culling adult bps

theres a lot of discussion on the correct/ most humane way to cull snakes...usually newborns that are deformed. what is the proper way to cull an adult snake? opinions?

Why would you cull an adult?

hmmm maybe scale rot that ate into the body cavity, or IBD. i don't have an adult that needs to be culled, i was just wondering.

i saw a show that was studying burmese anatomy and they had a burmese that was frozen in a meat locker type fridge. i was wondering if they culled it in the freezer or if it just died and they put it in the freezer.

I would have a vet do it. Or just as in a baby, you remove the head. But I would think I would want a hero vet to say that it was hopeless.

And no freezing to kill it :mad:

Wierd thread...

I would exhaust all other options before considering this.

Freezing is the most horrible option out there. It's a slow and agonizingly painful process for reptiles. Stick your hand in a bucket of ice for a decent period of time and tell me how that feels.

I would take an adult to the vet for euthanasia. And if there was ever a situation where I had to euthanize on the spot, I think decapitation would be the most humane. Cervical dislocation sounds like a good option too, but it seems a little tricky and possibly difficult to do on a snake. Especially if you don't know what you're doing.

Most likely the burm died from something else and they put it in the freezer.

Freezing is really bad the snake will not just go to sleep and die, snakes are cold blooded and will just die a slow and painful death.

If you HAVE to put a snake down yourself remove the head but ill go to the vet, i dont think i have the hart to kill a snake.

i would definitely go to the vet because i have a tough time just prekilling rats for my snakes as is.

what does the vet do to euthanize a snake? a CO2 chamber?

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Originally Posted by hypersomniacjoo

what does the vet do to euthanize a snake? a CO2 chamber?

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I have never understood why people think these just put animals 'to sleep'. CO1 or Helium aren't detected by the body until you pass out so there is no suffocation feeling. Using CO2 would just cause the panic, unconsciousness and then death.

i think they use the same thing they give to cats and dogs. Overdose of anesthesia i think

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Originally Posted by hypersomniacjoo

what does the vet do to euthanize a snake? a CO2 chamber?

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Lethal injection with anesthesia overdose. If a veins cannot be located as they can be difficult to find, they will do direct injection to the heart instead.

Strange, if not a bit creepy thread........:confused:

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I think (hope) the title is a little misleading.
Culling is often thought of putting down a healthy animal for what ever reason, and humanly euthanasia is done for the benefit of the animal to end suffering.

Best way is to have a vet do it, next option is instantaneous brain destruction.
Freezing is very bad, and should never be done. With some low metabolism species they can even survive decapitation for a short time, so that is even frowned on by some.

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With some low metabolism species they can even survive decapitation for a short time, so that is even frowned on by some.

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No route to the brain - no pain. "Alive" or otherwise.

I'd likely just have the vet do it - if ever I needed them to.

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Originally Posted by HaikyFin

No route to the brain - no pain. "Alive" or otherwise.

I'd likely just have the vet do it - if ever I needed them to.

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The head end would be able to.

I had to have my first snake put down due to viral pneumonia that turned septic. It cost about $250 to have her injected first with anesthesia to knock her out so she didn't feel anything, then the euthanasia drug. Call me sentimental, I had her cremated and still have the ashes in an urn on my mantle over the fire place.

I think, if you're going to cull an adult, it should be done by a vet as painlessly as possible. I thought the anesthesia necessary given the way they have to put smaller snakes down. It's quite painful.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

Lethal injection with anesthesia overdose. If a veins cannot be located as they can be difficult to find, they will do direct injection to the heart instead.

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This. ^^^ Smaller snakes typically get the injection straight to the heart. But as I said, they can knock them out first if you want. It just costs more. In larger snakes, they use the caudal (tail) vein to euthanize them.

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Originally Posted by hypersomniacjoo

what does the vet do to euthanize a snake? a CO2 chamber?

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We had to take a girl in last year and they did it via injection to the heart.

