DIY Euthanasia

Hello. I will be feeding my Dumeril's on Thursday, and I do not like feeding live. I've heard of people putting rodents in a plastic container, and spraying some dust remover (or something like that) in the tub, which displaces the air, thus killing the rodents. I have everything ready to do so, but I need something to displace the air in the plastic container. Got ideas as to what I should use? Thanks in advanced.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hlight=chamber

Using dry ice worked really for me. Put the dry ice in a small ventilated container, pour water over it and put in a larger airtight container (I used two Tupperware bins). Put the prey in the larger bin and seal the lid. My gerbils passed out in less then 30 seconds and died within a few minutes.

I have an old cooler and use dry ice. I put the dry ice in a seperate container with holes in it. Works great.

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

I have an old cooler and use dry ice. I put the dry ice in a seperate container with holes in it. Works great.

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My bf does the same for our feeders.

Thanks, everyone!

Not sure if y'all care about such things, but dry ice as a carbon dioxide source is no longer listed as being "humane" in the last update to the AVMA Euthanasia Protocol. It is near impossible to control the flow of CO2 using dry ice, and that can cause either panic from rapid onset of unconsciousness or prolonged suffering due to lengthened onset.And it doesn't kill pinkies or fuzzies well at all; they are resistant to CO2 euthanasia.Doesn't mean non-veterinarians or non-researchers can't still use it, but thought you might be interested.

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Originally Posted by Mephibosheth1

Not sure if y'all care about such things, but dry ice as a carbon dioxide source is no longer listed as being "humane" in the last update to the AVMA Euthanasia Protocol. It is near impossible to control the flow of CO2 using dry ice, and that can cause either panic from rapid onset of unconsciousness or prolonged suffering due to lengthened onset.And it doesn't kill pinkies or fuzzies well at all; they are resistant to CO2 euthanasia.Doesn't mean non-veterinarians or non-researchers can't still use it, but thought you might be interested.

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Thanks for the info! What method of euthanasia do you suggest?

Mephibosheth1 is correct.
While dry ice is ok in a pinch or last resort, it's not as humane as using a Co2 tank that has a valve to regulate flow. As Mephibosheth said, there is no way to regulate the flow of Co2 using dry ice. If the sublimation is too quick, it causes distress and panic to the animals and they will suffocate before losing consciousness first.

If you do dry ice, make sure the container is large. Add very little amounts of water to keep the Co2 rate slow. That way it's slow enough for the feeders to loose consciousness first before suffocating. Once they're knocked out, you can go ahead and pour more water into the container for a rapid release of co2 to euthanize them.


Two humane methods of euthanasia is:
1) Using essentially the same method as the dry ice method. But instead of Dry ice, it's a Co2 canister(such as the kind used for paint balling) with a release valve. Do a slow gradual release to knock out the rats first, then a rapid release of gas to euthanize them. They tend to panic more if they're awake all the way to the point of death. Plus it's a painful process. Co2 gas stings the nose and eyes, so it's better if they are unconscious for the most part.

or

2) Cervical Dislocation: Breaking the neck.
Put your rodent onto a flat surface, such as a table or counter. You can use something like screwdriver or stick to put behind it's neck. Push the rodent into the table with the screwdriver behind it's neck with one hand and hold onto it's tail with the other hand. Pull on the base of the tail until you feel/hear the vertebrae pop several times and the rat is dead. It takes like 2 seconds.


And then there's always the good ol' fashion snake method. ;p

http://diyco2euthanizekit.blogspot.c...e-kit.html?m=1
;)

Check it

Hmm. I did not know that Meph. I just recently have had to do this, so am new to it. And the chamber we followed directions from (from here somewhere, cant find it right now) did not say to add water. :confused:

And might I recommend vinegar and baking soda? the CO2 is released much more slowly and it takes far longer, but it's considered more humane, as well.

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Originally Posted by Anya

And might I recommend vinegar and baking soda? the CO2 is released much more slowly and it takes far longer, but it's considered more humane, as well.

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One problem with vinegar and baking soda is that its really messy and smells. You would need a lot of it to put an animal down since the reaction is fast.

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Oh my god. I'd rather just feed live I can't just kill an animal,I'd rather have an animal kill the animal,takes the pressure of me..I can't kill things:(

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Originally Posted by NYHC4LIFE8899

Oh my god. I'd rather just feed live I can't just kill an animal,I'd rather have an animal kill the animal,takes the pressure of me..I can't kill things:(

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While an unpleasant reality, feeding live comes with serious risks to your herps and these risks are multiplied if you don't know the feeder's origin. Internal parasites and mites often go undetected in pet store colonies. If your snake doesn't strike and coil properly, they can be seriously injured by a struggling (and biting) rodent. A rodent left with a snake, even for a few minutes, might attack and cause some very painful wounds.

