Quote Originally Posted by WarriorPrincess90 View Post
I had to have a snake euthanized before, and I paid for the most humane possible way given the snake was young. I had them give her a shot of anesthesia to knock her out, wait till she was out, then euthanize her. It cost around $200, but the last thing I wanted was for my baby to suffer. Definitely one of the most painful things I've had to do.

Gas anesthesia was also an option, but the vet told me there was no guarantee it would actually knock her out because snakes can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes, give or take. So they'd have no way of knowing if it had worked completely. So the shot seemed the better route because then I knew she wouldn't feel it. Or at least I hope not. In young snakes, often the vets can't find the vein in the tail, so the only way to do it effectively is to insert the needle directly into the heart. Horrible stuff.
a heart stick with large animals is one thing, but with a snake is another thing.
large animals have exterior landmarks that makes locating the heart easy,, with a snake, there are no exterior landmarks. also, the heart in a small snake is about the size of a small bean. for sodium pentobarbital to be effective, it doesent need to be injected into the blood stream, or directly in the heart, it can be put into about any organ to be effective..... all im saying is just because a vet attempts a heart stick on a snake doesent mean that it hit the heart,,, leading to a slower death.. i havent had to do any of my persional reptiles, but im confident that decapitation followed by pithing is the most quick and less painful way if euthanasia.
spooky