Choosing the Type of Euthanasia

[cornchips]

I havent read all the reponses but seriously the most humane way to kill any reptile is by crushing the skull...Ive had to kill rabbits and seriously a blow to the back of the skull kills them so quick they never knew what happened, especially if you pet them and get them good and calm first..Since freezing takes alot of time it cant be that good, easy for the owner cause he doesnt have to look and see the death therefore its easier not to feel bad...CO2 works great on rodents and I use this method if I have to deal with live rats but it still takes more time then crushing the skull...I have a relative that has goats, he shoots them in the head to kill them, they stand there grazing on some bushes and bang they drop down without ever knowing what hit them...SPEED-Humane....If I were going to die Id prefer lethal injection but if that is not available just shoot me in the head...Big Key is doing it right the first time though, dont want something flopping around half dead thats not humane....Believe me though I dont feel good about killing anything and it gets easier but not better...

 

[kepster57]

Co2 is the best way in my opinion, however this doesn't work so well with reptiles' slow metabolism.

I've just always believed that freezing a reptile is a bad choice unless it is very sick, and a millimeter from death, because it takes so long for the animal to actually die, and i assume the formation of ice crystals is painful as hell. If the animal is very sick, I'm sure it takes much less time to succumb.

 

[Hack the Maniac]

From what I've heard, death from freezing is almost painless. The animals get cold, then get tired, start to warm up(at least that's what it feels like), and then simply fall asleep.

 

[kellysballs]

I personally would take the animal in question to a vet and have the vet give them the lethal injection. It really does not cost very much and I feel better about it in the long run. So I could not vote on this pole.

 

[sham69]

i personally feel freezing is not a good method. and it is by no means painless. perhaps the later stages of freezing is painless, but you have to get to that point first. i will bring it to the vet, i will administer lethal injection, or i will even dispatch it very quickly with a sharp blow before i would put a already scared animal in a fridge or freezer to not so quickly die. knowing that i have a dying animal in my freezer would be to much for me. my animals will go as fast and as painlessly as possible.

 

[ravensgait]

Well since this old thread is back up again, I have a question for those who say they'd prefer lethal injection.. Have you ever had this done to a reptile?? The reason I ask is that I don't see how it would work well on a reptile or any cold blooded animal. It has to be injected into a large vein, in Mammals they use the jugular or the large veins in the forelegs. In Mammals with their much faster metabolism it is a very quick death I just wonder how quick it would be in a reptile.. Randy

 

[kellysballs]

I have to admit no I have only had a cat and a hairless rat put down at the vet. Both went quietly and quickly.

 

[sham69]

in some cases a main vein may be hard to find on a rep or small animal. an im injection is first administered followed by a heart injection. in almost all cases an im injection is usually lethal. a vet will usually follow this up with heart injection. ive seen it done many times and would not hesitate to have this done to a dying or suffering animal in my care.

 

[ravensgait]

Man some choice freezing to death or getting stabbed in the heart. I don't think there is any truly painless way to put down a cold blooded animal . I'd have to say choose the method you feel best about and try not to think to much about it afterwards. Randy

 

[hunting texas herps]

I think freezing is the least painful way to go. I thankfully have only had to do it a few times in my 20+ yrs of keeping snakes.

 

[hartsock]

from what I understand, freezing is not the easy road for reptiles that many think it is. I would think that you need to gradually do it, in order for it to not be as painful. Cooling first then freezing, not just pop in freezer. I use co2 for the rodents and that seems to work well. I haven't had to put down a herp yet, but I have a gecko that doesn't seem to be doing well. I found that the place I have been getting my crickets from has been having problems and I think something has been wrong with them. If I do end up having to put him down, I will probably use a .22 or .410 and it should be quick and over at first shot. I hate to even say that, but after considering all the options, to me that seems the most efficient. I don't think I could snap an animals neck no matter what it was.

 

[Ivyna J Spyder]

Wow, some of the attitudes here are frightening. Freezing? Shooting? Where is the poll option of 'take them to the vet, who is trained to deal with these situations and had the education to know what the least painful method is'?

It's proven that reptile brains can continue functioning and reacting to outside stimuli, even after the head is severed. What if you try to crush their brain but you miss? Reptile brains are small after If there's even the slightest risk of freezing causing them pain, why even risk it? (And while one vet may say 'freezing is fine' it's a very debated topic. So really, why risk it? Because it's cheap and easy? Yep, just chuck em in the freezer! Easy as pie and doesn't cost a cent.)

All this 'well I don't THINK it causes them pain'... You're just trying to make yourselves feel better because you were too cheap or lazy to take them to the vet.

If you can't afford, or refuse to pay a TRAINED VETERINARIAN to humanely put down one of your herps by sedating it and then giving it an injection like you would any other pet, you should probably shouldn't have it.

And I don't want to hear anything from the people who own a million snakes- if you can't afford to care for the animals in life, sickness, AND for their eventual death, you shouldn't have so many.

 

[Helenthereef]

I've worked extensively with small animals, (rodents etc) and I think this depends entirely on the type of animals. In all cases you would be better letting a qualified vet use a painless injection. However, this is not always practical in remote locations or in cases of sudden injury.

I don't like the CO2 option as it is essentially suffocation, which is traumatic. Small mammals are most quickly killed by a swift blow to the skull followed by breaking the neck. However, you have to be skilled and confident. If you aren't, you are going to cause a lot of pain and distress (not least to yourself). Freezing a mammal to death should never be an option, as their metabolism is going to try and speed up to stop it happening, and the animal is going to suffer enormously.

Many reptiles are more difficult to kill manually due to body shape or handling issues, and therefore manual killing is less likely to be successful and humane. We all know that reptiles become torpid in cold, as their metabolism slows down instead of speeding up. I have no evidence that freezing a reptile is painless, but logic tells me that a slow chilling is probably less traumatic for them than our mammalian instincts lead us to think. I freeze-kill batches of feeder geckos, and when I open the tub they are in relaxed positions, not those of torment.