Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I placed an order with Rodentpro but apparently there was a shipping snafu of some sort and my shipment will not be arriving until next week (2nd time thats happened in 6 shipments, but thats another story). Anyway, my big female is hungry NOW and has started hunting so I need to buy some live rabbits from the local pet store to feed her until next week. If I were to wait, she would seriously mess up her cage...she's very impatient when it comes to food. So, anybody know any "home" ways to kill a rabbit for consumption? I dont have access to stuff like CO2 or the like. Any thoughts appreciated.

I use a system of rapid multiple strikes that is very effective. Use a short but heavy club, much like a heavy hammer handle or short axe handle. The first strike should be a very fast and hard blow to the neck vertebra near the base of the skull. I usually try to strike both the base of the skull AND the neck so as to both dislocate the vertebra AND knock the animal unconscious all at the same time. Be careful not to hit the skull too squarely,, otherwise you will have a bleeder. This is when blood rushes out of the nose or ears or both in large quantities. If this happens, choke off the blood flow at the neck. If your first blow is true you won't have a bleeder. Make the second blow down on the rabbits' spine above its back legs. As even a dying and unconscious rabbit will still kick furiously this blow is simply to cause paralysis to the rear legs, rendering them powerless and still. Turn the bunny over and bring your club down hard on the chest area. This will collapse the rib cage and prevent the heart from continuing to beat, thus speeding up the death process. You should have a still and dead rabbit at this point. Your blows should be in rappid succession without pause to cause the least amount of anquish and trauma to the bunny. If your first blow does not obviously knock the rabbit out (you will be able to tell) then repeat it, but not on the skull, only the neck. Two blows to the skull almost invariably result in a bleeder and bleeders are messy.

Good luck.

>>I placed an order with Rodentpro but apparently there was a shipping snafu of some sort and my shipment will not be arriving until next week (2nd time thats happened in 6 shipments, but thats another story). Anyway, my big female is hungry NOW and has started hunting so I need to buy some live rabbits from the local pet store to feed her until next week. If I were to wait, she would seriously mess up her cage...she's very impatient when it comes to food. So, anybody know any "home" ways to kill a rabbit for consumption? I dont have access to stuff like CO2 or the like. Any thoughts appreciated.
-----
Human "progress" equates to nature's demise.

Cervicle dislocation is not to hard and can be alot less messy. It does take some skill though. I prefer to just buy rabbits already put down. If the need arises, unless im trying to get out some frustrations, I realy wouldnt revert to beeting them to death.

It's anything but "fun" for me as I love and respect all animals and it saddens me to have to do. But in my opinion I feel this is the fastest and least traumatic for the rabbit as it is knocked unconscious. I think that with simple cervical dislocation the rabbit is still conscious and aware as it takes several minutes to die. But to each their own.

>>Cervicle dislocation is not to hard and can be alot less messy. It does take some skill though. I prefer to just buy rabbits already put down. If the need arises, unless im trying to get out some frustrations, I realy wouldnt revert to beeting them to death.
-----
Human "progress" equates to nature's demise.

They didnt have any rabbits so I got 5 "large" rats instead. They are prekilled. Its not much for her but it should tide her over till the whoppers come next week. Thanks for the replies though, its good to know just in case.

Requires a little less..."beating" ... Place the rabbit on the floor and take something like a broom handle or something... lay it across the rabbits neck ... step on both ends and pull the rabbits back legs up (at like a 90 degree angle) really hard. (You should feel the back separate.) The rabbits usually kick for like 30 seconds but that’s it. Very rarely do I get any “bleeders”.

-Skyz

ok sorry, but the fact is I was a bit ammused by your detailed post. The fact that you goto the trouble of hitting them 3 times is either great, or just plain sick..As I was saying I usualy buy them frozen so very rarly do I resort to killing. But while we are on the subject have you ever seen a rabbit being gassed? -Shaun D

Unfortunate for you then that you find amusement in it. After nearly 30 years of doing this, I have found that this method is the least painful and traumatic for them and the fastest way to instant death. I personally care about animals of all forms and try to REDUCE their pain and suffering at all costs. And for you to infer that this is somehow "sick" is a bit pathetic and lacking any real insight.

