rats??

[kklepac]

i asked many people how they do it and the said just to put them in a chest freezer and come back later. they said it puts there body into a hibernation type thing and then they just never wake back up. but i also heard that thats animal cruelty and is not inhumane

Rats are warm blooded animals just like you are. They feel cold the same as you do. What you described works for cold blooded animals... not mammals. Do not freeze them to death.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Rats are warm blooded animals just like you are. They feel cold the same as you do. What you described works for cold blooded animals... not mammals. Do not freeze them to death.

And it really isn't even considered humane with cold blooded either.

[cberg]

thank everyone i just made the chamber with dry ice looked it up on youtube im just going to stick to buying f/t

[RobNJ]

Read up on "home euthanasia of rats"....and remember, that any "humane" way to put them down is only humane if done correctly. If you build a C02 chamber, and have the gas on full blast or on too low, you are defeating the purpose.

[moonlightgdess]

Okay along these lines, if I wanted fresh kill nut wanted to freeze them after for later, does anyone know where to get those tiny little jewelry type Ziploc bags that frozen mice come in?

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[Bill T]

I dont buy CO2 killed rats. EVER!!! Co2 is a nasty toxic gas that seeps into the bllod stream and can cause some nasty side affects. Granted this is what has been proven in humans but i for one am not chancing poisoning my little dudes and dudets. I will knock the rats on the head or snap the neck before i use gas and chemicals to kill my snake food.
This is what CO2 does.

•Muscle twitching
•Reduced neural activity
•Flushed skin
•High blood pressure
As the severity of hypercapnia increases, the following carbon dioxide poisoning symptoms may be experienced:
•Headache
•Lethargy
•Elevated rate of cardiac output
•Irregular heartbeat
•Panic
•Convulsions
•Chest pain
•Hallucinations
•Vomiting
•Stomach pain
•Seizures
•Memory problems
•Changes in vision
•Unconsciousness
•Eventually death

[The Serpent Merchant]

I dont buy CO2 killed rats. EVER!!! Co2 is a nasty toxic gas that seeps into the bllod stream and can cause some nasty side affects. Granted this is what has been proven in humans but i for one am not chancing poisoning my little dudes and dudets. I will knock the rats on the head or snap the neck before i use gas and chemicals to kill my snake food.
This is what CO2 does.

•Muscle twitching
•Reduced neural activity
•Flushed skin
•High blood pressure
As the severity of hypercapnia increases, the following carbon dioxide poisoning symptoms may be experienced:
•Headache
•Lethargy
•Elevated rate of cardiac output
•Irregular heartbeat
•Panic
•Convulsions
•Chest pain
•Hallucinations
•Vomiting
•Stomach pain
•Seizures
•Memory problems
•Changes in vision
•Unconsciousness
•Eventually death

I suggest that you read this, it was written based on the American Veterinary Medical Association's Guidelines on Euthanasia

http://www.ratfanclub.org/euth.html

Here is the part that matters from the link above:

Home Euthanasia

The only humane way to euthanize a rat at home without veterinary help is with carbon dioxide (CO2). Euthanasia with CO2 is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Concentrated CO2 is a central nervous system depressant and actually causes anesthesia. You know how you yawn when you’re sleepy?:cens0r: This is the body’s way of getting rid of excess carbon dioxide in your system which is making you sleepy. CO2 does not cause suffocation. The rat will be able to breathe normally, will become anesthetized and will then die.

The key to using CO2 humanely is its concentration. The normal concentration of CO2 in the air is only 0.038%. According to the 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia, breathing concentrations of 7.5% increases the pain threshold, and concentrations of 30-40% cause anesthesia (unconsciousness) within 1-2 minutes. However, concentrations of 50% or higher irritate the eyes and respiratory tract and cause pain. Your goal is to create a concentration of 30-40% CO2 and hold it there until the rat is unconscious.

At first I used a cylinder of compressed CO2; however, with this method, the concentration of CO2 can easily get too high. (Using dry ice is not recommended because the CO2 amounts cannot be controlled and it also can cause severe burns.):cens0r: Then I learned of a website written by Eric Lee of Maralee Rattery in St. David, AZ at www.alysion.org/euthanasia/ that tells how to euthanize mice by creating CO2 with baking soda and vinegar.

The vinegar and baking soda method is quite simple and even better than using compressed CO2 because the concentration of the CO2 can be more precisely controlled. I have modified Eric’s method so it is suitable for rats.:cens0r: I have euthanized many rats with this method.:cens0r: If you want to test this method before using it, you can use a short candle to stand in for the rat.:cens0r: The CO2 will put out the candle.

[Bill T]

Yes u can kill rodents with it but has there ever been a study on a creature eating its food source that was consistently doused in Co2? My problem with it is not whether its humane for the rat but is it healthy for the snake.

[weofui]

Yes u can kill rodents with it but has there ever been a study on a creature eating its food source that was consistently doused in Co2? My problem with it is not whether its humane for the rat but is it healthy for the snake.

Perhaps I'm daft... but the symptoms you listed are related to carbon dioxide toxicity, not carbon dioxide "consumption". There simply isn't a biological mechanism that I'm aware of in which hypercapnia can be induced by ingesting a prey animal that died from it.

[weofui]

Perhaps I'm daft... but the symptoms you listed are related to carbon dioxide toxicity, not carbon dioxide "consumption". There simply isn't a biological mechanism that I'm aware of in which hypercapnia can be induced by ingesting a prey animal that died from it.

On further contemplation... don't ALL rats eaten by constrictors have hypercapnic levels of carbon dioxide in their blood? When an animal is prevented from taking in oxygen, carbon dioxide continues to build in the blood until the metabolic process stops completely, which wouldn't be until some time after the thing is actually swallowed.