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using co2 box/how long until i can feed after using

allreptiles1966

allreptiles1966

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Hello everyone
I have a litter of rats that i want to co2.My question is this-
how long after i use the co2 box on 12 day old baby rats until i can feed them to my 2011 baby boa's?
I know co2 doesnt kill reptiles that easy and just want to make sure its not different when gasing and feeding right after putting them down.Does the co2 dissipate out of their lungs right away?
I have been feeding live and prefer not to do live so i built my co2 chamber.
Thank you very much
Rich
 
I've never heard of anything bad coming of it. But you might do it ahead of time, and freeze them up for a while before serving as a precaution.
 
This topic came up a few years back and some said they feed the prey off right away
and others were doing mass kills to load the freezer.
The small amount actually ingested by the prey shouldn't hurt a boa
because the C02 only displaces the oxygen
 
:iagree: What he said!

CO2 is not a poison, it just replaces oxygen so in essence the animal suffocates, and there is nothing residual to harm the snake, you should be able to feed straight away.
 
Thank you for the advice.
I think i will just co2 and freeze a week before using as Rich states.
Just as a precaution to my collection.

Heres a statement from google search----Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and ...


I'm not so sure its not poision since they call it cabon monoxide poisoning ,but it is a toxic! .I use it in a green house and it kills insects and will kill me if its set to to high a dose of ppm's.
Thanks you
 
Euthanasia using CO2 is not the same CO poisoning.
CO2 does not bind at the hemoglobin's O2 receptors, as CO does.
Some of the symptoms of toxicity will be similar, though.

CO "poisoning" is the lay term, and (IMO) not accurate according to the more accepted definitions. CO toxicity is probably more correct...but that has limited bearing on this topic, since the rats don't die from CO toxicity. Since there is no ingested poison, the rats would generally be considered safe for immediate feeding. I fully understand the better safe than sorry standpoint, and can't say that I wouldn't take it myself, but I have never heard of harm to a reptile from eating a rodent freshly killed in a CO2 chamber.
 
A CO2 chamber will merely replace the oxygen with carbon dioxide (CO2)
Click to expand...
It replaces the inhaled air (oxygen) with carbon dioxide, not at the cellular level...at least not until the end. I know that could be considered nitpicking; but that is what the licensed side of me does.
Carbon dioxide does not compete with oxygen at the hemoglobin receptors, so it doesn't block oxygen the way carbon monoxide does. The CO2 chamber causes an increasing amount of carbon dioxide to be inhaled, which impacts the drive to breathe as the amount of CO2 in the blood gets higher. Initially, it will trigger more effort, as the animal tries to "blow off" the excess carbon dioxide; then it decreases the effort, as the animal drifts into unconsciousness. An animal in this situation can maintain acceptable oxygen levels, right up to the breaking point - the combination of diminished ventilation and progressively reduced oxygen availability are what make this a "humane" method...by the time the lack of oxygen becomes a factor, the animal is beyond the suffering of asphyxiation.
 
Thank you Harald, Rich! I appreciate the info.
I just wanted to make sure i'm not doing any harm to either the rats or the boa's i'll feed.
 
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