hamster euthanasia - an ethical question
Discussion
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 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.
Munter said:
GilbertGrape said:
What about taking it to a Vet?
That's what I would do..
If it's upsetting the Mrs enough get her to pay for the vet to gas it to death in a lunch box. It'll probably be about £40 I guess given it cost us £28 just for a vet to go. "Yep thats a sick hamster". Mind you it took them 30 mins to come to that conclusion.... nice vet thoughThat's what I would do..
i have a bottle of butane in the garage and gassing was what i was thinking of.
cardboard box with a hole for the butane hose? surely this is what the vet would do but with a fancier box and gas bottle?
captainzep said:
Worst "please help me justify anal hamster shenanigans" thread ever.
But yes, it feels awesome.
Like being bummed by tiny angels...
he can barely move so wouldn't be much fun. the other is still zipping about like he's on speed but has a tendency to taste test [i.e. take a good bite of] anything put in front of him!But yes, it feels awesome.
Like being bummed by tiny angels...
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.
hadn't thought of that. they do hibernate at anything under 2-3 degrees so being weak this should do it.must remember about him though, have frozen many a bottle of beer that way.........
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
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