the counter or something hard. They die quickly so I assume it would be humane. I personally just feed live but occasionally I have to thump them.

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NO,,, NOT a reconized humane way of euthanazia
spooky

This isn't CO2, but another method of gas/vapor euthanasia. You can take a chloroform soaked cotton ball and put it and the rat into an air tight container.... I think chloroform is hard to find, but I've read a lot of rat pet owners use this method of home euthanasia. It's suppose to have a sweet smell and just have the rat drift off peacefully.

Honestly, other means of euthanasia aren't as humane, quick, clean, or easy. I would just stick to CO2.

easiest and most cost effective way... Cooler + Dry Ice... place rat/mouse in bottem of cooler place some sort of rack or screen far enough above the rat/mouse so it isn't able to touch it, place dry ice ontop of said rack/screen... leave alone for a while CO2 fills the cooler the rat/mouse passes out and dies in its sleep.. as far as I've been told never done it but plan to if i have to euthanize, myself....

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Originally Posted by satomi325

This isn't CO2, but another method of gas/vapor euthanasia. You can take a chloroform soaked cotton ball and put it and the rat into an air tight container.... I think chloroform is hard to find, but I've read a lot of rat pet owners use this method of home euthanasia. It's suppose to have a sweet smell and just have the rat drift off peacefully.

Honestly, other means of euthanasia aren't as humane, quick, clean, or easy. I would just stick to CO2.

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hahaha , you gotta be licensed for chloroform or the likes there of such as iso...
spooky

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Originally Posted by mr.spooky

hahaha , you gotta be licensed for chloroform or the likes there of such as iso...
spooky

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I wonder why so many rat people have them then?:confused::confused::confused: I read this in a rat forum and it seemed like a common home euthanasia practice there....LOL..... rat people = black market users??? :O hahaha

Ok so if you take a live rat, put it in with a snake so it can strike, bite squeeze the rat to a slow death and thats humane? But whackin it on the head so it dies immediatlly is not humane? Lol really. You own snakes. Either feed em live or crack em on the head if ya wanna freeze em. I personally breed my own rats and i feed live every week. If i have rats left over from a feeding they go back in the rat racks. I have 12 breeder rat racks and 6 holding racks so with that amount of production i do tend to have surplus from time to time but i usually dont have to freeze cause i sell em to other breeders but if ya have to freeze theres nothin wrong with whackin em and baggin em

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Originally Posted by satomi325

I wonder why so many rat people have them then?:confused::confused::confused: I read this in a rat forum and it seemed like a common home euthanasia practice there....LOL..... rat people = black market users??? :O hahaha

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maby they make i dunno,,,, i dident think they sold anesthetics to the general public.. could be wrong.
spooky

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Originally Posted by mr.spooky

maby they make i dunno,,,, i dident think they sold anesthetics to the general public.. could be wrong.
spooky

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I think you may be right....:confused:

sometimes i get deals on 50-100+ live rats. i take 2 5 gallon buckets and fill them half way with water put some rats in one and put the other on top. then just dry them off and freeze them. not something i like to do and can be a pain in the a$$ doing 100 rats but it works.
anyone use the dry ice way mentioned above? and where do you get dry ice?

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Originally Posted by snake lab

Ok so if you take a live rat, put it in with a snake so it can strike, bite squeeze the rat to a slow death and thats humane? But whackin it on the head so it dies immediatlly is not humane? Lol really. You own snakes. Either feed em live or crack em on the head if ya wanna freeze em. I personally breed my own rats and i feed live every week. If i have rats left over from a feeding they go back in the rat racks. I have 12 breeder rat racks and 6 holding racks so with that amount of production i do tend to have surplus from time to time but i usually dont have to freeze cause i sell em to other breeders but if ya have to freeze theres nothin wrong with whackin em and baggin em

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there are reconised ways of humanely euthanizing rats,,,, and puting them in a bag and "wacking "them is not one of them.
you can also hold them under water:rolleyes:,,, throw them at the wall:rolleyes:,, or sit on them:rolleyes::rolleyes:.... the OP wants to do it the right way... not a barbaric " put em in a tater sack and thump em" kinda way..
spooky

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Originally Posted by shadow120

sometimes i get deals on 50-100+ live rats. i take 2 5 gallon buckets and fill them half way with water put some rats in one and put the other on top. then just dry them off and freeze them. not something i like to do and can be a pain in the a$$ doing 100 rats but it works.
anyone use the dry ice way mentioned above? and where do you get dry ice?

