Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone,

My male BP has been off food since early Jan and I was thinking about trying a freshly killed rat or large mouse.
He used to eat F/T with no issues. Didn't even need to use forceps to dangle or anything, just left it in the cage. He is about 3 feet now.

Whats the best way to kill the rat or mouse for the snake. This wouldn't be a problem normally...but it's for the snake.

I was thinking about doing it while the rat was eating a big bowl of pasta... like they do in the ganster movies! jk

When I kill an adult mouse I just place my thumb behind its head & press down, popping the neck. Its a very quik & easy way, & no mess like there might be if you were to smack it against somthing.

Dan Eby

No pasta.....

you have to use one of those all day suckers/lollipops.....

when it leans in to take a lick you just smack it on the head...

whap!!!

...........large mouse....killed BY snake...
...........rat.....use small rat....killed by snake....

...that's how I do it....

IF you HAVE to whack a rat....you whack the WHOLE body of the rat hard against a surface....not the head....blood...and don't be shy about it...don't be downright too crazy either ....

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......JY

I use snap traps. I have no compuctions about the actual killing process, but snapping the neck with my hands creeps me out (I'm a wuss, I know).

Your basic snap trap with a little bit of peanut butter. A mouse will walk right in to it, a rat you might have to wait for a little.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

well,if you're squeemish at all about blood,try putting the rodent in an old pillowcase,give it a good swing to build up momentum and force into the end of the bag,and just smack it on a counter,table,etc.pretty much any flat surface.thats the only way i've found to reliably whack hamsters,which have no real tails to swing them by.and when you have a snake that will only eat hamsters (for whatever reason,i had a carpet that would only eat dwarf hamsters),you gotta whack em first
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1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.2 cb baby razorback musks (way too cute)
0.0.1 cb baby eastern mud (also ridiculously cute)
0.0.1 cb reeve's turtle (george)
0.0.1 cb eastern box (this year's young 'un)
2.6 ltc eastern box breeders
0.1 cb'06 eastern box(nanners)
1.2 cb'08 kenyan sand boas(1 albino,1 anery,1 normal)
1.1 israeli dune geckos
1.0 cb '03 homo sapien(kaelan,6)
"jesus is coming-when i count to 3,everyone jump out and yell SURPRISE!!"

You don't want to whack it just any which way because you will crack the skull and it will bleed profusely from all orifices.

There is a definite technique. Take the rodent (rat or mouse) by the tail and you will swing toward the edge of a solid table (I use a metal lab table that works well) the animal and aim to hit the back of the animal's neck across the edge of the table. It may take one, two or three times, but you will be concentrating on NOT hitting the full skull on impact, just the back of the neck....what would be the nape of the neck on a human. It will take some practise, but keep doing it and you will get it eventually. The rodent may twitch a bit and then eventually stop moving. An ideal hit will render the rodent dead immediately.
Sometimes, the rodent will go into shock and breathe really fast respirations and will either die or need another strike.

This sounds so cruel....but it really is very efficient when you get the technique down perfectly.

Susan
SSNAKES

i don't worry too much about the blood,it is in a pillowcase.and 1 shot always does the trick,if you do it hard enough.all of the snakes i have right now eat fuzzies or f/t,so whacking isn't an issue right now.i was just trying to help.some people cant stand to touch a rodents tail,plus,if you swing a rat a touch too hard,the skin will pull off right in your fingers,and the rat will be pissed.had that happen way too many times,and it's pretty gross every time.
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1.1 cb spotted turtles (parker(f),stinky(m))
0.0.2 cb baby razorback musks (way too cute)
0.0.1 cb baby eastern mud (also ridiculously cute)
0.0.1 cb reeve's turtle (george)
0.0.1 cb eastern box (this year's young 'un)
2.6 ltc eastern box breeders
0.1 cb'06 eastern box(nanners)
1.2 cb'08 kenyan sand boas(1 albino,1 anery,1 normal)
1.1 israeli dune geckos
1.0 cb '03 homo sapien(kaelan,6)
"jesus is coming-when i count to 3,everyone jump out and yell SURPRISE!!"

Take a plastic jug...run a piece of aquarium hose and run it to another plastic container (smaller is better) and add a small hole to that container as well. (For air to escape.)

Mix baking soda and vinegar in container one. The reaction will cause CO2 to go through the tube to container 2. The CO2 will force the oxygen out and kill the rat.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)