>>ok sorry, but the fact is I was a bit ammused by your detailed post. The fact that you goto the trouble of hitting them 3 times is either great, or just plain sick..As I was saying I usualy buy them frozen so very rarly do I resort to killing. But while we are on the subject have you ever seen a rabbit being gassed? -Shaun D
-----
Human "progress" equates to nature's demise.

All together , any way has got to be better than this one guy how had a grain tower , and he'd catch the rats that lived in the bottom. Go up on top of the silo with them in the rat traps , Put them in a Ziplock Bag , and throw them to the concreet below as hard as he could.

Or another way i'v heard people do , is grabin the rabbit by the scruff of the neck and throwin it aganced the wall realy hard, over and over again till it dies.

And i actually seen a girl stab a mouse with an ice pick again and again for her ball python.

So , like i said. There's alot worse ways of killing things.
But in my opinion. There alive when there caught by a constrictor in the wild. Nature knows best. Feed live and ya wont have to worry about it.
Although , i do put something in the mouth of any rat that get's feed live to any of my snakes. Rabbits kick ,, But rats bite and naw on anything near it , So use a pencil or a pen , and stick it in it's mouth.
-----
Seth Mason.
Do lesbian frogs think they taste like chicken too ?

Brian, the only thing I find distastful is your reply here, I am not trying to argue with you or laugh at killing animals. Im also not trying to offend you or anybody else, AND I was not trying to accuse you of being "SICK" For you to imply that is just quiet rude, as was my post after I reread it. Also while were being rude, so is this> "If you think that 30 years of Whacking make you an expert, then if anything I think you deserve a prize. I would surly vote you the number one whacker in all of the forums." But to be more serrious, Your method is not in question at all, infact I think it is quiet insightful, and ill tell you that i had never thought of it before. I may have came off wrong when I said I wouldnt revert to beating it to death. It was not ment to be taken in a bad way,(i should of explained further) I have had my experiance with a simular method. When I would hit a rabbit you must belive it would be dead quiet immediatly, if not I would blame myself for the suffering. I never did think of hiting it again for any reason, of course there are exceptions if I was unsuccessful. The method you described can be messy yes, and it didnt take me long in my short 15 years of herpetoculture, to learn about cervical dislocation. I prefer the method only because I can't stand to hit the animal, its as much so the thought and the blood. As well as the couple of mistakes I made while trying. Wich does occasionaly happen when you whack an animal. I know you know what im talking about... This is the very same reason I PREFER to recive dead animals! Please, dont take it the wrong way but what makes you think that your better than everybody else here? When I read your posts it often seems that way to me, does the extra 15 years also make you arrogant? Does it make me a bad person, to find humor in the way you describe your brutal acts of violence?

Geeze im sorry it cut me off at brutal acts of violence...
Does it make me a bad person, to find humor in the way you describe your brutal acts of violence?

I have seen someone with multiple personality disorder post on this forum. We have had the opportunity to see the person who thinks Brian's methods are "insightful" and the one who thinks they are "sick" and "brutal acts of violence". They both seem to be the same person, but that can't be. Who could contradict themselves like that in the same post. Please understand, i am not casting judgement on either personality here. I am just trying to understand how Brian's methods are "not in question", but they are "brutal acts of violence".

And so the debate will continue. Which method of killing is the best? Well, when it comes to gassing(suffocation), "whacking", or cervical separation, i'd say none of those methods are as much of a "brutal act of violence" as sticking 100 needles in it and squeezing it to death or just throwing it in with the snake while it's still alive.

If you think your method is the best, by all means, please post a description of how to do it. In your description, plese include the reasons why it is the best way and what to do if something does not go right. That way we can all learn. Or are you afraid that providing detail as Brian did, you may sound like one of your personalities enjoys your brutal acts of violence a little too much??

