Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The two quickest methods for killing a rabbit are CO2 and cervical dislocation. In general, neither is quicker than the other, though I've heard people say cervical dislocation is more humane because it is quicker- death isn't instant. If improperly done, as when we first practice it and are just learning how to do it, cervical dislocation can be the more inhumane one, whereas with CO2, the rabbit becomes unconscious. CO, aka carbon monoxide, as in car exhaust and ether, two other methods I've heard mentioned, leave residues in the tissue and are probably harmful to the snake in the long term. Ether is dangerous to use and the carcass is flammable - not the safest prey to feed. It can actually explode in your snake room under the right conditions (or should I say wrong conditions?). Early on I was told to hit a rabbit on the head (not with a frying pan and the result was a bloody mess and a screaming rabbit whose screams went right to my soul. That is another method that carries a learning curve and is probably not a good method for the squeamish (like me). As for injecting air into a vein, well, that one is baffling. It doesn't sound humane and it isn't mentioned in the AVMA. I think an air bubble in a vein can be quite painful. If you have a collection of constrictors who will be feeding on rabbits, invest in a CO2 set up. To start they are about $175 and can be found at a welding supply store. One tank will last for a very long tim in a small collection. If you have only one or two constrictors, try dry ice. CO2 can be used for rabbits of all sizes and it is bloodless in fresh-killed situations. Frozen prey can break a blood vessel when thawing and show a little blood, but nothing major. I hope this helps someone thinking about rabbits.
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Marcia Pimentel
Tango River Reptiles
GiantFeeders

Good post Marcia.

Personally, I prefer the dry ice (CO2 asphixyation) method. This is because it is bloodless, painless, cheap, clean, readily available, and requires little to no learning curve. In areas where dry ice is not readily available a canister of CO2 gas can be purchased quite cheaply too (like the ones used on paintball guns).

Just one note - I'm surprised to hear that injecting an air bubble into a vein is even considered an option! That is nearly the practical equivalent of inducing a condition that is known to scuba divers as the bends. It is not in any way painless or quick, and futhermore seems like a lot of work to go through to put down a prey animal (that is, getting over the learing curve, and in getting the syringes, etc., which are illegal to posess in many places).

Just my two cents,
- Mark

>>The two quickest methods for killing a rabbit are CO2 and cervical dislocation. In general, neither is quicker than the other, though I've heard people say cervical dislocation is more humane because it is quicker- death isn't instant. If improperly done, as when we first practice it and are just learning how to do it, cervical dislocation can be the more inhumane one, whereas with CO2, the rabbit becomes unconscious. CO, aka carbon monoxide, as in car exhaust and ether, two other methods I've heard mentioned, leave residues in the tissue and are probably harmful to the snake in the long term. Ether is dangerous to use and the carcass is flammable - not the safest prey to feed. It can actually explode in your snake room under the right conditions (or should I say wrong conditions?). Early on I was told to hit a rabbit on the head (not with a frying pan and the result was a bloody mess and a screaming rabbit whose screams went right to my soul. That is another method that carries a learning curve and is probably not a good method for the squeamish (like me). As for injecting air into a vein, well, that one is baffling. It doesn't sound humane and it isn't mentioned in the AVMA. I think an air bubble in a vein can be quite painful. If you have a collection of constrictors who will be feeding on rabbits, invest in a CO2 set up. To start they are about $175 and can be found at a welding supply store. One tank will last for a very long tim in a small collection. If you have only one or two constrictors, try dry ice. CO2 can be used for rabbits of all sizes and it is bloodless in fresh-killed situations. Frozen prey can break a blood vessel when thawing and show a little blood, but nothing major. I hope this helps someone thinking about rabbits.
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>>Marcia Pimentel
>>Tango River Reptiles
>>GiantFeeders

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~ANTEGY~
www.antegy.com
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Thanks for that information. The frying pan and hypodermic post made my skin crawl, even though I gave it the benefit of the doubt that it probably came from a youngster trying to appear savvy. I guess I’ve utilized into the 6-figures of warm-blooded animals to feed snakes, but (and?) I feel we should treat food animals with some respect and attempt to sacrifice them humanely. By the way, my first attempt to kill a rabbit was like something out of a horror movie, and I never tried again.

-Joan