How do you euthanize your rodents?

[WingedWolfPsion]

It's not at all true that a blow to the head is not a humane way to kill rodents. Instant destruction of the brain has to be the most humane way to kill anything.

The risk is in MISSING--that can lead to a situation where the animal's in pain. It's also brutal, and people seem to want to avoid doing anything 'violent'.

I whack them cleanly over the head. They're so dead, sometimes they don't even twitch afterward. When we do larger numbers, it's CO2.

By the way, if you decide to whack a jumbo rat, do not underestimate the amount of force required--they have skulls like granite, so don't hold back if you want to make it clean.
It's much more humane than your average rat trap.
As for the babies, if I have to feed pk, or freeze some, then I use cervical dislocation. You place a stick or bar at the back of their head, then pull backward sharply on the tail, breaking the neck. Don't try this on anything older than a fuzzy, it's unlikely to work.