hamster euthanasia - an ethical question
Discussion
My kids had 2 mice from a pet shop for about £2. 2 years later one developed large lump and after spending shed loads of money on it the vet put it to sleep. The other onethen developed the same lump. The vet gave it iodine and it went down. It grew again a few months later and I gave it the rest of the iodine and it seemed to be working. Then over a weekend it starting having fits and twitching. I was faced with calling out the emergency vet or dealing with it myself.
I knew it had to be quick or the mouse would suffer so I laid it in a large match box wrapped in tissue paper to keep it still, laid it on the lawn and brought a shovel down at a great pace from a great height. Sadly the draft and impact ejected the tray from the match box where said mouse was lying and sent it horizonally across the lawn in a cloud of tissue paper. Not knowing if the mouse was now just injured and in pain I very rapidly ran after it across the lawn and made sure with numerous blows with the shovel.
On completion of the deed, I stod back slighly guilty and I looked up to see the nieghbours kids watching me from a bedroom window, terrified.
I knew it had to be quick or the mouse would suffer so I laid it in a large match box wrapped in tissue paper to keep it still, laid it on the lawn and brought a shovel down at a great pace from a great height. Sadly the draft and impact ejected the tray from the match box where said mouse was lying and sent it horizonally across the lawn in a cloud of tissue paper. Not knowing if the mouse was now just injured and in pain I very rapidly ran after it across the lawn and made sure with numerous blows with the shovel.
On completion of the deed, I stod back slighly guilty and I looked up to see the nieghbours kids watching me from a bedroom window, terrified.
Edited by Brown and Boris on Friday 12th September 15:08
Hrm. How about you buy him a miniature scale jet dragster powered by a pop-bottle water rocket and run him up the garden path...?
He'll soon blow a tyre, spear onto the lawn and barrel roll to his death. Meanwhile you can sell loads of books and present emergency rescue programs on the tele and move into a £2.5M mansion with the proceeds...
He'll soon blow a tyre, spear onto the lawn and barrel roll to his death. Meanwhile you can sell loads of books and present emergency rescue programs on the tele and move into a £2.5M mansion with the proceeds...
Roop said:
Hrm. How about you buy him a miniature scale jet dragster powered by a pop-bottle water rocket and run him up the garden path...?
He'll soon blow a tyre, spear onto the lawn and barrel roll to his death. Meanwhile you can sell loads of books and present emergency rescue programs on the tele and move into a £2.5M mansion with the proceeds...
The Hamster would need to sign a £2mil deal with the BBC just Before the drag car experiment 1st though.He'll soon blow a tyre, spear onto the lawn and barrel roll to his death. Meanwhile you can sell loads of books and present emergency rescue programs on the tele and move into a £2.5M mansion with the proceeds...
Goodness me. Break it's neck humanely and quickly. Poor thing.
Rounders bat or similar is messy but immediate, effective and (despite messy) should be so fast the poor animal doesn't even feel it. Back of the head. Whack.
If your Mrs needs to bury a pretty corpse you'll have to pay the vet to do it. Although, since it IS a hibernating creature, the freezer might not be quite as astonishingly inhumane as it first appears.
Rounders bat or similar is messy but immediate, effective and (despite messy) should be so fast the poor animal doesn't even feel it. Back of the head. Whack.
If your Mrs needs to bury a pretty corpse you'll have to pay the vet to do it. Although, since it IS a hibernating creature, the freezer might not be quite as astonishingly inhumane as it first appears.
The Moose said:
call the RSPCA, and they will tell you if it will die in the freezer or just get f
king cold!!
You could always just leave him in the freezer in the hope that a future advanced civilisation can bring him back to life and fix him up.king cold!!"Honey, do we have any ice?
Yes, dear, top drawer next to Richard!"
captainzep said:
Worst "please help me justify anal hamster shenanigans" thread ever.
But yes, it feels awesome.
You've got to wrap duct tape around the little feller before you begin.But yes, it feels awesome.
I'd put him into a little box and tie it to a huge bunch of helium balloons and watch him float off into heaven. I can think of no better way to go myself.
