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What are some HUMANE ways to prekill/stun mice and rats without co2? I don't want to put them in a bag and slam them down because i don't want it to be painful or inhumane.
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0.1 Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 ball python (felix)
1.1 feral cats (Fuzzy, and Bear; it used to be fuzzy, wuzzy, bear)

I haven't tried these so don't take my word for it...

1. Very high voltage stun gun

2. Putting metal rod on neck and pulling tail up hard to snap spine

What I have been doing lately, since I can't afford to buy what I need to make a Co2 tanks, is placing the mice in to ziplock bags, then with the bag as protection, severing the vertabra of their neck between my fingers. This seems to work pretty good. I know y ou can also grab their tail, hold their heads firmly and pull to separate teh vertabra..but after being biten a few times by mice while trying to do this, I find the bag part works much better.

Hmm... never thought about a stun gun. I know that animals in the wild won't eat prey that has been struck by lightning. But an animal as small as a mouse will get cooked by a stun gun. And it is possible to cause some major hemmoraging when it hits them. Burnt fur, bad smell... I don't know about it...

But then again, if it works, I'll go get my friends cattle prod and try it out on a rat.
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Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud)
Common Snapping Turtle 1.1 (Sherman and Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)

>>What are some HUMANE ways to prekill/stun mice and rats without co2? I don't want to put them in a bag and slam them down because i don't want it to be painful or inhumane.
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>>0.1 Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
>>0.0.1 ball python (felix)
>>1.1 feral cats (Fuzzy, and Bear; it used to be fuzzy, wuzzy, bear)

aka separating the spine from the brain. Fast, easy and humane.
I personally use a pair of scissors with the blades closed. It is firm, and strong enough to do rats with and gives you a grip and control. Hold the base of the tail in left hand, (assuming right handers here) and with scissors by the handle FIRMLY pin the rodent with the blades right over the neck, behind the head. Tug on the tail. You will hear a SNICK. The animal will go stiff, twitch and kick but will be dead.
DO NOT be tentative, DO NOT be gentle to the point that you will have to do it again. Pin them firmly and tug firmly. It is easy to get a feel for. With Russian Dwarf Hamsters it is a bit of a pain but mice and rats works well.
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Sonya

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

I buy mice by the hundreds and freeze them. I used to snap their necks on the back of an aquarium and throw them in with the snakes until someone informed me that if I do it wrong. The mouse will still be alert and paralized until eaten.
I love all animals and cant stand to think of anything suffering, but dont get me wrong. I love meat and breed reptiles that eat mice and rats.
From my understanding, when put in the freezer, the mouse goes into slow down mode and goes to sleep never to awaken. When I open my freezer, all the mice appear to have cuddled up in a ball and went to sleep. Leading me to belive that they died okay.
Good luck
Jason

I, as a hunter, know what freezing is all about. That is a horrible way to die. Second to burning alive. Find a better way dude, cause that is absolutely not humane.

If you want to know how inhumane it is, come to my house, ill make you wear shorts and a t shirt and ill pack you in snow. we will see what you feel like. You may look peaceful when your dead, but getting there, you would not be happy.

I guess I could be nuts but my friends have never really let me know. I find it a little nuts that you know what it feels like to die! Or even worse, that you keep snow in your home! Working in a hospital, I've heard many stories from pt.s aka patients that once hypothermia sets in after the shaking! The body starts to calm and relax.

I have heard that Co2 death is the most humane way to kill rodents. I would even be willing to change my methods of freezing to gassing. The humane society talks real highly of it. They say it takes under 90 seconds till death and their is very minimal resistance. They just don’t say exactly how to carry it through.

If you could give me a brief summery of how to do this, I will try it.

Thanks for what I think were constructive criticism, and please get that snow out of your house.
Happy Hunting
Jason

you have a point with hypothermia, however the path to it is actually quite painful.

Gasing seems to be the most humane way, but seperating the spinal column is also very effective for a quick death with minimal suffering. If you severe the spinal column of anything, they can't feel pain, because that nerve sensation can't get to the brain, and without the brain, the heart stops, the lungs stop, and the animal dies.

Gasing actually does make them go to sleep, which is what I think you were originally aiming for. To do this, get a CO2 tank from a paintball store, (i would go with a 20oz), you will need a release valve and tubing. Take a container that you can seal tightly, air tight. Drill a hole at the base of the container an silicone the hose from the CO2 tank to the "death chamber." Next drill a hole in the top, and attach another hose to the container. the other end of this hose goes in a tub/vat of water. This is the pressure release, and will allow the oxygen to escape, but not let any air back in.CO2 is heavier than O2, hense why you put the CO2 hose at the bottom and the release hose at the top(this also saves on the amount of CO2 you use). The animals die through a somewhat gradual oxygen depervation. They get tired, because of the lack of oxygen to the brain. They fall asleep, and die shortly after. Loss of bowel control is common at death, so line your death chamber accordingly.

I think my harsh way of criticism was out of order, and I am sorry for my flipping out. I tend to do that from time to time.

I think that you will see that this is a much better action.

P.S.

1. The snow is OUTSIDE of my house.
2. If you want to know the pain that I am talking about with freezing to death, open your freezer, and place the back of your hand on the bare metal rack that is in there(if you have one) and dont move it for a few minutes.

I took JM's pic from the gallery, to show you what i was talking about. I hope he doesnt mind.

This is JM's Deathmaster 3000, for visualization

Thanks for all the help. I'm gonna try this. Like in my my original post. The last thing I want to do is stress or hurt a living animal , no matter the size or type. I'm gonna try this on a bigger scale, maybe a ice box converted to a CO2 chamber. I like to kill my mice 100 at a time so I don't have to feel depressed about it for long.

I understood your point. I was just having fun with it instead of getting angry. I see alot of people take sarchasm the wrong way on these posts. I would like to try and help change that. People need to grow positivly. But anyways, I Will make this chamber deal and freeze the mice after dead.

Thanks again for your help, and be safe in the snow.
Jason

If you are killing 100 at a time and are not doing it often an alternative is to use dry ice. Less initial cost and it is easier to set up. Buy a few pounds of dry ice (pellets work the best) put the dry ice in a dish of water close the container, this allows the container to fill with co2 and leads to a faster death. Once the container is filled with co2 you then put the rodents in. It works rather well, and if you have a ready supply of dry ice then it is easy to do and no set up really. It is what I used to do when I worked at a hospital doing animal work.

Wouldn't be cheaper and easier just to buy them frozen in the first place?

I tried that. The mice were urin soaked and had missing limbs. As you probably figure, I can't let my snakes eat that. The live mice are all in great condition and fat. I have a feeling that when they find a dead mouse in the cage, it goes straight into the freezer to sell.
I would find another breeder, except this one is a mile from my house so I don't need to ship. He also only charges $.50 cent a mouse which is nice.
Soon hope to breed my own and avoid mouse breeders all together.
The End. Jason