Culling Rodents

[lynfrog]

i have a co2 set up available if anyone is interested, regulator, connections to go onto top of a tub etc.
i didnt ever use it, havnt had enough numbers to make it worthwhile.
pm me if interested.

 

[Southside Morelia]

As an amateur and it is totally inhumane.
The "clonk" method for larder animals or with smaller animals grabbing the head and back legs and separating the spine and dispatching them in literally 1 second is by far the most humane and cleanest culling method.
Gassing is wrong and when you see any animal gasping for breathe is not the best way to cull IMO.
Cheers...

I know that knocking is quicker than gassing but what about if you have to do large amounts, i would prefer to chuck them in together and cull rather than killing each rat. Has anyone on here used this Bi-carb and Vinegar method?

 

[cris]

I clonk all my rodents, I have never used gas so I can't comment on it, but I'm curious to what methods people use to kill pinkies ie: do you still clonk or snap the necks instead?

Just throw them at a hard surface, they have low oxygen requirements and take a long time to suffer a death by CO2. Some ethical methods say freezing is humane for very small pinkies but that isnt my opinion, 'they' also used to think freezing was humane for killing herps.

 

[Bax155]

Young rodents can take much longer than 20 minutes to die with CO2 gassing. Amateur guess and check methods of gassing are not humane, but if you are gassing rodents chances are you are thinking lets have a rodent holocaust or out of sight out of mind. It isnt quicker or more humane than donking/clonking (or similar method). If done in a humane way its heaps more work and fuss to gas them. Like i have already said, read some of the ethical standards of gassing rodents you will see its not that simple to do humanely.

If you use a blunt truama method the worst you get is a bloody nosed rodent or an unconcious one if you stuff up, in which case you can easily correct your mistake while the rodents is unconsious.

What bloody setups are people running that take 20min to kill a mice?? I know pinkies to fuzzies have shallower breathing but fuzzies never take me longer then 2 mins to gas, as for pinkies and velvets I snap freeze which takes less then 5 mins!!
Maybe these people who take 20min to gas a rodent should stick to clonking and leave the gassing to the pros
I sell me rodents so have no option to gas as clonking has a higher % of nose bleeds and people dont buy rodents with bloody noses, out of say 100,000 rodents I've gassed less then 10 have had nose bleeds!!
I use both methods, clonked rodents are fed to my own collection and I have no dramas with either method, cant understand why people like to knock gassing? maybe clonking gives them an ego boost like owning snakes does?? or maybe its just typical APS mentality to put a man down when he has different ideas or methods to the majority of APS users!!

 

[big_head]

When i bred rats (briefly) i used both methods. Didn't like throwing them at a hard surface so made a gas chamber. Bought ice from a local ice cream shop for about $2. Put it in a small container, air tight, in go the rats. They fall asleep pretty quickly, in a matter of seconds. Not gasping for air at all, seems very 'peaceful' and humane. Wasn't breeding for very long, couldn't justify the cost of a soda stream set up!

 

[eitak]

Mate, it's obvious that you are looking for the cheapest option. Why? Isn't it better to do it properly and efficiently rather that cheaply? Sorry to be abrupt but if you can't afford the equipment, you shouldn't be feeding snakes or having them. I know you don't like to hear this it is our responsibility to steer people in the right direction.

How do you know it isn't affordable for this person? Perhaps they are looking for a cheaper method that does the same trick, no-one has commented on the bi-card method so how are they to know that it is good or bad?
I can afford to buy a new car, but why would I waste my money, when I can buy a second hand car that works just as well?

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Waterrat....I do both knocking (if i dont have to cull to many) and gassing (for larger amounts). I started this thread to ask who has used this method and what mixing ratios did they use.

What makes you think i cant affoard to keep snakes? If this got the same results and was cheaper who wouldnt do it? And yes i know there is no regulator to controll how much gas goes into the container and it may not be "humane", but i was just curious hence why i asked.

Cheers,

Jordy

Mate, it's obvious that you are looking for the cheapest option. Why? Isn't it better to do it properly and efficiently rather that cheaply? Sorry to be abrupt but if you can't afford the equipment, you shouldn't be feeding snakes or having them. I know you don't like to hear this it is our responsibility to steer people in the right direction.

 

[Southside Morelia]

Good point Bax and this may seem like fence sitting on my behalf, as I do use the clonk method myself. BUT you are correct that clonking does produce nose bleeds and for the Aesthetics for Commercial selling of frozen rodents in a commercial premise (which I assume you may do from your comments), would be a turn off for me and probably the masses. Commercial culling of animals is not the debate in this discussion, more the hobbyist culling their feed for their own collection.
Commercial quantities of culling is obviously more economical by gassing and "humane" with correctly administered doses of Co2 (like the PRO's) which are obviously adhered too and MOST efficient and cost effective (which I don't have a problem with at all!). NOT the Bi-Carb and soda combo which was referenced, which is hit and miss till the mix is perfected..lol
I hope there was no offense taken, but for me running a descent colony of rats and subsequent food supply for my collection, I can cull my food source quickly and humanely and the aesthetics of a nose bleed doesn't put my snakes off their feed!
But your are correct in your view Bax, which I support!