Brown and Boris said:
My kids had 2 mice from a pet shop for about £2. 2 years later one developed large lump and after spending shed loads of money on it the vet put it to sleep. The other onethen developed the same lump. The vet gave it iodine and it went down. It grew again a few months later and I gave it the rest of the iodine and it seemed to be working. Then over a weekend it starting having fits and twitching. I was faced with calling out the emergency vet or dealing with it myself.
I knew it had to be quick or the mouse would suffer so I laid it in a large match box wrapped in tissue paper to keep it still, laid it on the lawn and brought a shovel down at a great pace from a great height. Sadly the draft and impact ejected the tray from the match box where said mouse was lying and sent it horizonally across the lawn in a cloud of tissue paper. Not knowing if the mouse was now just injured and in pain I very rapidly ran after it across the lawn and made sure with numerous blows with the shovel.
On completion of the deed, I stod back slighly guilty and I looked up to see the nieghbours kids watching me from a bedroom window, terrified.
I knew it had to be quick or the mouse would suffer so I laid it in a large match box wrapped in tissue paper to keep it still, laid it on the lawn and brought a shovel down at a great pace from a great height. Sadly the draft and impact ejected the tray from the match box where said mouse was lying and sent it horizonally across the lawn in a cloud of tissue paper. Not knowing if the mouse was now just injured and in pain I very rapidly ran after it across the lawn and made sure with numerous blows with the shovel.
On completion of the deed, I stod back slighly guilty and I looked up to see the nieghbours kids watching me from a bedroom window, terrified.
Edited by Brown and Boris on Friday 12th September 15:08
2 yrs for a mouse is pretty good going mind!
shirt said:
serious question!
i have a couple of chinese hamsters, who must be about 2 years old now.
the other morning i noticed that one of them was sat motionless in the middle of the cage. this is unusual as they are always asleep during the day. i took him out the cage and picked him up as though he was inanimate - again strange as chinese hamsters aren't too keen on being caught, this one especially so.
since then its pretty obvious he's about to kark it, as he can't walk and just sits there shaking about. when i move him he tries to fight me like i'm a predator and gets quite disturbed.
now i've kept various rodents for years so am used to this, but my usual experience is that they slip away pretty quickly when they reach this stage.
its been 2.5days now though and it is getting upsetting for the OH as its not nice watching anything die. i am very suprised he is still clinging on tbh.
i have had him go torpid before [hibernating due to the cold] but i know its not this.
so, my question is whether you think he's in pain or simply slipping away, and if the former whether i should help ease that pain.
have only ever euthanised a deformed koi carp so i wouldn't know how to go about it. what should i do?
ps - am expecting pisstake/humorous answers but nothing too harsh in case the OH reads this as this one is 'her' hamster and is upset enough already.
ta.
I'd take it to the vet ASAP. If its in pain the vet can put him/her to sleep painlessly. Also you dont know if it has something the other one could catch. So my answer is vet. Good luck i have a couple of chinese hamsters, who must be about 2 years old now.
the other morning i noticed that one of them was sat motionless in the middle of the cage. this is unusual as they are always asleep during the day. i took him out the cage and picked him up as though he was inanimate - again strange as chinese hamsters aren't too keen on being caught, this one especially so.
since then its pretty obvious he's about to kark it, as he can't walk and just sits there shaking about. when i move him he tries to fight me like i'm a predator and gets quite disturbed.
now i've kept various rodents for years so am used to this, but my usual experience is that they slip away pretty quickly when they reach this stage.
its been 2.5days now though and it is getting upsetting for the OH as its not nice watching anything die. i am very suprised he is still clinging on tbh.
i have had him go torpid before [hibernating due to the cold] but i know its not this.
so, my question is whether you think he's in pain or simply slipping away, and if the former whether i should help ease that pain.
have only ever euthanised a deformed koi carp so i wouldn't know how to go about it. what should i do?
ps - am expecting pisstake/humorous answers but nothing too harsh in case the OH reads this as this one is 'her' hamster and is upset enough already.
ta.
Edited by Bonnie and Clyde on Saturday 13th September 13:25
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