Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just built this this little setup and tested it tonight and it worked like a charm. I prefer to buy live myself, see them on the hoof so to speak, maybe feed them up a few days and then put them down. I've purchased frozen before from a local pet store (big chain) that I'm pretty sure were defrosted at least a few times before they got to the stores freezer. In any case when I buy live and freeze them myself I know they haven't been in a frozen warehouse somewhere for a year or two.

This setup works with vinegar and baking soda, as we all know when combined produces co2. The mice go in the clear container and the vinegar, then the baking soda go into the taller dark container. Once the lid is on the dark container tightly the co2 is forced thru the aquarium airlines into the smaller container with the mice. Notice on the lid of the clear container that there is a very small pressure ventilation hole... you must have that or your lid will blow off.

I used this set up for three tonight but it would probably work for up to 6 or 8 mice at once.

Kerry in Dallas

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verrykerry@yahoo.com
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."Calvin and Hobbes

Cool setup and alot cheaper to make than the one using paintball CO2 tanks. However I noticed that you have two lines going from the vinegar/soda container into the kill tank, how can the displaced air escape the kill tank? OR is that the other purpose of the small hole?

That is the exact purpose of the small hole to let the lighter oxygen at the top escape. It builds enough pressure that you can hear it hiss out of the small breather hole.

The tall container is a reptile humidifier that you can buy at Petco or Petsmart for about 15.00 it already has the fittings built into the lid. When you buy it there is a sponge inside the container attached to the lid, just rip that out and throw it away.

When you make the holes for the airlines to go into the rubbermaid (kill) container drill them with an actual drill and bit a size smaller than the airline and pull the airline thru the holes, ensuring a snug airtight fit. Also dont make the pressure vent hole too big... Lastly when putting your baking soda and vinegar together, pour the vinegar into the container first, then the baking soda, tighten the lid and shake the whole container a bit. Once the mice appear dead leave them alone in the container for several more minutes to be sure they are dead and wont revive when oxygen hits them.

Kerry

>>Cool setup and alot cheaper to make than the one using paintball CO2 tanks. However I noticed that you have two lines going from the vinegar/soda container into the kill tank, how can the displaced air escape the kill tank? OR is that the other purpose of the small hole?
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verrykerry@yahoo.com
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."Calvin and Hobbes

How do you determine how much vinegar and how much baking soda?
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No good deed goes unpunished!

Just wing it, I've only used the setup once sooo... I used 2 cups vinegar and one cup baking soda when I did it and that seemed to work just fine for 3 mice at a time.

Kerry

>>How do you determine how much vinegar and how much baking soda?
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>>No good deed goes unpunished!
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verrykerry@yahoo.com
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."Calvin and Hobbes