Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my mice are pissing me off... i would much rather have rats for my ball python... the only problem is my parents have a problem with the smell. they are completely sure that rats smell worse than mice. even though the mice are in my room and they never have to smell them they dont want me to get rats.. blah... so i was wondering whats the absolute minimum floor space one male and one female rat need?

also... im having trouble killing rats with a cervical snap.. they just arent dying.. mice i can do it fine.. CO2 is too much to deal with because im lazy.... so im wondering what everyone does.... thanks.. dave
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"i have a mortal wound!"
"where? where does it hurt?"
"oh, pretty much around the big bloody spot"
"come inside. ill get the neosporin. da na na na na - NEO! ba na na na na na na - SPORIN! blee nee nee......."

Sorry I have no answers to your guestions but how do you kill them with co2? I have a paintball tank , but what do I do to kill them with it besides beating with it? LOL! I'm getting rats too. I'm figuring up prices for cage materials and stuff right now. One more guestion......How long does it take a new born rat to grow into a full grown rat?
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irtBikeBoy50@aol.com" target="_blank">DirtBikeBoy50@aol.comMy pets: Savanna Monitor, 2 pictus geckos,hamster,cat,and 6 goldfish.

CO2, is considered a humane way to kill them off. Beating them with the tank is one way to do it, but lets look at a more tactful way to go. you take a tupperware container that can be sealed tightly to prevent masive air escape. Put a valve on your co2 tank to control the flow, and a hose going from the valve to the tupperware container. CO2 puts the animals to sleep, perminently, through affixiation(bad speller, but means lack off oxygen). CO2 is heavier than air, so it sinks, so make the tub enter the container near the bootom, you will kill them faster and with a little less CO2. Then you need another tube, coming from the top of the tupperware and have it go into a jar filed with water. the water keeps air from going back into the tank, and this is the pressure release so that when you pump in co2, it doesnt blow up your tupperware. there are pictures of this setup. Have fun. Its easy once you build the killing machine.

Truth

I wouldn't be willing to use my CO2 tank to beat rats to death. It could damge my tank, so I use the CO2 in the tank to kill the rats.

Thanks! Where did you get the hoses and stuff?
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irtBikeBoy50@aol.com" target="_blank">DirtBikeBoy50@aol.comMy pets: Savanna Monitor, 2 pictus geckos,hamster,cat,and 6 goldfish.

Thats what I did. I told him what I wanted to do, and after he was done staring at me like he was waiting for the punchline to some sick joke, he went ahead and found the hose and the pressure control nozzle for me.

I think they are SUPPOSED to be used for carrying the CO2 on your back while you play paint ball.

Always new uses for them. I think I might have one somewhere.
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irtBikeBoy50@aol.com" target="_blank">DirtBikeBoy50@aol.comMy pets: Savanna Monitor, 2 pictus geckos,hamster,cat,and 6 goldfish.

Ask him for a Remote, a 20oz Co2 tank, and Macroline.

Remote - The white Coiled Hose. Comes in Steel Braided and Macro Style (the coiled plastic feeling one)

20oz Co2 - Killing Fuel (the more oz rating, the more co2)

Macroline - you dont really need this, but its extra tubing for possible vent holes. It should be a Foot long. (you can buy cheaper stuff at hard ware stores)

if you need any more questions, just ask. I play paintball alot.

for co2 you put the rat/mouse in an air tight container... probably something custom made? im not sure.. and fill it with co2.. the rats pass out and then die becuase they dont have oxygen... im not sure about how the tanks and everything are hooked up.. search the old forums there are a lot of posts about it. or yes, smack the rat with the co2 cartridge... hahah...dave
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"i have a mortal wound!"
"where? where does it hurt?"
"oh, pretty much around the big bloody spot"
"come inside. ill get the neosporin. da na na na na - NEO! ba na na na na na na - SPORIN! blee nee nee......."

hahaha thanks guys. I just asked my friend if he had an old plexiglass aquarium I could have and he does, so I got the great idea for building a plexiglass hood for it with the co2 tank attached to the top with a valve instead of having it all separate. Co2 is pretty cheap too.
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irtBikeBoy50@aol.com" target="_blank">DirtBikeBoy50@aol.comMy pets: Savanna Monitor, 2 pictus geckos,hamster,cat,and 6 goldfish.

I have kept both, and you can assure your parents that rats have a much milder and less sharp odor than mice do. Mice are REALLY pungent.

np
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"i have a mortal wound!"
"where? where does it hurt?"
"oh, pretty much around the big bloody spot"
"come inside. ill get the neosporin. da na na na na - NEO! ba na na na na na na - SPORIN! blee nee nee......."

I raise rats and mice. Mice do smell worse. If you have only a couple of snakes and a good pair of breeder rats you will have an overabundance of rats. They breed back immediately upon delivery so you have to seperate them before delivery if you want to control the #'s. Unfortunately they take a lot longer than mice to get big. What I've learned to do is feed more smaller rats. My baby boa can eat rat pinkies or pups, my ball eats pups, my burm eats anything so depending on what is on hand he may have several weaned rats, a couple of mediums, etc. Trying to get them to large or jumbo size will take too much time, space, labor, and feed to be practical if you are keeping them in your room. If you can keep them in the garage it might work? As for dispatching them, the blunt object takes practice or you make a bloody mess, my husband tried. I usually hold them by the tail and snap them against something. Sounds cruel but I worked at the Bronx Zoo years ago and that's what I was taught. The technique also takes practice. Occasionally one will "come to" before being eaten so be sure to watch if you fresh feed and don't freeze. After awhile you will find what works best for you and know if the rat has been stunned or is truly dead or dying. Anyone near Roxboro, NC let me know if they need cheap rats or mice or if they just need support.