Cervical dislocation is very fast and humane, especially if your feeders are accustomed to handling. My rat weanlings get a few minutes of attention right before being dispatched and there is no suffering involved. They die relaxed and happy.

An acquaintance of mine told me that his daughter worked in a pet store where they killed feeders by putting them in the freezer. :O Someone please tell me he was yanking my chain.

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Originally Posted by Garnet

An acquaintance of mine told me that his daughter worked in a pet store where they killed feeders by putting them in the freezer. :O Someone please tell me he was yanking my chain.

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No some stores do that. Absolutely horrible.

*shakes head* Now I'm going to have to find out how the place I buy F/T from kills their feeders. Gawd.

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Originally Posted by Garnet

*shakes head* Now I'm going to have to find out how the place I buy F/T from kills their feeders. Gawd.

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Big Cheese Rodent Factory is where I get mine. They ship directly to you. Fortunately for me, I live in Fort Worth where they are located.

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Small CO2 tanks and regulators are readily available at any welding supply shop. And in my opinion far superior to dry ice..

And for small scale euthanasia, paintball canisters are only $20 and $2-3 to fill them up with CO2 at a sporting good store.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

Two humane methods of euthanasia is:
1) Using essentially the same method as the dry ice method. But instead of Dry ice, it's a Co2 canister(such as the kind used for paint balling) with a release valve. Do a slow gradual release to knock out the rats first, then a rapid release of gas to euthanize them. They tend to panic more if they're awake all the way to the point of death. Plus it's a painful process. Co2 gas stings the nose and eyes, so it's better if they are unconscious for the most part.

or

2) Cervical Dislocation: Breaking the neck.
Put your rodent onto a flat surface, such as a table or counter. You can use something like screwdriver or stick to put behind it's neck. Push the rodent into the table with the screwdriver behind it's neck with one hand and hold onto it's tail with the other hand. Pull on the base of the tail until you feel/hear the vertebrae pop several times and the rat is dead. It takes like 2 seconds.

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I've done both of these, but I prefer #1. Since I have a CO2 canister with regulator, I use that for the most part. If I only have one or two animals (like if I need to buy a couple mice for my rosy boas), I'll use #2 because it is very quick and I won't have to waste the CO2 for just a couple animals.

If you do use cervical dislocation, beware that pulling the tail alone can sometimes result in degloving, especially on larger animals. I can't tell you how likely it will happen or under what exact circumstances, just it is a possibility to be wary of. If you hold the tail and back legs, the risk is greatly reduced. (I hold the back legs and tail, and have never had a degloving occur).

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by satomi325

Two humane methods of euthanasia is:
1) Using essentially the same method as the dry ice method. But instead of Dry ice, it's a Co2 canister(such as the kind used for paint balling) with a release valve. Do a slow gradual release to knock out the rats first, then a rapid release of gas to euthanize them. They tend to panic more if they're awake all the way to the point of death. Plus it's a painful process. Co2 gas stings the nose and eyes, so it's better if they are unconscious for the most part.

or

2) Cervical Dislocation: Breaking the neck.
Put your rodent onto a flat surface, such as a table or counter. You can use something like screwdriver or stick to put behind it's neck. Push the rodent into the table with the screwdriver behind it's neck with one hand and hold onto it's tail with the other hand. Pull on the base of the tail until you feel/hear the vertebrae pop several times and the rat is dead. It takes like 2 seconds.

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I've done both of these, but I prefer #1. Since I have a CO2 canister with regulator, I use that for the most part. If I only have one or two animals (like if I need to buy a couple mice for my rosy boas), I'll use #2 because it is very quick and I won't have to waste the CO2 for just a couple animals.

If you do use cervical dislocation, beware that pulling the tail alone can sometimes result in degloving, especially on larger animals. I can't tell you how likely it will happen or under what exact circumstances, just it is a possibility to be wary of. If you hold the tail and back legs, the risk is greatly reduced. (I hold the back legs and tail, and have never had a degloving occur).

I switched to holding my dry ice container above the container with the animals in it, with the lid open. The co2 sinks, so i just let a bit fall in, give it a bit of time, and do it again, slowly, until everyone is out, then i pour it on heavy.

It's still not an exact science, but it's better than just pouring it on heavy from the start.