Snakes on pinkies.

[LRM]

Its incredibly easy to make a gas chamber. All you need is a styrofoam box, a small critter keeper and dry ice. The dry ice goes in the critter keeper which goes into the big styrofoam box that houses the rodents. You tip the critter keeper on its side, the dry ice which is already vaporizing floods the chamber with CO2 and the rodents die. Its really that simple. You can do dozens at once and freeze them for the next few months.

Here is a link to a bit more high tech version
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=55509

 

[snakefin]

Thanks for the advice! This gives me reason to buy sushi is large quantities, because over here, I think I can only get it with sushi. And no, I'm not in Japan.
One question though, is it necessary that I freeze for sometime before feeding? Or am I able to feed immediately? If I do need to freeze, how long would you recommend? It says five weeks on anapsid.

 

[chloe]

i looked into gas chambers but so many people say it doesnt work all the time because u need to get the mix just right.
if u dont get it right then u have to finish them off yourself.
so i just buy frozen.

tbh if u cant afford to buy frozen and cant kill the animals then dont get a snake hun.

sometimes i cant get rabbits, so i have to buy frozen.

or buy online, alot cheaper.

 

[snakefin]

i looked into gas chambers but so many people say it doesnt work all the time because u need to get the mix just right.
if u dont get it right then u have to finish them off yourself.
so i just buy frozen.

tbh if u cant afford to buy frozen and cant kill the animals then dont get a snake hun.

sometimes i cant get rabbits, so i have to buy frozen.

or buy online, alot cheaper.

Actually, I'm fine with killing them, I just want to find the most humane way to do so. I've been hooked on snakes since a long time ago, just never had the chance to consider to get one.
So... Snake>Rat/Mice
The rat/Mice is a life as well, and thus, must be humanely treated.

 

[snakeguy101]

Actually, I'm fine with killing them, I just want to find the most humane way to do so. I've been hooked on snakes since a long time ago, just never had the chance to consider to get one.
So... Snake>Rat/Mice
The rat/Mice is a life as well, and thus, must be humanely treated.

I think that thumping is the most humane way to kill a feeder. It is over very quickly and they feel no pain whereas the gas chamber takes a long time and does not always work.

Think about it this way, no matter how you kill the feeder, it is going to be a better death than if you were to feed live. I would choose freezing to death over having a whole bunch of teeth stab me and the wrap around me breaking every bone in my body and suffocating to death.

If you want to keep a snake, you are going to have to get over this whole "its a life too and needs to be treated equally" BS. I am not saying torture it but dont be afraid to kill it. It is only food. Just saying...

 

[CTU2fan]

oh LORD NO, you do not want to feed a snake that will get big in size on only a pinkie diet. I hated the thought of switching my cornsnake to live till my friend had to rehome her kingsnake and gave it to me because I know what I'm doing. Well he was one live, my cornsnake wasn't. I soon noticed a little after getting this kingsnake my cornsnake lost its taste for anything frozen. Wouldn't eat for 2 months, it worried me. So I switched to live and he is bouncing with joy when he sees his meal every two weeks. I was scared out of my mind to feed either of them live, but its a very cool and remarkable experience if you are doing it for the first time. As long as my snakes are happy, I am. Those boys are my life.

but to the point, with a boa and ball python they shouldn't be even eating frozen-thawed. They should be on live mainly from the get go. Your snakes will start losing the taste for your thawed pinkies and not eat. But don't worry, it wont hurt them if they don't eat for a few months, but its most likely they want that thrill of killing the prey not having it handed to them. Frozen doesn't give them the protein they need while they are growing to stay healthy. But your ball python and boa will get big enough to eat rabbits.

I can't let this go. There is so much misinformation here. There is no reason for any snake to be eating live food if it's willing to take prekilled. None. Zero. If you want to feed live, of course it's your snake and your choice, but please don't recommend it to others.

Thanks for the advice! This gives me reason to buy sushi is large quantities, because over here, I think I can only get it with sushi. And no, I'm not in Japan.
One question though, is it necessary that I freeze for sometime before feeding? Or am I able to feed immediately? If I do need to freeze, how long would you recommend? It says five weeks on anapsid.

Fresh killed is actually best. The only reason to freeze them is if you have a quantity of killed mice/rats and need to save some for later.

 

[snakefin]

I had to ignore the "misinformation" because I simply couldn't comprehend it without the proper grammar additions.

To Snakeguy, I don't think I'll be thumping them unfortunately. I'm pretty confident about the gas chamber because it should be done in 5 minutes. But if the situation calls for it and I do not have a choice, I will thump the mouse, snakes take higher priority to me. Thanks for the advice anyway!

 

[RMorrow]

I agree with the "gas chamber" method. In my facility will euthanize between 700 and 1000 rodents a week with CO2 and have only had problems when staff have removed the animals too early. There are no dosing or mixing issues because you are wanting an over dose of CO2 essentially. Also, according to the AVMA, CO2 gas is one of the recommended euthanasia techniques because it does limit stress and is painless. This has been tested by measuring the brain waves of animals at the time of euthanasia.
I have to agree with CTU2fan about the previous post. A fantastic herpetologist Carl Kauffeld wrote and preached back in the 1930's and 1940's that snakes will not only eat pre-killed, they prefer it. It is too bad that after more than 70 years of herp keeping we are still having to re-invent the wheel. This debate was squashed long ago, the only things left are dealing with a few stubborn feeders and a lot more stubborn keepers.

 

[snakefin]

So...immediately ready for feeding or still requires prior freezing? Need more opinions and actual examples.

 

[RMorrow]

So...immediately ready for feeding or still requires prior freezing? Need more opinions and actual examples.

either