Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Was curious of what are other way to kill a rat if you don't have CO2?

I was thinking maybe placing them in a small rubbermaid, suffocating them, in their own CO2 i guess, and then freezing them.

Are there any other ways?

The reason for this is because i had bought 3 live ones for my BP to last until my supply from Rodentpro.com arrived. But they are stinking up the place, so i wouldn't mind freezing them.

Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't recommend that. It would probably take a while and they could pass out after a while and you could open the container and then they'd revive. Maybe.

I feel (and this is opinion since I am neither a rodent, nor dead) that the technique (cervical dislocation, or something) where you place a screwdriver shaft across the back of the neck and hold down the rodent while yanking up on the base of the tail is the best and fastest way.
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1.1 BPs (Syd and Nancy)
0.2 French Lops (Lapine and Jacquotte)
0.0.2 Firebellied Toads (Stanley and Stuart)

rats shouldn't smell at all, unless they were kept in a very dirty cage when you bought them. If they are adults, males can smell a bit oily..almost like mink oil (with a brother who used to work in a fur plant, you get to know that smell LOL).

You can bath the rats if they are friendly enough in warm water in a sink with a mild mild soap (wash body but not head) then towel dry and put them in a container with just paper towel in a warm non drafty place to dry. They will lick themselves dry in an half hour or so then you can put them back in their normal cage. You could change the bedding in the old cage as well, if it's pretty soiled.

For putting down rats, I found they are tricker than mice...never been able to manage the cervicle displacement thing with large rats. Maybe I need a third hand. I usually wind up stunning the rat instead with a sharp blow to the back of the head. Once stunned I bag and toss into the freezer.

This is how i put down my rats. I have a small bucket with a piece of aquarium airline tubing and a control valve connected to it running to a sterlite container.step 1 Put a bowl of water in the bucket.step 2 put the rats in the sterilite container and put lid on tight. step 3 put the dry ice in the water. Step 4 adjust the flow so the rats aren't freaking out ( this may take several attempts to get it right). Once you have the valve adjusted right they won't run around in panic. I would let it go for 20 to 30 minutes then i vacumm packed them. The first time i did this i had the water bowl in with the rats then i put the dry ice in and thet freaked out and got all wet which made it a little messy. Hope this helps Paul

This type of discussion always amazes me

Placing live animals in a bag until they suffocate is illegal.

'Stunning' live rats or mice by smacking their heads into hard objects (truck bumpers, tables,walls, the floor) is - you guessed it - illegal.

That is why we have animal cruelty laws in every state - to prevent people from doing those very things. . .

Cervical dislocation is appropriate (after being trained by a pro, BTW) only for smaller mice and rats - *never* large rats (they have necks like buffalo - built).

I know the topic is confusing, but the AVMA kindly provided guidelines on euthanasia years ago:

http://www.mc.uky.edu/dlar/links/avmaeuth.htm

Pretty simple stuff, and for most people CO2 is the best choice.

All the pros I know use frozen rodents anyway, purchased from a reputable supplier. Or Snake Sausages (made with poultry, BTW - not ground up rodents).

Don't go around whacking rats on the head, or stuffing them into ziplocs, or drowning, stomping, pithing, or freezing them alive (always a favourite). If you are confused, ask a professional, like your vet. . .

Norvvy