Killing the Prey

[BMoore]

Okay everyone....

As some of you know, I have a new addition to my family. He is a little baby redtail who eat's fuzzy rat pup's. I am planning on feeding him this weekend and am so nervous about pre-killing his food item. I got a few suggestion's from Steve and Cuda that I was planning on trying when I got an idea......... It might sound stupid but here it goes............ Can I stick it's head in a mouse trap? Would it be too messy? Will it be a quick death? For my big girl's I stick thier rat's in a pillow case and swing it on the cement, but I will make a mess of a baby if I do that! Okay give me some suggestion's! :P

**Beth**

[Red]

Re:Killing the Prey

Get a rat trap... but they will kinda' work slowly... it will take a while to die...
Eric aka...Red

[sclark]

Re:Killing the Prey

Hey Beth,

I have thought of doing the same. never tried it myself. I would think that what Red said is right, a rat trap would be better, and you may have to grab the base of its tail and yank to help it die if it didn't happen quick enough. I know you hate to see the prey suffer, kind of like me.. I did try something at a friends house that he does all the time with small prey. He had a high powered air pistol, the kind that shoots pellets. He puts the gun tight to the back of the mouse or rat pups head, and shoots the high powered air. He said the poof of air is so strong ot breaks the neck. Again I never tried this, but watched him do it, and it does seem to work well.. Just remember no pellets, just air..

Steve

[eViL_KaRoT]

Re:Killing the Prey

Honestly, I would just go with F/T rats and mice. They are alot easier and you don't have to KILL the rat. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time actually Killing the rat myself. I guess it's because I have pet rats and mice. But that's my 2 cents.

[XzyluM]

Re:Killing the Prey

I will second frozen-thawed over pre-killed. If pre-killed if the way you prefer to go, I do not see anything bad about trying a mouse trap. I've never tried it myself and never heard of anyone that has. Sounds like a pretty quick death to me, but I can only imagine fighting a rat trying to get it in the mouse trap.

[bigmitch]

Re:Killing the Prey

Just take a small rod and whack it on the neck while you hold its tail...Lights out Game over...

[BMoore]

Re:Killing the Prey

Thanks guys........

I always say I will convert to frozen thawed but I'm still not ready I think. : Maybe if I start off with this baby's pinkie's f/t.............. then I could work my way up to rat's. Save me time running to the petstore once a week. (I live 45 min. away from one) I feel so bad killing the rats...... but I don't want them in my freezer either.

Hey Steve, would a paintball gun work.... LOL j/k, I couln't do that. :P I just want to kill it as quickly and cleanly as possible.

I am hoping since it would be a fuzzy rat pup, that the mouse trap would kill it quickly. I guess all I could do it try.
With the big rat's I kill them quickly in my pillow case/ cement method. :-\ I don't want to look at the rat while I kill it. :-[ Okay wish me luck.........

Maybe I should quit being a chicken and just hit it in the neck...................

Thanks again!!!!
**Beth**

[WeLsH]

Re:Killing the Prey

You could always bite there head off Ozzy style.... wait that was a bird.

Anyhow just feed F/T, its soo much easier.

[sclark]

Re:Killing the Prey

Hmmm, Paintball gun...hmmm...LOL

F/T is the way to go when you can.. but a rat trap may just work..

Steve

[redtailedmel]

Re:Killing the Prey

i feed f/t but i have my fridge freezer for ratsi have a deep freeze for all my food and that to me is the most easier way i have found if i get really hot tap water it only takes like 30 minutes for one to thaw. then when i stick it in the cage i wiggle it and when they wrap it i wiggle the tail so they think they are killing it thems selves that motivates then a bit too i think than me just chunking it in there.

[Gun Lover]

Re:Killing the Prey

why not just drown the pinkie ? drop em in a bucket of warm water..should only take a min or 2 if that...should me better then using a rat trap,air gun, lol piant ball gun..plus it will give the snake a lil extra water to..just my 3 cents

[sclark]

Re:Killing the Prey

Hey GL,

Beth has a soft heart, she just wants to do it with no pain or suffereing.. Drowning will work, but what a way to go.. I like the extra water idea though..

Steve

[Gun Lover]

Re:Killing the Prey

yea thats true steve..but look how many times you might have to pull and yank of the rats head before it poped off...to me just droping it in water would be quick and painless..instead of bashing,shooting,smashing,etc,etc,etc... would be a less bloodyer way.altho the more the blood the better ...

[bigmitch]

Re:Killing the Prey

The best method I think that works is like I said dangle the rat by its tail in one hand and give it a quick smack at the base of the skull with a stick, pipe, or whatever you want to use I use a heavy pvc pipe..Lights out its the fast and its not as painful to do as pulling on the neck, watching drown, paintball gun..lol (although if youfroze the paintball it would do the trick..could get messy though). It took me awhile to do it you hit em one good time and thats it. I've only had one rat live and he was paralyzed on the lower half of his body. By the time I noticed he was crawling around and my snake was already after him but, 1 out of about 60 that I've done isnt bad. I like the pre killed because I can just pop em and throw em in the feeder bin. I also use frozen thawed when available problem is there aren' tmany places around here that sell them..and my credit card is maxed out so I cant order on line...plus I feel that they lose some of there nutrients when frozen..I prefer them to be fresh..

good luck
JaYsOn

[XzyluM]

Re:Killing the Prey

Not all snakes prefer a wet dinner. The thing that comes to mind with the mouse trap is getting the mouse to stay there. You can't just ease the latch over their head, it's going to take some force. I think the best way for Beth to go would be to use the CO₂ chamber.