This is an exerpt from Melissa Kaplan's "Euthanasia of Reptiles" article located here... http://www.anapsid.org/euth.htmlOriginally Posted by patm1313
"Decapitation is an easy way to kill a reptile in that no special equipment or drugs are necessary. Nevertheless, the brain of a decapitated reptile may remain active for up to an hour, so decapitation by itself is inhumane...
Euthanasia can be done by destroying the brain with a sharp blow to the head, on the middle and just posterior to the eyes. This can be done in an emergency, as when an animal is found hit by a car, grievously injured but not yet dead and no other method is available. This is among the most common methods of euthanizing feeder rodents. Care must be taken to perform this method properly, as a soft or misdirected blow could injure the patient without killing it..."
I used the latter method and it worked immediately. The snake has been deceased for about 20 minutes now; no movement, no heavy breathing, no violent thrashing, in the same position as it was when I performed the euthanasia. I'm confident that the blow killed it instantaneously and it didn't feel any more pain. I'll be burying it tonight. I still feel really bad.
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