Culling small mice

[CloudtheBoa]

I use cervical dislocation on mine, but I'm only culling weaned mice 16-19 grams or older atm. I accidentally broke one of my feeding tongs, so I'm using one half of it as a rod to hold them in place, and I quickly place the rod on their neck and pull by the base of the tail in one fluid motion. 9 times out 10 there's not so much as a twitch out of them, so it kills instantly. You just have to be sure you pull with the proper amount of pressure, and doing everything quickly so they're not startled into residual muscle spasms, but even if there's a kick or two they're dead so long as there isn't a heart beat. I can cull 20 mice in under 5 minutes, so long as I'm not having to chase them down.

I did also cull my adult ex-breeder male in the same fashion, and it worked well. He was well into advanced old age, and could barely move and was hunched from what was probably arthritis. I couldn't bear to see him like that, so I culled him immediately. I've had him 8-9 months, and he was an adult when I got him, so at least 4 months old. My females are quickly deteriorating, too, so they may be next. They're still going relatively strong, so I'm hoping they'll improve a bit and live a few more months. They're even older than he was.