What to do with rat?

Hey, I feed my ball on fridays. I just started feeding him small rats a couple of weeks ago. I went friday and got a small rat from the pet store. he wont eat anything but live. When I got the rat home I weighed it. It came in at 147 grams. my snake is only 648 grams. So i decided not to feed him that rat. I called the pet store where I got it and they wont take it back because I had it over 24 hrs. I was thinking about keeping it untill bubbles (my snake) gets bigger, but wont the rat grow faster then the snake? any suggestions on what I should do with the rat? Thanks

The rat will grow much faster than the snake.

You have 3 options:

1. keep it as a new pet

2. sell it

3. kill it

Just whatever you do don't release it into the "wild"

I was thinking about killing it. and putting it in the freezer but i was not sure how to go about it. I dont want to make it suffer. any suggestions

CO2 gas chamber, you can do it with dry ice, or get a compressed cylinder of it.

Here are some plans. easy t do and relatively cheap.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Y-CO2-chamber)

http://www.rodentracks.com/DIY_Co2_Chamber.html

When using CO2 make sure that you start off with a slow flow. this puts the animal to sleep. then you increase the flow to finish the job. Starting with the valve completely open will cause the rodent pain.

Or hit it over the head. Seems harsh but its quick and painless.
Keep the negative comments to yourself. You know it's a part of our hobby.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rob

Or hit it over the head. Seems harsh but its quick and painless.
Keep the negative comments to yourself. You know it's a part of our hobby.

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But it doesn't HAVE to be, there are simple and cheap alternatives.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

But it doesn't HAVE to be, there are simple and cheap alternatives.

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No it doesn't your right, just throwing the option out there. I know this topic has been covered a million times, but the level of humanity in each way to kill a rodent is a lot of opinion. Some people may want to step into a gas chamber and die, some may want to get thumped over the head. I don't think either one is cruel, considering the other alternative is getting squeezed to death.

Just whatever you do don't release it into the "wild"

AMEN!
:gj:

Id sell it and use the cash to buy a good size rat

I put them up on the classifieds for free.

I would feed it to the snake......I don't know where at 10% thing started, but I have fed BIG meals to stuff without an issue...feed it off....

Jason

Try feeding it, but keep an eye on the snake while it eats (You should be doing this anyway, but pay special attention with the larger rat). If the snake doesn't eat it just bop it on a table and throw it out. You can get another one for two bucks later on anyhow.

EDIT:

I think the 10% rule started to keep new keepers from feeding an 800 gram ball a jumbo rat. Snakes can't eat anything! It isn't really a rule though, just a guide.

EDIT 2:

comment

I'm not going to get into a debate about this, but it seems a bit excessive to build a gas chamber to kill one rat. Also does anyone really want a "used" rat when you could get a new one for 2 bucks?

/comment

Place an ad on craigslist under pets, someone will take it. if not for food for a pet

co2 can be a slow scary death for a rat if not done right. The rat will flip out, have convulsions, crap, pee, and vomit itself...not very humane. a quick blow to the head is an immediate painless way to dispatch a rat....cheap too

Do you have any friends with bigger snakes or monitors or something that could eat it? You can give it to them or trade it for a smaller rat. Keep it for a few days and post something on the internet.