My personalities are getting realy frustraited now... I was only trying to appologize to brian... KS cut me off in a very bad sounding place, (acts of violence) I do prefer to buy frozen or gassed animals so I am not involved.

I have whacked animals before, but it can be hard to do. Anyway back to acts of violence, I dont belive that Brian actualy came off that way. He is as stated doing what took him years to develop to create a more humane way of doing somthing that is a bit dificult for most of us. I simpply never thought of hitting them again, and again.... It seems that my attempts of humor were in bad form, scince most of us dont find it amusing. Infact his post was very well writin unlike my poor attempt at making light of the dificult situation. If you are to reread my posts you may see that I was only trying to make him smile, wich of course did not work. I emailed Brian to try to clear up some of the confusion. I appologized to him, I hope that it will be enough. -Shaun D

I got your email and thanks for taking the time to write,. but it was really not necessary. I was never really offended, just a little surprised is all. But no big deal. I was not trying to come off as superior or arrogant either, nor was I trying to put other people's methods down while explaining my own. I was merely stating that I felt that particular method, (when performed properly!) results in the least amount of suffering. Many may rightly argue that to euthanize them is the most painless and that may be very acurate. But try as I might, I feel so much worse placing the animals in a gas chamber. It makes me feel like a herp version of Hitler and it eats at my conscious more. I am more comfortable with a swift blow that ends consciousness and two follow up blows that ends life in a second or two. I have often wondered if gassed animals might be aware that they are dying and that thought bothers me. I welcome hearing from anyone with lots of gassing experience to shed some light on this and maybe allay some concerns of mine on this method.

No hard feelings at all Shawn. Happy herping bro.

>>I have whacked animals before, but it can be hard to do. Anyway back to acts of violence, I dont belive that Brian actualy came off that way. He is as stated doing what took him years to develop to create a more humane way of doing somthing that is a bit dificult for most of us. I simpply never thought of hitting them again, and again.... It seems that my attempts of humor were in bad form, scince most of us dont find it amusing. Infact his post was very well writin unlike my poor attempt at making light of the dificult situation. If you are to reread my posts you may see that I was only trying to make him smile, wich of course did not work. I emailed Brian to try to clear up some of the confusion. I appologized to him, I hope that it will be enough. -Shaun D
-----
Human "progress" equates to nature's demise.

I have infact watched them be gassed and it is not at all a pleasent experiance. They do tend to cry and convulse, belive me it is a horrible thing to watch. Unconsiousness seems to occure very rappidly but, I do know for a fact that they are scared at the very least finding themselves unable to breath. Im glad that you can see I didnt meen to attack you and hopefuly my other personalities will go into remision now that the peace has been restored.
Cheers, Shaun D

but i also don't like the other methods. My beer making endeavors have forced me to have CO2 on hand at all times. Therefore, if i must dispatch an animal, i usually gas it. This works well on rats and mice as they seem to go quietly and fairly quickly. rabbits are no fun at all. I have someone whack them for me if i can, but gassing them takes a while. I believe they are as aware they are dieing as they would be if they were drowning, or sealed in a bag. All CO2 does is diplace breathable oxygen. They will gasp for every last breath and won't be quiet about it either. the last 2 times i have done it have not been fun at all. It's not bloody and does not invlolve severing the spine and breaking bones and stuff, but it's no better. I wish there was a way to just zap them, that would be best.

What does your other personality prefer. I think i've only heard one side of the story here. Just kidding. I'm with ya. I hate watching things die and i really hate hearing it. I think alot of people think that gassing is humane and somehow poisons the animal until it passes out without knowing any better. It's nice to get a 50 pound box with frozen animals packed in ice, but with rabbits, it's not economically feasible. Luckily, i know some very nice people who dispatch the rabbits for me.

>>ok sorry, but the fact is I was a bit ammused by your detailed post.

Killing an animal larger than a rat is surprisingly difficult. If you describe how to do it, you have to be very detailed or someone following you directions will spend a lot of time whacking an injured animal trying to get it over with.

