rats??

[kklepac]

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

You may want to stay away from carbonated beverages then.....

And you may be surprised to find that the meat industry often packs meat in high concentrations of CO2 to retain the meat's natural coloring.

And don't even get me started on Alka Seltzer! :/

[kklepac]

And Pop Rocks!

[Bill T]

Nice. Cant say that surprises me. Sorry if i came off a little strong. I had more than a few adult carbonated beverages when i wrote this lol. I breed most of my own food for my BP's so its not much of an issue

[Evenstar]

CO2 does not stay in the body's system. It disolves in the blood and is broken down. Asphixiation occurs when the rat succumbs to lack of oxygen. A small animal like a rat does not react to CO2 in the same manner as humans - their metabolism is too high. They breathe the CO2 and die almost immediately. That's why it only takes 3-4 minutes for rats to die - it takes a lot longer for a human to asphixiate from CO2. But even so, the fact that the CO2 does not remain in the bloodstream is a proven fact. This is why people can survive CO2 poisoning if they get help in time.

Sorry if that sounds kind of rambling - it's been a long day, lol.....

[apple2]

CO2 isn't really toxic. CO is toxic. The only reason CO2 is bad for you is because it takes the place of O2, making it so that you don't get the O2 you need to survive.

[Evenstar]

CO2 isn't really toxic. CO is toxic. The only reason CO2 is bad for you is because it takes the place of O2, making it so that you don't get the O2 you need to survive.

Exactly.

[robinbanks]

This post has turned into some sort of twisted love for rats or how to kill them humanely???

I kill rats with my snake !!!

MY Snake sees it, bites it, then crushes it to death then eats it. It may not be "humane", but that's how it goes.

I guess i just do whats required to keep me snake alive, shame on me ....

I do have to admit all this "rat caring thing" on a snake forum gave me a good laugh. THANK YOU...

[Rob]

Building death chambers for prey items seems a little too much for me. Unless your doing it on a pretty big scale. For the average snake owner I think a thump over the head is just as humane if not more so then being constricted to death by a snake. Don't get me wrong I don't enjoy feeding live at all, but that being said I made a commitment to my snake and if I have one that will only eat live or fresh killed so be it. I just find it pretty funny that on a python forum we are pretending to be worried about the well being of a rodent that at the end of the day is on this earth to be in our pets belly.
Ps I'm not condoning cruelty to the rodents at all I just think a simple flick is no worse or better then a gas chamber.

[robinbanks]

Building death chambers for prey items seems a little too much for me. Unless your doing it on a pretty big scale. For the average snake owner I think a thump over the head is just as humane if not more so then being constricted to death by a snake. Don't get me wrong I don't enjoy feeding live at all, but that being said I made a commitment to my snake and if I have one that will only eat live or fresh killed so be it. I just find it pretty funny that on a python forum we are pretending to be worried about the well being of a rodent that at the end of the day is on this earth to be in our pets belly.
Ps I'm not condoning cruelty to the rodents at all I just think a simple flick is no worse or better then a gas chamber.

Yes ... I made that point. thanks for reiterating it for me. this post just makes me laugh.

[Rob]

Yes ... I made that point. thanks for reiterating it for me. this post just makes me laugh.

Didn't even read your post until now