Wacking a rodent....how exactly is this done

[EyeLashViper]

:? Okay, I was reading a previous post in the BP general information forum about transitioning a BP to frozen pre-killed.I will be doing this over the course of the next few weeks and I was intrigued by the what was referred to as Randys "12 step plan" to introduce a BP to taking pre-killed.I was wondering how exactly do you stun, or pre-kill a rodent yourself in order to facilitate the snake later taking thawed P/K......

I am not exactly sure how to humanely dispatch a rodent without it turning into some kind of disaster :wink: how do you for lack of a better term " Wack it"....I dont want to have to bash the living daylights out of some poor rat or mouse...I just want to strike it once or twice and be done with it.I appreciate any advice on this aspect of Ball Python husbandry and I apologize for my lack of knowledge on this feeding method.I must admit that I am learning a great deal about BP husbandry from this forum and the cool people on it...thanks in advance...


EyeLashViper

Well when the petstore doesnt have F/T and I have to buy live.....THIS IS MEAN BUT SORRY........I either put a ruler behind there neck til' it dies, or fill up a bag with water with the mouse in it....

I hate rodents, period.

[BallKingdom]

It is actually rather easy, I just grab the tail and wack them off a hard floor. Kills them instantly if done hard enough, and often with little to no blood involved. For the queezy, they can be put in a pillow can and smalled off a flat surface, same effect, and works equally as well. There is also gasing, which I have done. We get dry ice some times, just stick them in a container with a piece of it. The stuff turns into carbon dioxide when it warms up, takes a while though. Never did it again cause the mouse started squeeking. You could also put it in water, then you'd create a dense gas that would knock it out in a minute, and kill it in 2 or 3. Rodent dealers use gas, but for keepers it isn't reasonable cause it's expensive. I just happened to have it handy. It makes damn good explosions tho.

You can also snap their necks, takes practice. Slamming works best though.

[RPlank]

I have "The Rodent Dispatcher." It is a 1" x 2" about 12" long. I hold the rat up by the tail, and whack it with the corner of the board at the base of the skull. I've done it enough times that I can usually regulate whether I stun it, leave it twitchin', or kill it. Practice makes perfect, but then I don't exactly have a queasy stomach when it comes to whacking. I have found that I get better, less messy results when using "The Dispatcher" than when I was using the wall.

[Wizill]

I wish there was a way to kill a rat without being physical about it. I also will be switching soon, and I have a pretty weak stomach. Hopefully I will be able to get my guy to eat thawed after a while. He has refused every attempt of anything dead in any form so far...

[Addicted_2_Herps]

I just flick em in the head 1-3 times.........=P

[ktulu]

Another thing i heard works, but haven't tried is....holdinding them down flat on a board or any surface. put a ruler or stick behind their neck and give their tail a quick tug....apparently this separates the last neck verebrate and they die instantly.....But like i said i haven't tried it.

[Kara]

Well when the petstore doesnt have F/T and I have to buy live.....THIS IS MEAN BUT SORRY........I either put a ruler behind there neck til' it dies, or fill up a bag with water with the mouse in it....

I hate rodents, period.

Maybe you should consider learning a HUMANE way to kill feeder rodents instead of offering up the lame excuse that you "hate rodents, period" and that should somehow magically justify the fact that you use as inhumane a method of drowning to dispatch your feeders. Have someone expereinced teach you the proper method for cervical disloction, or else buy your frozen feeders in bulk so you don't have to worry about the pet store running out. Inhumane treatment of live feeder rodents is something I REALLY take issue with - it's not cool, I don't care how much anyone hates rodents. Keeping snakes to which you must feed pre-killed rodents means learning and respecting the balance between predator and prey.

K

[Wizill]

Drowning is a little harsh bro... I can't think of a scarier way to die...

[BallKingdom]

Dude, thats sick. That's long and painful. I hate rats dude, but don't torture them. Reconsider your killing methods.

But since you use F/T it's not like you do it daily.....

Just think about it.