Carbon dioxide for mice

[lutzd]

I thought this may be of interest to some. The subject has been raised before I think, before we lost the posts last time, and thought it might be useful info for newcomers to the hobby.

It certainly is a cheaper way to euthenase mice than buying CO2 cylinders and regulators. I found it on another herp site (I DO sometimes peek elsewhere, but only to remind me how good it is here at APS )

http://personal.riverusers.com/~busybee/euthanasia.htm

[Fangs]

Thanx David good link,
will give that method a try on the mice.


Now all I need do is find out where I can get a big enuff plastic bag to fit around my ex

[Administrator]

Don't be cruel. Whack them over something hard of stick them in the freezer. I'd rather die asleep or instantly than die or breathless choking.

[Stevethepom]

hehehe, good call SJ,

most people have those stress releaving things you squeez...not me, i go grab a couple of rats and hit em off something hard...makes me feel heaps better...

win win situation eh

Cheers
STP
leader of the Love the Glove Party

[Fangs]

[/quote] Whack them over something hard of stick them in the freezer[quote]

well that wont work.my ex wont fit in the freezer unfortunately.

[stretch]

sticking them in the freezer to die is just as icky. Slow painful death.

[africancichlidau]

"The Whack Attack" is the only way to go as far as I am concerned, suffocation or freezing is just cruel in my opinion. Can you imagine the panic of gasping for your last breaths etc? Or even worse, the pain of every bit of fluid in you muscles or body tissue turning slowly to ice and expanding?? Yuck, no thanks, the housebrick will do me

[Hawkeye]

CO2 is quite quick when at high concentrations (we used it when we had to euthenase lab rats) and they are breathless but unconscious.
The other thing we used to do was chloroform them asleep and then administer cervical dislocation (ie use heavy wire cutters and break their necks at the spine). Its faster and a lot neater than the brick therapy. Interesting that someone has gone into a lot of detail about carbon dioxide and animal death.........it takes all sorts

Cheers Hawkeye

[lutzd]

It does indeed, Hawks.

SJ : If you read the article fully, it says that CO2 in light doses puts them to sleep gently and then increased CO2 kills them when they're asleep. Sounds pretty gentle to me! The trouble with the old whack routine is if you don't get it right the first time, that can be even more painful and cruel.

[sandymegan]

lutzd - you were right about it sending them to sleep - my hubby works in forensic medicine and says just as you did, CO2 sends them to sleep and an increased dose would finish them off quickly.
I guess its just personal preference, not everyone copes with the same things.

[James]

I think it was lutzd that posted the pencil trick a while back for breaking the necks of pinkies I tried it and its fast and painless to mice.

[lutzd]

Yep - that was me. However, you have to get that one JUST right too, as it is possible to pull the tail right off the mouse without killing it if you do it wrong - messy business!

[Magpie]

I used to use cervical dislocation (that's the neck not the other part) to eu. my mice but after a while i couldn't be bothered so i started to use the ole whack method. Never pulled a tail off but know several people who have. Anyone who is moving from mice to rats needs to be aware that rats need a REAL hard whack to kill 'em outright. Swing 'em hard the first time, don't pussyfoot around or you'll just make it harder on both of you!

[James]

Originally Posted by lutzd

Yep - that was me. However, you have to get that one JUST right too, as it is possible to pull the tail right off the mouse without killing it if you do it wrong - messy business!

I skinned a pinkie by doing it wrong the first time very messy

[Stevethepom]

ive never understood killing pinkies, i`m yet to see a savage pinky attack a helpless snake

unless of course you are braining a pinky (whereas i still keep em alive, creates a much more attractable wrigly prey item if ya do).

Cheers
STP
Leader of the Love the Glove Party