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are you serious??????? you all are killing me....
spooky

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Originally Posted by shadow120

sometimes i get deals on 50-100+ live rats. i take 2 5 gallon buckets and fill them half way with water put some rats in one and put the other on top. then just dry them off and freeze them. not something i like to do and can be a pain in the a$$ doing 100 rats but it works.
anyone use the dry ice way mentioned above? and where do you get dry ice?

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You can get dry ice at many grocery stores and super walmarts. I highly recommend CO2 euthanasia for you.....Freezing is not humane at all and very painful. If you can't get dry ice, you can use vinegar and baking soda instead.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

You can get dry ice at many grocery stores and super walmarts. I highly recommend CO2 for you.....Freezing is not humane at all and very painful. If you can't get dry ice, you can use vinegar and baking soda instead.

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hees not freezing them,,,,,, hees drowning them:tears::rage:
spooky

I don't think he's freezing them until after they are dead. I think he's drowning them.... If I read that correctly.
Ya thats definately not a way to euth rats humanely. Wowzer

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So I'm guessing that since your working with one rat you don't want to go through the expense of buying a co2 tank or finding dry ice. You can use common household products to create co2. There are plenty of guides online using Baking soda and vinegar. It works well enough to euthanize a rat. I'm not sure if it would produce enough Co2 over a sustained period of time to kill a larger grouping but it might. Please don't put them in a bag and bash them around because that's just plain animal abuse. Sorry if you disagree but people keep rats as pets and to them doing that is akin to placing a puppy in a bag and slamming it all over the place.

ya im drowning them and like i said its not something i like to do but in my defence i dont think its any slower or more painful then being crushed by a snake. ill have to look into the dry ice

yikes....

Hmm.. For some reason I read it as he's getting them wet to make the freezing process go faster.....
:tears:
But drowning is still really inhumane!!

Break their necks for goodness sakes! Hold rat by tail; use other hand to pin head of rat with screwdriver, pen, or other similar object; yank tail hard to separate cranium from spine. Quick, easy, and painless. Please do not "thump, drown, or sit on them!" I use gas on pinks and pups though - tail is weak.

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Originally Posted by shadow120

ya im drowning them and like i said its not something i like to do but in my defence i dont think its any slower or more painful then being crushed by a snake. ill have to look into the dry ice

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:O Snakie has no other way to kill rattie. Us humans be smarter with tools.

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Originally Posted by Ladybugzcrunch

Break their necks for goodness sakes! Hold rat by tail; use other hand to pin head of rat with screwdriver, pen, or other similar object; yank tail hard to separate cranium from spine. Quick, easy, and painless. Please do not "thump, drown, or sit on them!" I use gas on pinks and pups though - tail is weak.

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cervical dislocation is one way of killing MICE, but is not comon procedure for rats.
spooky

I grab the rat by the neck with one hand and the base of the tail with the other...then pull very hard. Game over.

Lmao. This thread is seriouslly funny. There really is a guidline of accepted practices to humanely killing a rat? I mean come on. The most humane way of killing anything is sudden death. Quick painless done. The needle they stick a dog with to put it down hurts more then sudden death. Drowning a rat? So your not worried about the amount of water it swallows and fills in its lungs then having to defrost that? Not to mention the added drainage and mess during defrost. Setting up a gas chamber or screw around with dry ice etc. Really? Just smack the friggin thing on the head and be done with it. Quick, sudden, bam, done. But i do love when a thread spirals out of control so i cant wait for ideas of tiny electric chairs or kevorkians death machine

Wait wait, i got one. How bout letting the snake kill it and eat.

Because I raise my snakes to breed and dont want to run the risk of injury. Thats why I prekill, simple as that.

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Originally Posted by mr.spooky

cervical dislocation is one way of killing MICE, but is not comon procedure for rats.
spooky

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Escuzie
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ght=euthanasia
It is fairly common. As a matter of fact, this is actually the preferred method of killing rabbits for human consumption. When you gas, and the rat suffocates, it releases lots of lactic acid which makes the meat taste bitter. Can you please enlighten me as to why cervical dislocation is okay for mice but not for rats? They happen to have very similar anatomy.

Ironically, one of the recognized ways to euthanize pinks are through freezing. They have a low oxygen affinity and resist hypoxia, so CO2 may not work if you don't leave them in longer than older rats. The low oxygen affinity is due to being able to tolerate mom sitting on them.