What bloody setups are people running that take 20min to kill a mice?? I know pinkies to fuzzies have shallower breathing but fuzzies never take me longer then 2 mins to gas, as for pinkies and velvets I snap freeze which takes less then 5 mins!!
Maybe these people who take 20min to gas a rodent should stick to clonking and leave the gassing to the pros
I sell me rodents so have no option to gas as clonking has a higher % of nose bleeds and people dont buy rodents with bloody noses, out of say 100,000 rodents I've gassed less then 10 have had nose bleeds!!
I use both methods, clonked rodents are fed to my own collection and I have no dramas with either method, cant understand why people like to knock gassing? maybe clonking gives them an ego boost like owning snakes does?? or maybe its just typical APS mentality to put a man down when he has different ideas or methods to the majority of APS users!!

 

[Midcoaster]

mate a 40cm long strait bit of fencing wire sharpe wack to the back of the neck instant!

 

[goneself]

That comment I made about stabbing...that was a joke. Wow. Just..wow.

 

[Jen]

I cringe everytime I see someone talking about 'clonking' or throwing a pinky at a hard surface. I know its done a hell of a lot by reptile keepers, but it takes 5 minutes max to learn the correct method of cervical dislocation. CD is quick for the 'operator' and results in instant death for all sizes of rodents. This is a large part of my job, and I am required to teach it to others as part of my job, it is so basic. No mess, no fuss, no monetary outlay.

 

[PythonPro]

I have a couple of questions on the topic...Ive never killed anything myself.
Is drowning rats classified as inhumain?
Is gasing quail in a similar manner to rats inhumain?
Has any one clonked a quail?

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Jen, how do you go about doing CD?

 

[Jen]

Jen, how do you go about doing CD?

pm'd you

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Thankyou very much, Jen.

 

[goneself]

I have to wonder how these people who can't afford pre-killed food are managing to buy snakes..pre-killed rats aren't exactly exspensive unless you have big numbers of snakes.If you can't afford to buy their food,maybe buying the snakes wasn't such a good idea. Hate to think what they kill when the dog food is all gone..

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Goneself...if you are referring to me, i am supplying friends as well as my own collection...and that is well over the 100 mark.

Jordy

 

[Jungletrans]

I have to wonder how these people who can't afford pre-killed food are managing to buy snakes..pre-killed rats aren't exactly exspensive unless you have big numbers of snakes.If you can't afford to buy their food,maybe buying the snakes wasn't such a good idea. Hate to think what they kill when the dog food is all gone..

l save more than $100 per week but the main reason l do it is l know what the rodents have been eating , nothing but the best for my snakes . As for the dog , when times are tough he dons a balaclava , puts a big knife between his teeth and goes out at nite . l dont ask questions .:shock:

 

[Bax155]

Good point Bax and this may seem like fence sitting on my behalf, as I do use the clonk method myself. BUT you are correct that clonking does produce nose bleeds and for the Aesthetics for Commercial selling of frozen rodents in a commercial premise (which I assume you may do from your comments), would be a turn off for me and probably the masses. Commercial culling of animals is not the debate in this discussion, more the hobbyist culling their feed for their own collection.
Commercial quantities of culling is obviously more economical by gassing and "humane" with correctly administered doses of Co2 (like the PRO's) which are obviously adhered too and MOST efficient and cost effective (which I don't have a problem with at all!). NOT the Bi-Carb and soda combo which was referenced, which is hit and miss till the mix is perfected..lol
I hope there was no offense taken, but for me running a descent colony of rats and subsequent food supply for my collection, I can cull my food source quickly and humanely and the aesthetics of a nose bleed doesn't put my snakes off their feed!
But your are correct in your view Bax, which I support!

Sorry about the late reply Scott but was busy with the expo all week, you have read into my posts well as yes I do sell rodents on a commercial scale, it's actually my full time job. I would have to agree with you that clonking for most people on APS would be the best method to use because as you stated if gassing is not done properly it can be inhumane, hopefully through my posts I never implied that I condone the bi-carb method as I personally think its a waste of time when a soda stream set up is reasonably cheap and a better method and you also get cheap soda drinks , I know there are some people out there that dont have the stomach to clonk a rat so the co2 method is the best option for them, maybe they should just buy their rodents rather than having a go themselves?? More money in my pocket that way and I think that is what I said in my original post, clonk or give up unless killing large amounts eg 1000s per day!!
Cheers,
Bax...

 

[Southside Morelia]

Hey Bax so that was you with the 3 or so fridges set up???
I was going to come over and have a chat as I was at my mates stall near by, but you didn't wear your APS name card, so I wouldn't have known...:lol: There you go mate, we did actually acknowledge a glance as I walked by, probably because we are both handsome guys...:lol:
No you didn't imply the bi-carb method at all. There you go kiddies Bax has some nice cheap humanely killed rodents for sale and saves you the hassle, sounds good to me!