# whats the best way to kill pinkies? should i do it?



## LauraMartin

hello, i am asking for some advice as i have a little problem. i have a none feeding corn snake and in order to get her feeding i bought a pair of breeding mice so i can try her with live, the first litter was of 6 mice, i tried her with one live, she didnt take it but it died anyway, i fed it to my other corn, and the other 5 mice are now 3 weeks old, and my original plan was to do this and sell or give away the remainder mice as pets, but its proving rather difficult (dont say feed them to my carpet python etc, i could, but i just wont, im only using live pinkies for the none feeder cos i *have *to)

so with that aside, i will eventually find them homes, but my female is pregnant again and i want her to have the babies so i can try my corn again and again, but i dont want to have the rest of the litter growing up and not getting rehomed, so i thought maybe i can kill the pinkies and keep them as frozen food, but i will only do it if its totally humane and the same way which the mice that i buy are killed. 

i know co2 dont work with them cos of thier anti smothering thing, iso how are they killed? i want to know how they are killed, the ones u buy, the one i tried to feed the corn died after about 8 hours of being away from mum, but i cant just take them out and starve them thats cruel! please help. 

ohh also, if i were to kill all the babies, what effect would it have on the mother? wont she be upset that all her babies are gone? will i leave her with one to succle? i know i sound soft as s:censor:t saying that but i wont want her upset or stressed out


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## adamntitch

if its like a couple day old babys then straight in the frezzer is the best way and i always leave 1 or 2 for the mum to rear so that dont make you soft lol


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## LauraMartin

really? will the freezer not hurt them too much? i was thinking fridge first, but then would that prolong it? ahhh i dunno, i will leave one for mum so that she gets all her hormones out and all that, ahh bless. il feel terrible doing it so i need to know that its definately not too cruel! 

u know the older ones, how u can co2 them, iv read loads of sites about home made co2 things, but i was wondering if theres anywhere that will co2 them properly for u, like where u could pay to get them co2'd or something?


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## Ssthisto

No, you won't find any places that will CO2 them for you. You're best getting a CO2 canister and a regulator from a welding supply or hardware store. 

As for pinkies, exposure to freezing cold will kill them very quickly and is probably the way that commercial breeders kill pinks; CO2 does work over time although it does take longer than it does with furred mice. The fastest way is probably a sharp flick to the top of the head. 

And it's best if you leave two or three pinks with the mother until weaning - otherwise, she could get mastitis (swelling and inflammation in the teats).


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## LauraMartin

yeah i thought i would have to leave one or 2 with her for succling. ok well next time she gives birth i guess il leave 2 with her and then kill the others, i know a flick to the head is meant to be good, but i am scared that i wont do it right and just really hurt it, it feels really brutal you know what i mean. 


thanks for all the advice.


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## Athravan

The commercial breeder I buy pinkies off flash freezes their pinkies in bulk - like 500+ at a time. I would think, if it's just a small amount, turn your freezer up to the highest setting and pop them in, without the body heat of each other they should be unconscious within 10-20 seconds I would hope. A bit longer than flash freezing but a lot easier than CO2


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## LauraMartin

thankyou!! i feel a lot better about doing it now, i have also read online that they will go unconcious within a few seconds also, so thats good to know. thanks.


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## REDDEV1L

My auntie used to put them in a full bucket of water with a lid on and drown 'em, but I can't think that'd be a quick and painless way to go !.
Another way i've read about was putting a pencil or screwdriver firmly behind their head and yanking their tail, severs the spinal column apparently.

If you're scared of not giving a hard enough flick, why not use a wooden spoon or something. Just lie it on a hard surface (Kitchen worktop example) and flick it from above straight down ?? That should be enough, but don't do it TOO hard tho LOL

Although the least hands-on approach is definitely the freezer


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## LauraMartin

ahh no im just gonna freeze them, its a bit less brutal i think, thanks anyway. i certainly wont be drowning them tho.


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## Ssthisto

REDDEV1L said:


> My auntie used to put them in a full bucket of water with a lid on and drown 'em, but I can't think that'd be a quick and painless way to go !.


Definitely NOT an approved humane method of euthanising anything.



> If you're scared of not giving a hard enough flick, why not use a wooden spoon or something. Just lie it on a hard surface (Kitchen worktop example) and flick it from above straight down ?? That should be enough, but don't do it TOO hard tho LOL


I wouldn't do that personally - I don't have a strong enough stomach to take the **squatch** if I hit too hard on the first go to avoid not hitting hard enough and just brain-damaging but not killing them.


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## LauraMartin

yeah thats my reasoning behind it, iv never done it, i think most likely is that i would either chicken out and hit it softly, but enough to hurt it, or id be so determined to kill it first time that id splatter it!


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## Mischievous_Mark

What i do is put them in a tub then stick them in the freezer for under 7 days old, i sex them at 3 days old so i never really let them get to 7 days.

The first cull is the worst but it gets easier as you do it, and at the end of the day youll get bigger healthier offspring that are left.


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## LauraMartin

then what do u do with the ones that are left? i dont wanna keep them, or feed live!


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## Grond

Once they're ilder than 7 days it's CO2 all the way if you want to be humane.

I've just built one myself and it's not too hard. There's plenty of 'how to' threads on here!


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## LauraMartin

iv seens loads of the how to things, are u using co2 canister or the vinegar/soda thing? cos i would only want a canister and regulator so i know i can control the output, the vinegar one, i wouldnt be certain i was getting the right amounts, it would make sense to co2 them tho, if i could do it properly the way the frozen ones are done, but i wont bash them on the head, or throw them onto a wall as some people have suggested to me last time i talked about this.

thing is co2 canisters and regulators seem pretty expensive, looks like around £50 - £60 for them, and thats onling, i would have to find a local shop as u cant post co2 out for safety reasons, so im not sure if i can get them.

again, any more advice on this would really be appreciated, i been looking at welding stuff, painballing, and aquarium supplies all sell co2, but none locally where i can go pick it up, any other sorts of shops that will sell co2?


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## Grond

Halfords sell CO2 cannisters. I think it was about £30.

Don't trust the chemical method myself and refuse to bash them as it's too imprecise.


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## REDDEV1L

There's 2 gun shops in Newcastle, Bagnall & Kirkwood on Grey St & The County House on Westmorland Road.

B&K do small 88g co2 bottles for £8 see Crosman Airsource 88g CO2 Bottle - Bagnallandkirkwood.com - Detailed item view

As for aquarium suppliers, you could try ringing Betta Aquaria over in Byker on 2654018 or 2766218 They should stock em, but if they don't they'll be able to tell you where you could get some.


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## LauraMartin

ahh right thanks for that, what about regulators? u know anywhere that sells them too?


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## REDDEV1L

Nope, Haven't got a clue about those, sorry.


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## georgieabc123

bite there heads off :lol2: good luck with your freezing


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## shane.tucker.royal08

I vote freezer - i did wonder how they were killed commercially! Apparently being exposed to extreme cold like it would be for them just causes you to effectively fall asleep!


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