I realize the notion that we can understand the level of pain being induced is subjective, as no BP will ever be able to convey the experience, thus we guess. That being said, there are a few pressumptions that I tend to side with, one being that freezing a reptile would be slow and agonizing as they are cold blooded and the metabolism for such animals, works in the way it does.

Aside from that, lets assume that the neurological pain sensory systems are similar. I would think a needle puncturing the heart would be extremely uncomfortable.

Further, while I agree that lower metabolic animals take a longer time to quit showing involuntary movement, I would be surprised to discover there would be any real pain associated with decapitation on either of the two segments. My logic though unprovable, is simply because the trauma would cause shock, which at least in mammals, manifests in the form of numbness. Just my $0.02 which is as worthless as anyone's opinion on what a BP feels.

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Originally Posted by rlditmars

My logic though unprovable, is simply because the trauma would cause shock, which at least in mammals, manifests in the form of numbness.

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Like you said, we can't really know. But if humans are an indication, shock doesn't always set in. It is different for everyone.

Regardless, the day you have to put any animal down is not a good one.

Cut its head off as swiftly as possible would be the most humane way i would imagine. If it was obviously suffering i wouldnt have a problem doing it myself. If i wasnt sure then i would take it to a vet. If they thought the best option would be to cull it then i would probably still do it myself at home by cutting off its head. A needle to the heart sounds wayyyyy more painful than a quick guillotine type execution imo.
I remember reading somewhere that after decapitation scientists estimate humans still remain alive for a second or two. Idk if thats true or not or how it works with snakes though. Or how anyone would know that lol...?

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

I remember reading somewhere that after decapitation scientists estimate humans still remain alive for a second or two. Idk if thats true or not or how it works with snakes though. Or how anyone would know that lol...?

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I've read things about old beheadings where people would talk shortly after it happened. And some accounts of car accident victims seeing severed heads moving their eyes around.

As far as snakes, I saw a video from the Sweetwater round-up recently :mad:
The head stays very much alive.

I've euthanized a few small animals with a cardiac injection. None of those animals were conscious during the procedure.
I've never observed or experienced putting down a snake, but I imagine most are anethesized first. In some states its illegal to give a cardiac injection on a fully conscious and awake animal.

Depending on the vet, many small animal pets(ferrets, rats, guinea pigs, etc etc) are euthanized in the same manner since finding a vein can be hard for intravenous injections.



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Originally Posted by mackynz

I've read things about old beheadings where people would talk shortly after it happened. And some accounts of car accident victims seeing severed heads moving their eyes around.

As far as snakes, I saw a video from the Sweetwater round-up recently :mad:
The head stays very much alive.

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I forgot to add this to my first post, but i also think thats why youre supposed to follow decapitation with stabbing the knife into the brain to fully kill them. (Im not the best with words so i know that sounds gruesome but whatever lol.)

And thats crazy. I would still choose decapitation over a needle to the heart though personally!:oops:

1) Instantaneous destruction of the brain. Reptile brains are small, so crushing is probably the safest way to ensure that this is humane and fast. It's absolutely HORRIBLE...but this is about eliminating suffering, and not our feelings, isn't it?

2) Euthanasia by a vet--the snake will have to endure the stress of transport, and a needle stick, but then the anaesthetic should kick in. Don't let a vet inject your snake into the heart without using an anaesthetic first, that's just cruel.

3) Freezing, decapitation, CO2, etc--all cruel.

Decapitated snakes' heads have been known to react defensively to stimuli, which means the head isn't just still alive, it's fully conscious. Stabbing it in the brain AFTER you cut off its head is a bit too late, isn't it?

Not the most pleasant subject, but probably an important one.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

1) Instantaneous destruction of the brain. Reptile brains are small, so crushing is probably the safest way to ensure that this is humane and fast. It's absolutely HORRIBLE...but this is about eliminating suffering, and not our feelings, isn't it?

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I agree completely, on our end it is messy and terrible sounding. But complete destruction of brain tissue would solve the pain thing. Cranial caps or something...