Feeding question

[zrodtx]

Hi everyone, Well the Army is sending me to a school thats around 3 months long , and I have a question,well a problem, about feeding my Boa. Ok here is my problem, I feed my Hog Island Boa pre-killed or frozen rats. Which is no problem for me as i don't mind dispatching the rats to feed my snake. My girlfriend has been taking care of my Boa with me since I have had him, so she knows plenty about Boa care. The problem is in killing rats, she can't bring herself to kill the rats with the method I use. Is there any way to kill a rat without having to get physical with it? so what is the least violent way to kill a rat? Forget frozen as she won't allow them in the freezer ,I have to hide them in the freezer, yes i know i will get caught one day.... haha. thanks everyone

	Hog Island Boa hogg

[boaterr]

Originally Posted by zrodtx

Hi everyone, Well the Army is sending me to a school thats around 3 months long , and I have a question,well a problem, about feeding my Boa. Ok here is my problem, I feed my Hog Island Boa pre-killed or frozen rats. Which is no problem for me as i don't mind dispatching the rats to feed my snake. My girlfriend has been taking care of my Boa with me since I have had him, so she knows plenty about Boa care. The problem is in killing rats, she can't bring herself to kill the rats with the method I use. Is there any way to kill a rat without having to get physical with it? so what is the least violent way to kill a rat? Forget frozen as she won't allow them in the freezer ,I have to hide them in the freezer, yes i know i will get caught one day.... haha. thanks everyone

Have you thought of using a second party to do the dirty work for you, and you end up with the finished product shipped to your doorstep?

rodentpro.com or
American Rodent Supply
are great suppliers

	Hog Island Boa hogg

[echoxxash]

You get the rats from a pet shop? If so, just tell her to ask the employees to kill them for her. That's what I do...I tried to kill one once but didn't hit it hard enough and it cried and cried and cried....
Ugh.

Yep, though, they'll do it for her.

[haloedsatan]

There's also this.
If you cant get the pet shop to kill them for you buy a piece of dry ice from a grocery store. it's like $.79/ lbs. All you need is a little bit, like maybe .5 lbs., or maybe .75 lbs. I use about a pound to kill upwards of 30 small/medium rats before. Put it into a rubbermaid tub or gallon ice cream bucket, whatever. Drill a small hole in the top for the oxygen to be pushed out as the dry ice evaporates into its gas form (CO2). The oxygen will be pushed up through the vent, leaving the ground level inside the bucket/tub a blanket of carbon dioxide. Put the rat in. It takes a few steps falls over, and "goes to sleep". Leave the rat in the chamber for about 10 mins to make sure.

It's pretty much a poor man's gas chamber, but it's really not all that painful to watch. It's a lot cleaner than giving a rat "the thump". Anyway, it's how I gas mine when it's their time. The CO2 dissolves in the blood and will not hurt the snake. If you ever have bought frozen, that's how the breeder killed them. So there's another option for you.

Hope that helps.

[John_E_Dove]

Order enough frozen pre-killed over the net to last the time you will be gone. Warm and serve duty for the GF.

[Arra]

Go with ordered frozen if you can convince the GF that frozen in the freezer is okay, if not see about finding a mini freezer off of craigslist, or even a cheap upright if you have room in the basement or something.

Or you could look on the how-to's and make a small gas/dry ice chamber for her to use:
Simple CO2 Apparatus
CO2 Chamber: How to
Dry Ice Co2 Chamber

If she would gas them.

[garyl43]

Find a new girlfriend that doesn't mind dead rats in the freezer.

[zrodtx]

Haha, now I don't know about that.... I don't love my snake THAT much. I already made her wait 15 months while i was in Iraq, I owe her one or a LOT.