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My snakes eat dead thawed rats, mice, chicks, gerbils etc. I can keep buying chicks but if I were to breed mice rats and gerbils how would I go about doing this, I have bred rats before by accident and ended up with 40 but I don't know how to kill them without causing too much pain to the rodent, if this is possible. Does anyone else kill rodents to feed their snakes?? How do you do it??

katie
xxxxx
thanks in advance

You can set up a gas chamber with a grate over dry ice in a styrofoam cooler. It sounds cruel, but I just hit them against the wall. Takes care of them quickly and pretty painlessly (I suppose...they don't have too much time to feel anything).
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

If you steal in hunger, I will kick you when you try. These stand for me. Name your god and bleed the freak. I'd like to see. How you all would bleed for me.-Alice In Chains

Rapid acceleration followed by immediate deceleration.
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Martin Whalin
My Email

Quotes from guys named Carl:

"Science stops at the frontier of logic. Nature does not, she thrives on ground as yet untrodden by theory."
-Carl Jung

"It is foolish to let singleness of purpose deprive one of the joy and delectation of the many wonderful sights and sounds incidental to the quest."
-Carl Kauffeld

Heh...I like that. I will have to remember that one.
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Yahoo:surfandskimtx04
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

If you steal in hunger, I will kick you when you try. These stand for me. Name your god and bleed the freak. I'd like to see. How you all would bleed for me.-Alice In Chains

While th use of dry ice is a method, you can also connect a paintball gun CO2 cannister to a small sweater box, by use of a hose and connector.
Drill small holes in the top of the box, to allow the O2 out as the chamber fills with CO2. The CO2 is of a higher density, so it will lift the O2 within the container and purge it through the holes in the top.
Make certain you regulate the CO2 flow, so that it flows slowly into the box, as a heavy blast will create havoc among the rodenst, or chicks, being dispatched. It typically takes 30-45 seconds to kill 50-60 mice or 15-20 adult rats.

I do the whack a rat thing for mine. I am now thinking of buying frozen but I have a hang up about the CO2 thing. I cannot comprehend how gassing is less painful than a skilled one time whack. I have read threads about this same topic over and over and although I agree that it is best for the consumer, I can't seem to bring myself to the thought process of it being more humane for the prey. If someone could enlighten me on the physiological process that occurs in the prey being I might be able to let go of my hangups. A later post stated that the CO2 process happens quickly, in 30 or a few more seconds. Although I don't like to whack 'em or slam 'em, a second of actually pain/fear seems to me the way to go. I cannot imagine that an animal whose brain is basically crushed could feel pain. I think the adrenaline and instantaneous trauma would reroute all function away from sensory perception. At worst you get a seizure, but from what I think about seizing is that it isn't painful, but disorienting.

Linda

Please advise if you know otherwise, like I said, I just don't understand.
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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

I found that my pythons wouldn't readily accept pre-killed so I had to gradually transfer from live to dead. Not an easy task. During a brain storm, I saw my wife's salad spinner on the kitchen counter while waiting to dry. Now, if you don't know what that is, it's a bowl you put your washed leaves of lettuce in and close the lid. You crank a handle on the lid and it spins the inside bowl in circles and flings the water of the lettuce leaves. Well, long story short, I waited for wifey to leave the room and put the snake chow in. A few cranks and VOILA! The food item was disorientated enough not to attack or bury it's fangs into the snake, and the snake was all the more eager to grab and hold a disabled rat. A few weeks later, I was able to switch to pre-killed. The transfer process helped out a lot. The CO2 method seems to be the most preferred 'humane' way of dispatch. I seem to have success separating the spinal cord via tail yank. to me, this is extremely fast and effective and they don't do the "chicken dance". A note about CO2...Although I have never used this method, I heard that there is a period of time that the CO2 needs before it is out of the food items body. Meaning, don't dispatch and offer the food or the CO2 will be transferred to the snake. Best of luck,
Brad

Although I have never had to kill any of my snake's food, I thought I'd suggest a method my friend used when he worked at a raptor sanctuary - take hold of the rodent by the head with one hand and the shoulders with the other. Pull the head away from the shoulders firmly until you feel a pop. This breaks the neck instantly by seperating the vertebre. A bit brutish, but it's the quickest and surest I've ever heard. I don't know if I could ever do it, but I thought I'd at least mention it.
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