Michelle Haines <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>
>We once put an ill rat down ourselves. We used dry ice. She
>fell unconscious very quickly, although it took a while before
>her heart stopped beating.
>
>I don't mean we put her in dry ice. We put her and a bowl with
>the ice in the sink, and put some water on the ice so the gas
>filled the sink.
>
>Michelle
>Flutist
The problem with CO2 is that it only displaces oxygen. It is not a
poison etc. So it kills by suffocation.
CO is different in that it replaces oxygen in the blood stream so
effectively cuts out metabolism. Even so, there are unpleasant side
effects of this such as headache, nausea etc. Neither CO or CO2 are
officially recommended, although I know some rat keepers who have CO
cylinders in their homes.
--
Julian
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
National Gerbil Society
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