Also, if you can get over the imagery long enough to actually think about the rabbit rather than your distaste, you realize that after the first whack (if done right), the rabbit is unconscious and basically dead already. Hitting it after that is no more "inhumane" than whacking a hamburger with a stick...
-----
Larry D. Fishel
Side effects may include paralysis
and death but are generally mild.

As a longtime bowhunter for whitetail deer, I've dealt with killing animals since I was eighteen (I'm 34 now.) I was actually killing smaller animals since before eighteen but nothing like a large animal like a deer. When it comes to killing feeders, we must remember the reason these feeders were bred in the first place. That's not to say that we must enjoy the killing process, just that they must be killed in some way. Whether it be gassing them, whacking them or beating them with a club, it must be done. Personally I think any of these methods is fine and will ultimately get the job done and that's what's most important. Remember, we're not killing babies here, we're killing rats/rabbits. When I kill my rats, I personally whack them. It often times is bloody but that's life (or death in this instance.) It's all just washed out of the bottom of the bucket when I'm done. Personally I hate watching the rats kibby around after the whack is done but I don't let it tear me up inside, it's the reality of the situation. As for the animal rights groups reading this and using it against us, don't worry, they will hate us even if we fed them stuffed bunnies. If I seem a bit straight to the point and unhappy in this post, I appoligize. The manager of my baseball team (The Red Sox) killed me last night and he wasn't too humane about it . Take care, Scott.

P.S. I can see the anti-hunter flames coming my way at this moment.
-----
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws.
But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
—Martin Luther King Jr

I , Like Brian , Raise my own Feeder's.
Brian's way of killing them is ok.
And i feed them live 90% of the time. But , when i dont , This is what i do to kill them. Like if i have more than i need and need to freeze some. I have a clear Cooler by Coleman. It's actually just the liner out of one of them old Green metal ones they used to use 20 years ago. There's a Place called Home City Ice that has Dry ice in Stock pretty cheep down the road from me.
What i do is put the rabit into the cooler and set a plastic unspillable bowl in one corner and block it off with some Milk jugs. The milk jugs are good for the reason that they have tapered tops , so the rabit cant get past the bott'm , but the mist can get to the rabbit.
Pour a touch of water into the bowl with the dry ice and close the lid. In about 2 hours ya have dead rabbits

>>I placed an order with Rodentpro but apparently there was a shipping snafu of some sort and my shipment will not be arriving until next week (2nd time thats happened in 6 shipments, but thats another story). Anyway, my big female is hungry NOW and has started hunting so I need to buy some live rabbits from the local pet store to feed her until next week. If I were to wait, she would seriously mess up her cage...she's very impatient when it comes to food. So, anybody know any "home" ways to kill a rabbit for consumption? I dont have access to stuff like CO2 or the like. Any thoughts appreciated.
-----
Seth Mason.
Do lesbian frogs think they taste like chicken too ?

Although this is a valid question and important topic, the comments I am reading here makes me concerned about what message we are sending. To be honest, the methods described sound pretty brutal and having dispatched many rabbits, I prefer cervical dislocation as it is fast and painless (as painless can be). I will not go into detail how this is done. The details of whacking rabbits once, twice or three times and the details by which they are described are probably not appropriate for this forum (even if it is about the care of burms). Knowing how many special interest groups are out to ban the keeping of large constrictors, and are becoming quite successful at passing restrictive legislation, the comments made here, even if done in a well meaning manner, will only hurt our cause immeasurably. This thread should have been done via email from one person to another. Just my .02.

Rob Carmichael, Director/Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation

Instead of beating the rabbit repeatedly... Try this -

Place the rabbit on the groundPlace a wooden dowel or metal pipe across the neck of the rabbit. Jump onto the dowel or pipe, one foot on each side of the rabbit.

The rabbit WILL die instantly. This is how my rabbit breeder does it - and she does a GREAT job. She kills dozens of rabbits every week....

Or you can beat the rabbit over and over again, hoping it dies on the fourth or fifth swing.