And yes. There are recognized euthanasia procedures. Many non recognized ways are illegal and/or dubbed to be animal cruelty. Of course all this can be subjected, but there is an 'official' veterinary approved list out there

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Originally Posted by snake lab

Lmao. This thread is seriouslly funny. There really is a guidline of accepted practices to humanely killing a rat? I mean come on. The most humane way of killing anything is sudden death. Quick painless done. The needle they stick a dog with to put it down hurts more then sudden death. Drowning a rat? So your not worried about the amount of water it swallows and fills in its lungs then having to defrost that? Not to mention the added drainage and mess during defrost. Setting up a gas chamber or screw around with dry ice etc. Really? Just smack the friggin thing on the head and be done with it. Quick, sudden, bam, done. But i do love when a thread spirals out of control so i cant wait for ideas of tiny electric chairs or kevorkians death machine

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yes there is. do some homework.
spooky

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Originally Posted by FkNdRk

Because I raise my snakes to breed and dont want to run the risk of injury. Thats why I prekill, simple as that.

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Ive been breeding since the 90s and have only had one injury from prey. Rooster spurred a retic. Dont ask lol long time ago very stupid. The way i feed is simple. I offer, if they dont hit right away then i remove and offer again later. I never leave em in the tubs unattended.. simple as that

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Originally Posted by mr.spooky

yes there is. do some homework.
spooky

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Lol i dont need to do homework on how to kill a rat quickly. Sometimes overthinking a situation is not necessary

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Originally Posted by FkNdRk

Because I raise my snakes to breed and dont want to run the risk of injury. Thats why I prekill, simple as that.

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To avoid injury w/ live prey, you can feed smaller and more frequent than larger and less often.
For example, feeding weanlings or small rats. They are helpless and harmless.

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Originally Posted by Ladybugzcrunch

Escuzie
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ght=euthanasia
It is fairly common. As a matter of fact, this is actually the preferred method of killing rabbits for human consumption. When you gas, and the rat suffocates, it releases lots of lactic acid which makes the meat taste bitter. Can you please enlighten me as to why cervical dislocation is okay for mice but not for rats? They happen to have very similar anatomy.

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sure. to start with, iv had more than 8 years in the lab animal field, dealing with thousands of mice and rats... but if that isn't enough,,,,,


Standard Euthanasia Methods for Commonly Used Species

Below are a set of standard acceptable euthanasia methods. You may cut and paste them into the Animal Care and Use Protocol (ACUP) form, section 6C.1). Please contact the IACUC or RAR veterinary staff if you have any questions about these methods or would like training in the use of these methods.



Rodents (Mice, Rats, Gerbils, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, and Voles)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) To effect
Sodium Pentobarbital 100 or > mg/kg IV, IP
Commercial Euthanasia Solution (Sodium pentobarbital 390 mg + sodium phenytoin 50 mg/ml) (e.g. Beuthanasia®, Euthasol®, Fatal-Plus®, Somlethal®) 0.22 ml/kg IV, IP (~86 mg/kg pentobarbital)
Decapitation under anesthesia (anesthesia details must be specified in ACUP)
Cervical dislocation under anesthesia (anesthesia details must be specified in ACUP) .
spooky

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Originally Posted by snake lab

Lol i dont need to do homework on how to kill a rat quickly. Sometimes overthinking a situation is not necessary

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http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/w...Spooky/git.jpg
spooky

Spooky. Just a side bar real quick. Since you said youve been in the lab maybe you can help me out. Whats the brand name for the stainless rodent tubs. The ones i used to use along time ago arent made anymore. I want to get a couple dozen to raise up some asf colonies and i dont want to put those chewin lil jokers in my racks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ladybugzcrunch

Escuzie
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ght=euthanasia
It is fairly common. As a matter of fact, this is actually the preferred method of killing rabbits for human consumption. When you gas, and the rat suffocates, it releases lots of lactic acid which makes the meat taste bitter.

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I too know many who euthanize their food rabbits w/ cervical dislocation. However, I don't think a snake cares if the meat tastes bitter. The outside of the rat isn't going to taste like the inside of a rat. Whether or not snakes have taste buds, the rat is already in it's stomach before any lactic acidic muscle is exposed. Also there is the chance that somebody doesn't do the procedure correctly on the first try. I.E, not pulling hard enough to break the neck and hurting the animal.

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Originally Posted by mr.spooky

sure. to start with, iv had more than 8 years in the lab animal field, dealing with thousands of mice and rats... but if that isn't enough,,,,,


Standard Euthanasia Methods for Commonly Used Species

Below are a set of standard acceptable euthanasia methods. You may cut and paste them into the Animal Care and Use Protocol (ACUP) form, section 6C.1). Please contact the IACUC or RAR veterinary staff if you have any questions about these methods or would like training in the use of these methods.



