Put it down already

[Eventide]

Also, do you see that key word MAY?

That means they don't know for sure.

Indeed it does.

Particulate substrate may cause impactions and eye infections. Pine bedding may be unhealthy for your snake. Hot rocks or under-tank heaters may overheat and burn your snake. And yet, if anyone here were to house their reptile on particulate substrate with a hot rock, they'd be verbally smacked up one side and down the other. Why is this particular "may" different?

My guess is that an animal in pain would not sit still, even if it were cold. We've all seen snakes that were far too cold to be healthy moving quite well.

You don't like "may" suffer, but you'd rather go with "my guess" than experts in reptile medicine?

Ever tried to type when your hands are cold? Kinda hard to move them, isn't it? And we're mammals--we create our own body heat! What about an animal whose body temperature is basically a slave to environmental temperature? Do you seriously think that not moving = no brain function? Try putting one of your snakes in a 40- or 50-degree room and see how much the snake moves. Do you think that the snake isn't feeling discomfort?

What about the time it takes for the snake to reach freezing? Ever put a bottle of water in the freezer? It takes a long time for it to freeze solid. What about the time it takes for the cold to actually kill the snake? This isn't some instantaneous thing like liquid nitrogen!

I'd like to see a cold snake moving well. Dig up a rattlesnake during the winter here. Let me tell you, they can barely move. (Note that the winter temperatures here rarely go below zero.)

I don't know who the vets you quoted are nor do I know their affiliations. For all I know they're petaphiles or work for hsus.

Actually, their names are right there. That's the awesome thing about citations: you can go look them up for yourself and find their credentials.

You can ALWAYS find some expert who agrees with your stand, no matter which side of an issue you're on.

How many experts agreeing does it take, then?

I've put animals in the freezer, positioned as comfortably as I can make their final minutes, come back hours later to find them frozen solid in the EXACT same position that I left them in. This says to me that there was no pain involved in the deep cold sleep I put them into.

I HAVE seen snakes writhing in pain. I have NOT seen this in my freezer.

Again, see my notes above. Not moving does not equal not in pain. Not moving does not equal not suffering. Your argument makes no logical sense.

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I've read others' arguments here--similar ones, I might add--arguing for freezing and arguing that having to take an animal to a vet to have it put down gets expensive. Quite frankly, that is a terrible excuse. You'd rather make your pets suffer (or possibly make your pets suffer) just because it's easier and cheaper for you? Why is this okay, but putting multiple snakes in the same enclosure because it's cheaper for you bad? Or why is this okay, but trying to treat a severe medical problem yourself without vet help because it's cheaper a terrible thing to do? Don't we all say many, many times that people should not be in the hobby if they don't first and foremost care for the animals?

I'm sorry, but no matter how many animals I have to put down, I'm taking them to my vet for proper euthanization. That's part of the cost of breeding reptiles, just like bedding, housing, heat, food, etc., and I will absolutely not cut corners on care just because it's cheaper or easier for me.