hamster euthanasia - an ethical question
Discussion
A mate of mine once asked me to stay at his house and look after things whilst he was in france. He also said his hamster was old and could die at any min so keep an eye on it.
On arrival i sprinted upstairs to see said hamster who, was nowhere to be seen, so i had a bit of a rummage, there in his house he lay cold and lifeless.
on my discovery i promptly called my mate and his mrs. He said put it in the freezer so they can bury it when they returned, i did this no problem.
On reflection, the hamster in question may have only been in hibernation, its something i still think about now and again... oh well
On arrival i sprinted upstairs to see said hamster who, was nowhere to be seen, so i had a bit of a rummage, there in his house he lay cold and lifeless.
on my discovery i promptly called my mate and his mrs. He said put it in the freezer so they can bury it when they returned, i did this no problem.
On reflection, the hamster in question may have only been in hibernation, its something i still think about now and again... oh well
Build a miniature V8, then build a miniature car around it. Get a miniature hose pipe and lead from the exhaust in through the drivers side window. Place hamster inside miniature car, start engine, close miniature garage door and walk away (Did I mention the miniature garage needed?)
apreciated that it's "just a hamster" and the bin was going to be his final resting place. used to keep mice as a kid and they die after 6-8mths so i got used to the concept of a bin burial very quickly.
but OH is having none of that, its a trip to her parents and a burial alongside her childhood hamsters!
can't do any crushing/snapping as she'll be there and i wouldn't want to anyway. just want a quick painless method and the freezer sounds the best to me.
but OH is having none of that, its a trip to her parents and a burial alongside her childhood hamsters!
can't do any crushing/snapping as she'll be there and i wouldn't want to anyway. just want a quick painless method and the freezer sounds the best to me.
shirt said:
can't do any crushing/snapping as she'll be there and i wouldn't want to anyway. just want a quick painless method and the freezer sounds the best to me.
How is being frozen to death painless? Think of his little pink toes frosting up one by one, as he ponders desperately how to operate the interior light and effect an escape once the door has been closed.You've seen Kill Bill 2?
Davi said:
Build a miniature V8, then build a miniature car around it. Get a miniature hose pipe and lead from the exhaust in through the drivers side window. Place hamster inside miniature car, start engine, close miniature garage door and walk away (Did I mention the miniature garage needed?)
Or just do the same thing that guy did in his AM DB7 ragtop a few weeks ago ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042676/Bu... ) except you can do it using a remote controlled car and a length of string.
Make it look like suicide.
All you need is a tiny note in bad writing all jumbled up letters and back to front saying stuff like 'the worlds treated me rough but thanks to my two caring owners for making it the best it could be' etc etc
Fashion a knife from a peanut and a bit of metal from his cage, stick him with it, then prise his minute paws open and lodge it in there. Wear gloves in case they dust for prints after.
All you need is a tiny note in bad writing all jumbled up letters and back to front saying stuff like 'the worlds treated me rough but thanks to my two caring owners for making it the best it could be' etc etc
Fashion a knife from a peanut and a bit of metal from his cage, stick him with it, then prise his minute paws open and lodge it in there. Wear gloves in case they dust for prints after.
merc_man said:
On a serious note the freezer idea is quite a humane suggestion. Just pop him in a tupperware box and put him in the freezer. He'll slowly go to sleep and in a hour it'll be job done.
Humane for who? Poor little b
d will freeze to death slowly - lovely.When I find a half alive rodent that the cat has got bored with I just put the heel of my boot on its skull and then apply my weight - does the job very very quickly.
shirt said:
but OH is having none of that, its a trip to her parents and a burial alongside her childhood hamsters!
Point out that when they sell the house they will only get dug up by the next owner. I found a dog named "Rusty" in our garden a few weeks back.I think more accurate names would have been "musty" or just plain "rotten stringy soggy bones wrapped in a blanket".
dern said:
merc_man said:
On a serious note the freezer idea is quite a humane suggestion. Just pop him in a tupperware box and put him in the freezer. He'll slowly go to sleep and in a hour it'll be job done.
Humane for who? Poor little bd will freeze to death slowly - lovely.When I find a half alive rodent that the cat has got bored with I just put the heel of my boot on its skull and then apply my weight - does the job very very quickly.
so hamster goes to sleep but near to a natural death anyway so being weak he dies instead of hibernating. sounds better than sat shaking in the corner of a cage waiting for it to come.
the bashing approach i'd only do for an animal that is already missing pieces of itself [i.e half a mouse] that is terminal.
worst thing i've seen is my dad killing an injured 3ft koi carp in the traditional japanese manner. big fish, bigger rock. dad was stronger than he thought, messy.
humaoliv said:
Make it look like suicide.
All you need is a tiny note in bad writing all jumbled up letters and back to front saying stuff like 'the worlds treated me rough but thanks to my two caring owners for making it the best it could be' etc etc
Fashion a knife from a peanut and a bit of metal from his cage, stick him with it, then prise his minute paws open and lodge it in there. Wear gloves in case they dust for prints after.
I am crying with laughter at that, inspired!All you need is a tiny note in bad writing all jumbled up letters and back to front saying stuff like 'the worlds treated me rough but thanks to my two caring owners for making it the best it could be' etc etc
Fashion a knife from a peanut and a bit of metal from his cage, stick him with it, then prise his minute paws open and lodge it in there. Wear gloves in case they dust for prints after.
carter711 said:
Or just do the same thing that guy did in his AM DB7 ragtop a few weeks ago ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042676/Bu... )
Tasteful!Mind you, she looks worrying
Oli.
carter711 said:
Or just do the same thing that guy did in his AM DB7 ragtop a few weeks ago ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042676/Bu... ) except you can do it using a remote controlled car and a length of string.
The problem, I think, is that bone strength is related to the cross-sectional area of the bone, whereas mass is related to the volume.Consequently, small animals tend to be tougher to break with their own body mass, despite having relatively thinner bones than, say, an elephant.
This is one reason why when dropped from tall buildings, small animals bounce, whereas large animals splash.
All in theory, of course.
zcacogp said:
carter711 said:
Or just do the same thing that guy did in his AM DB7 ragtop a few weeks ago ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1042676/Bu... )
Tasteful!Mind you, she looks worrying
Oli.
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