12g co2 cartridge

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Just started breeding both mice and rats. Never have been a big fan of wacking, or otherwise killing a mouse / rat prior to feeding. I have always done it but it is just icky, and not even effective in my opinion.

So, Have been reading up on the Co2 euthinization... Seems like the way to go. I do not have Co2 tanks, and don't really want to spend the money on them. I do not have access to dry ice.

So, my question is... I am an a bicyclist. One of my "toys" is a Co2 tire inflator. It uses a standard 12g BB gun Co2 cartridge to rapidly fill bike tubes. At about $10 for 25 cartridges, it is pretty cheap and easy to come by. If I had a small cooler, or container, and ran a rubber hose from my inflator to the container, do you think a cartridge would provide enough CO2 to be effective? Sure, I can experiment and figure this out on my own, but I don't want to make my rodents suffer through a botched experiment. Does anyone know the answer here?

thanks,


Mike

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Well, I guess nobody has tried it, so i will try in a couple days with a single mouse. I know there is enough CO2 in it to fill a small container... so common sense tells me that is SHOULD work...

[MarkS]

Try a plastic garbage bag (heavy duty like a leaf bag) Put rodents in the bag and squeeze a lot of the air out. Then fill the bag with the CO2. Be careful not to overfill the bag and pop it, you don't want to fill it quickly. Just fill it slowly until the rodents fall asleep, then fill some more, twist it shut and leave it for a few minutes.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Try a plastic garbage bag (heavy duty like a leaf bag) Put rodents in the bag and squeeze a lot of the air out. Then fill the bag with the CO2. Be careful not to overfill the bag and pop it, you don't want to fill it quickly. Just fill it slowly until the rodents fall asleep, then fill some more, twist it shut and leave it for a few minutes.

Now that is a good idea.. Will try it. this would be a SUPER cheap way to do it. the CO2 cartridge are 25 for like 11 or 12 bucks at walmart.... I believe one cartridge will be more than enough. In case anyone wanted to know, the co2 tire inflator, that lets you control the speed of the air release is less than 10 bucks, and is a one time purchase.

I will reply on here once I try it out.

Mike

[2kdime]

When I need to use my gas chamber. I use a rubbermaid shoebox. With a hole cut in it.

I then have a paintball 20oz co2 tank with a regulator and a hose that I run into the shoeboxes hole. It works good. I doubt a little tiny co2 cartridge will do the job. Maybe a few of em.
The smaller the rodent the longer it takes to gas em though. Just food for thought. The bigger they are the faster the co2 takes effect.

My 2 pennies. Good luck to you!!

[Mike Cavanaugh]

When I need to use my gas chamber. I use a rubbermaid shoebox. With a hole cut in it.

I then have a paintball 20oz co2 tank with a regulator and a hose that I run into the shoeboxes hole. It works good. I doubt a little tiny co2 cartridge will do the job. Maybe a few of em.
The smaller the rodent the longer it takes to gas em though. Just food for thought. The bigger they are the faster the co2 takes effect.

My 2 pennies. Good luck to you!!

My thought though is that once the container, or bag is full of CO2, you wouldnt need any more. that little co2 cartridge has enough in it to put my road bike tires from 0 to over 100 psi.... and can bring a mountain bike tike tire to 40 to 50 psi.... that is definately enough CO2 to fill a small conatiner, or as suggested above, to put air in a trash bag. please, don't get me wrong, I am not trying to argue something that is not proven, I am just trying to explain my thinking here.

Mike

[Mike Cavanaugh]

just tested how much air is in a 12g CO2 cartridge...

It is enough to fill a one gallon ziplock bag... when i tried to fill it a second time, it filled about a quater of the way before running out.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

IT WORKED!!!!!!

I just put 5 mice in a one gallon ziplock bag. got most of, but not all of the air out of the bag.. shot less then half of a 12g CO2cartridge into the bag, and sealed it(bag was only about half way full) They IMMEDIATELY started opening their mouths and taking deep breaths. In LESS THAN A MINUTE they were asleep, still breething deeply. About 30 seconds later they were all dead. Total kill time was less than a minute and 30 seconds. Will try rats next, but from what others have said, the bigger they are, the faster they go.

I know I can't post links to another site, so I wont. Any online bike part retailer, or any local bike shop will have CO2 tire pumps. They cost between 3 and 20 bucks. Make sure you get one that can take THREADLESS Co2 cartridges. The cartridges at the bike shops are usually threaded and expensive, but the ones at walmart made for BB guns are threadless and are 25 for like 12 or 13 bucks.

Obviously this wont be cost effective for the huge colony guys, but for people like me with only 4 female rats, it is practicle, EASY, and inexpensive.

Mike

[Mike Cavanaugh]

It just worked for 2 med - large rats. Did them one at a time in a 1 gallon ziplock bag. put one in, filled the bag about about half way, then sealed it. they immediately settled down, about minute later they were asleep. they slept and kept breathing for about 5 minutes before they died. The only concern I have is the CO2 that comes out has a an odd smell to it. Don't know if that is normal for CO2 or if there is maybe other stuff mixed with the Co2 in the canister. Container says it is just CO2, but I wonder. Going to do more research before I feed my snakes any of these test subjects. for now they are in the feezer.

You Co2 users.... does the Co2 have a neutral smell, or is there a smell to it? Does anyone know if there is anything but CO2 in these 12g Co2 BBgun cartridges?

MIke

[MarkS]

CO2 should be completely odorless. I use a canister that's made for a beer tapper and there is no smell at all. I've also used the same canister for over a year to gas thousands of rats. I can refill it for around 20 bucks.