Rats frozen live?

[MikeGreathouse]

You can pick up regular CO2 tanks with a regulator at any Welding Supply store. Although the initial cost is much higher, in the long run, it will be less expensive, not to mention easier.

You simply run a tube from the CO2 tank to the chamber and open the valve for a few seconds. There is very little waste of the CO2 and this is much safer then puncturing the small CO2 canisters. It's also less hassle then running out to purchase dry ice everytime you need to gas.

[ajfreptiles]

I agree the CO2 tank methode is best.....

I also just use the zip lock bags for rats and mice....if you only fill halfway you can squish out all the air and then seal....then set in freezer and withing about 2 minutes the rats suffocate....actually, most of mine are dead before they get to the freezer....and really CO2 is basically suffocation....so works the same way. Andy

[Gaujo]

What mail order mice on ice company kills with CO2?

[Sponger05]

My biggest fear of how I would die is definitely by freezing to death....I would rather burn to death....

[morti]

for Gaujo

From the Rodentpro.com FAQ:

Q: How do you euthanize your feeder animals?
A: We use Carbon dioxide (CO2), as recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association panel on euthanasia, as the agent to euthanize our feeder animals. CO2 not only ensures a humane, quick and painless death for the animals but also ensures that no harmful residual chemicals remain that may harm the animal ingesting the prey item.

[Reptile freak]

I have about 20 adult female rats that i use for breeding food for my snakes, ive tried the whole gas thing, but tbh i preffer the swing by the tail method, if you kill 40 to 50 rats a week for your herps, the co2 gets expensive and time consuming, just a quck swing, then straight in the freezer or snake vivarium... hows this for some snake food?

[lloyd]

i think co2 canistor is the best. however i was in a pinch once and had to put down a pet rat.not a feeder. you will have the same results using bakiing soda bicoronate and vinegar..they just go to sleep

[LukaTisus]

*sheepish look* Back when I was younger, and didn't know any better, I'd freeze my mice live. I hadn't thought of a CO2 chamber, and didn't have the internet readily at hand to look it up and learn, either.

As for rats..freezing doesn't work as effectively as it does on mice. I'd bought a live rat, intending to feed it to Houdini when I first got him, but was strictly against live. Unfortunately live was the only thing the petstore I got him from offered, so I stuck it in the freezer.. again, not knowing any better, and I do kick myself for it now. I don't raise rodents anymore, but if I started to again, I'd definetely use the CO2 technique now that I know of it. On the part of the rat though, I stuck him into a box and into the freezer. 6 hours later I pop the box open and he's sitting there, perfectly fine, staring at me as if nothing happened. His feet weren't even cold.. they have a much higher tolerance for stuff like that, and that's part of what made me realize it wasn't the best idea. My brother ended up keeping it as a pet, and I managed to get to Calgary to pick up some f/t.

I regret the way I dispatched the rodents back then, for sure.. but it was pinkies, fuzzies and hoppers I froze, the adults I'd at least whack on the head before sticking them in there. ...don't know why I didn't do it to the rat. Still.. I've learned more now and definetely don't recommend to anyone that method of killing. It's inhumane.

[zsanorah]

Well as far as bulk freezing you can get a sterility tub or bucket large enough to place your masses in. Have a hole with a PVC pipe that is sealed into the first bucket to allow no air to escape and have a valve somewhere along the PVC piping which leads to a second smaller container and is also sealed air tight. On the other end of the small container you have your CO2 tank with a small hose running into it. Simply prime small container place live feeders in the large one open control valve and the large rush of CO2 combined with the smaller trickling dose will quickly kill your feeders and save time and money.

[John_E_Dove]

The last I heard, according to the AVMA, the ONLY humane method of euthanasia for rodents intended for food for other animals was CO2.
CO2 first anesthetizes the rodent then suffocates it while it is asleep causing little or no stress to the rodent.
I have not read through their 2007 report yet and base my statement on the 2000 report. You can view their 2007 report at http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_we...euthanasia.pdf
Professional suppliers use the CO2 method on a mass scale and many small scale breeders of their own rodents, like myself, follow their lead.

[John_E_Dove]

Originally Posted by zsanorah

Well as far as bulk freezing you can get a sterility tub or bucket large enough to place your masses in. Have a hole with a PVC pipe that is sealed into the first bucket to allow no air to escape and have a valve somewhere along the PVC piping which leads to a second smaller container and is also sealed air tight. On the other end of the small container you have your CO2 tank with a small hose running into it. Simply prime small container place live feeders in the large one open control valve and the large rush of CO2 combined with the smaller trickling dose will quickly kill your feeders and save time and money.

I use a much less complicated, also cheaper, sure fire method. I call it my CO2 chamber for dummies (like me).

CO2 Chamber for Dummies
written by the king of dummies John E Dove

1. Get one of those tall plastic 5 – 7 gallon buckets, the type with the removable lid. The one I use is about 18 inches high and contained motor oil at one time. It has long since been cleaned.

2. Slit the provided slots around the sides of the lid so you can take the lid off and wash out the interior of the bucket.

3. Now get a 39oz Coffee can also with a plastic lid.

4. Place the coffee can on top of the plastic bucket lid and draw a circle around the coffee can on the plastic lid.

5. With a very sharp knife cut out the marked circle. You will want the coffee can to fit fairly tight into this hole so cut on the inside of the circle line you have drawn. You can always trim it larger if needed but you cannot put the plastic back once you have cut it away.

6. Drill two holes just large enough to screw in a sheet metal screw about 1 inch down from the top of the can in opposite sides in the coffee can.

7. Drill large holes in the side coffee can about 3 inches down from the top all the way around. This will be where the gas escapes into the chamber. I made my holes ½ inch in diameter and spaced them one inch apart.

8. Insert two sheet metal screws ½ way into the pre drilled holes 1 inch from the top of the coffee can.

9. Insert the coffee can into the hole made for it in the plastic bucket lid until the screws come into contact with the plastic lid.

10. Get some dry ice.

11. Line the bottom of the bucket with some paper towels to absorb any urine the rodents will leave when they are dieing.

12. Put rodents in the bucket.

13. Place plastic lid, with the coffee can inserted, on the bucket.

14. Pour about ½ - 1 cup of water into the coffee can. I am not sure if this is needed but it hastens the CO2 reaction.

15. With a pair of tongs place about ¼ - ½ pound of dry ice in the water in the can.

16. Place the lid on the coffee can and wait.

Give it till the dry ice is gone or 10 minutes whichever is greater and the rodents will be dead.
It actually takes a couple of minutes for a large rat to die but they lose consciousness much sooner. For some reason the younger the rat the longer it takes but don’t ask me why.