Rodents (Mice, Rats, Gerbils, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, and Voles)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) To effect
Sodium Pentobarbital 100 or > mg/kg IV, IP
Commercial Euthanasia Solution (Sodium pentobarbital 390 mg + sodium phenytoin 50 mg/ml) (e.g. Beuthanasia®, Euthasol®, Fatal-Plus®, Somlethal®) 0.22 ml/kg IV, IP (~86 mg/kg pentobarbital)
Decapitation under anesthesia (anesthesia details must be specified in ACUP)
Cervical dislocation under anesthesia (anesthesia details must be specified in ACUP) .
spooky

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I currently work in a lab where we euthanize animals daily. Different labs have different euthanasia protocols, but they're all along the same lines to this.

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Originally Posted by snake lab

Spooky. Just a side bar real quick. Since you said youve been in the lab maybe you can help me out. Whats the brand name for the stainless rodent tubs. The ones i used to use along time ago arent made anymore. I want to get a couple dozen to raise up some asf colonies and i dont want to put those chewin lil jokers in my racks.

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we never used the stainless... it seemed like what we used at the university was something called "Z something or the other" they were autoclaveable... its been a few years sence i was in lab animal.
ill try to find them....
spooky

That would work as long as they will stand up to asf. They keep chewing out of my freedom tubs. I do have a big autoclave so that would work good. The stainless i used to use were from standard labs and i bought em from a guy who worked at nih. Cant find em anymore and the guy i used to get em from passed away like 10 years ago

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Originally Posted by snake lab

That would work as long as they will stand up to asf. They keep chewing out of my freedom tubs. I do have a big autoclave so that would work good. The stainless i used to use were from standard labs and i bought em from a guy who worked at nih. Cant find em anymore and the guy i used to get em from passed away like 10 years ago

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i dont know about ASF's and chewing,,, but i do know that rats and mice couldent scratch them.... they had lids with a micro isolator insert in them...
ill try to find out for ya.... they were expensive, but probabaly cheaper than S.S.
spooky

For f/t or p/k feeders, they are thumped on the head. I guess we are horrible animal cruelty people :rolleyes:

i dont care what yall do,,, the OP just ask about a humane way to kill rats.. i gave the best answer i knew. ill sleep good tonight.
spooky

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Originally Posted by snake lab

Wait wait, i got one. How bout letting the snake kill it and eat.

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Really, what is it like when a snake hits and eats it? Why are we debating this? It's probably not "humane" the way a snake kills its prey in the wild. It's just the way it is.

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Originally Posted by snake lab

That would work as long as they will stand up to asf. They keep chewing out of my freedom tubs. I do have a big autoclave so that would work good. The stainless i used to use were from standard labs and i bought em from a guy who worked at nih. Cant find em anymore and the guy i used to get em from passed away like 10 years ago

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just remembered i had one ..... its called ZYTEM
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/w.../WP_000406.jpg
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/w.../WP_000407.jpg
spooky

i think everyone has their only humane way of killing rats and mice. my humane way is using a c02 chamber my buddy made for me when i have alot to kill. if its just one or two.. i slap it on the wall a few times. my buddy does this..you can buy dry ice from some stores for $1 a pound, and get a tub put the rats in it.Crush the dry ice up and put it in a cup and pour some hot water in the cup. Put the cup in the tub and put lid over it. but it lets off c02 its just a cheaper way of not having to buy c02 cartridge.

Anyone able to tell me the best way to set up a co2 chamber? I am planning on breeding my rats and trying to find a way to euthanize. Also a rough estimate of how much it will be to set this up

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Originally Posted by blueberrypancakes

I dont breed rats, I actually get f/t for my normal, who I've had for a while. But the new guy isn't eating at all, and he ate live before I got him. So I offer a live rat once a week. Which he doesn't eat. So, I have to kill them, and I do hate doing it...

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I would suggest gassing (which can be accomplished with a cooler and dry ice) or just keeping them alive so you can reuse the same rat eat week. When you have a live eater it never hurts to have a rat set-up ready to go.

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Originally Posted by Jor23dan

Anyone able to tell me the best way to set up a co2 chamber? I am planning on breeding my rats and trying to find a way to euthanize. Also a rough estimate of how much it will be to set this up

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A small Co2 tank called a five pounder costs around $50 plus $14 to fill it. Plus or minus depending on your location. It will last months if you use it infrequently. I got mine at a place that sells and services fire extinguishers.

I just use a Sterilite tub for the chamber. Co2 is heavier than air so it stays on the bottom. It doesn't have to be air tight.

To the wack on the head or wall people - how do you deal with the blood? A blow to the head will make them bleed from the nose. A body slam might not produce blood but it's not quick or painless. They go into shock and even though they look dead they still feel.