Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am a zoology teacher who has been working with animals of multiple phyla for years. I'm writing this as a separate post so that it won't get mixed into the previous mess.

This is the accepted path in the scientific field.

1. YOU are responsible for any animal you take into your care, euthanizing should be a last resort.

2. Do what ever is reasonable to maintain the specimen.

3. If you cannot maintain the animal find someone to adopt the animal.

4. If euthanasia is the final option the scientifically approved method for killing cold blooded animals is to freeze them. YES it sounds bad but it has been found to be the most humane way. Because of their coldblooded nature they simply slow down, sleep, and then pass. But this should be a last resort.

Thanks

Jeff Medley
SHS Zoology and Genetics Teacher

Freezing of a reptile should not be done simply by sticking the animal into the freezer. It has to be done gradually or the animal will suffer.

For a gecko, heating elements in the tank should be turned off and the tank should be allowed to reach room temperature. Then the temperature should be dropped to 60 degrees and held at that temp for a couple hours or a day or two if you can allow it (you want to induce hibernation, hibernation doesn't happen in just a few minutes, it takes time), and then drop as gradually as you can. An empty mini-fridge works best since you can slowly dial in the temperature once you reach sub 50 deg temps. You'll want to keep going down in temps until the animal is well and frozen (you don't want him to come back to life after you thaw him).

The same goes for CO2, you can't just pump the CO2 concentration to 100 percent and expect the animal not to suffer (I absolutely hate it when people do this in the lab and they say "it knocks them down faster, they don't feel any pain, they don't know what's going on" when they are clearly suffocating and gasping for breath). CO2 at low concentration is actually an anesthetic, which is the reason why it's so widely accepted as a means of euthanizing animals, but people just don't give a damn sometimes and don't care about the proper protocols.

And as it was mentioned, use it only when there are no other options left, euthanizing an animal is no different from murder.

-Lemur 6

>>And as it was mentioned, use it only when there are no other options left, euthanizing an animal is no different from murder.
>>
>>-Lemur 6

So are you saying euthanizing any animal is murder, or just when it's because the owner doesn't want to spend the money/time trying to actually figure out what is wrong?
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-Kristen

0.6 Leopard Gecko (Buttercup, Beaker, Beauty, Blaze, Bubbles, and Blinkers!)
1.1 Fat Tail Gecko (Bell and Bowser!)
0.1 Deformed Leopard Gecko (Gimpy)

Proud owner and operator of a Powerbook G4! Why use windows, when I can use Panther? It even sounds better.

So I should... stop euthanizing these crickets....
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convient pocket size!

Euthanizing, murder, killing for food, hunting, call it what you like. Killing is killing. We kill cows for food, geckos kill crickets for food, so is the necessity for killing, but when the killing is unnecessary it becomes murder.

I've drawn myself into a controversial argument. It's funny how humans have double standards, it's illegal to euthanize a human, yet it's perfectly fine to euthanize an animal. Ask yourself if you'd like to be euthanized if you were in pain. I wouldn't even if death was unavoidable.

Anyway, I'll stop here before this gets blown outa proportion, say what you like and I'll believe in what I believe is right.

-Lemur 6

"Freezing has been used as a humane method to kill small reptiles under one pound in weight. Although low temperatures do result in a state of torpor, the formation of ice crystals in the tissue is quite painful. Freezing should only be done to anesthetized animals."

Although I do not agree with everything on this site, this link gives the most comprehensive information I have seen on euthanizing reptiles:
www.anapsid.org/euth.html

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Marcia McGuiness
Golden Gate Geckos
www.goldengategeckos.com

Put your animal on a block and decapitate it, the spinal colomn isn't connected to the brain, so no pain

I was reading studies on this not too long ago and it was found that in many cases the reptile was still alive... the eyes followed movement for hours after it was decapitated..

How in the world is that humane?Reptiles use such low levels of oxygen that their bodies are still alive for a long time after they are decapitated.Definitly not the way to euthanize your reptile.I say take it to a vet and have a professional euthanize it.

I kinda noticed that you were talking to me. Thank you for you comments but i have already gotten my answer and i dont need a lecture about responsibility because my geckos are fine and healthy and i can take her to the vet if needed.
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Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-------------------------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!

The gecko that you see in my signiture is of my only leopard gecko and it is fairly recent. I am sorry for the graphics of it because my camera sucks and i just figured out you have to have it completly dark to take a picture and it turn out decent.
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Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-------------------------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!
Leopard Geckos ROCK!!!

I didn't mean to come on too strong, but I was making general statements in my posts. I can understand how we can get caught up with a sick leo only to come to the realization we cannot provide it with the help it really needs. If we cannot afford the vet expenses to have it treated, how can we afford to have a vet humanely euthanize it if it gets to that point?

I didn't intend to start a huge, multi-thread controversy, but I honestly feel that the vast majority of herpers somehow feel like their reptiles are 'disposable' in the back of their minds. A huge percentage of the herp owners I come in contact with either will not or cannot afford the expense of veterinary care for their herps. Without question or hesitation, these very same people would find a way to get their dog or cat to the vet if it needed care or treatment.

If we want our herps to have the same social acceptance as pets that other animals do, then we need to 'walk the walk' and not just 'talk the talk.'
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Marcia McGuiness
Golden Gate Geckos
www.goldengategeckos.com