I would suggest pithing. It's taking a knife and placing the tip in the hollow at the back of the skull, right where skull and spine meet. Apply pressure and since the bone is weakest back there, it should just pop in. It's instant death and relatively painless...as long as you get past the first initial 'poking'. Twitching might occur but it incites a better feeding response since the rat is still moving and potrays the illusion of being alive.

F/T is a good way if you want to run the chance of overthawing and having to clean up exploded rat from your hungry snake while smelling like a rat. I feed my Suriname chickens, ones that just grew in their pin feathers and small rabbits. I pith the rabbits because of their claws and teeth but I've never had a chicken injure my snake.

[ Hide Replies ]

• New boa. Need some feeding advice. - doomrat, Tue Jan 10 15:29:31 2006
• RE: New boa. Need some feeding advice. - doomrat, Tue Jan 10 15:32:35 2006
• RE: New boa. Need some feeding advice. - doomrat, Tue Jan 10 15:38:59 2006
• RE: New boa. Need some feeding advice. - cnb2, Tue Jan 10 16:19:53 2006
• RE: New boa. Need some feeding advice. - doomrat, Tue Jan 10 17:58:49 2006
• To kill a rat. - damian5000, Tue Jan 10 18:56:21 2006
• RE: To kill a rat. - riddick13, Tue Jan 10 19:25:24 2006
• RE: To kill a rat. - damian5000, Tue Jan 10 22:15:48 2006
• RE: To kill a rat. - Djinn, Wed Jan 11 02:04:08 2006
• rat terminating...... - rainbowsrus, Tue Jan 10 19:48:19 2006
• RE: rat terminating...... - doomrat, Tue Jan 10 19:58:48 2006
• RE: rat terminating...... - afoll, Tue Jan 10 20:25:52 2006
• RE: rat terminating...... - doomrat, Tue Jan 10 20:29:57 2006
• RE: rat terminating...... - porsche, Tue Jan 10 21:22:49 2006
• A much better solution then all of the rest..... - dutchoven, Wed Jan 11 09:09:11 2006
• RE: A much better solution then all of the rest..... - damian5000, Wed Jan 11 12:13:01 2006
• RE: A much better solution then all of the rest..... - dutchoven, Thu Jan 12 08:37:29 2006
• RE: A much better solution then all of the rest..... - brian_1052, Wed Jan 11 12:32:20 2006
• RE: A much better solution then all of the rest..... - wwreptiles, Wed Jan 11 20:10:46 2006
• RE: A much better solution then all of the rest..... - dutchoven, Thu Jan 12 08:35:37 2006
• RE: A much better solution then all of the rest..... - wwreptiles, Thu Jan 12 19:20:06 2006
• Doomrat, try this... - SWH, Fri Jan 13 11:08:49 2006