I wont go into too much detail because I don’t want to be too graphic but since my family had a farm and since I used to go hunting we would occasionally stumble upon a animal hit by a car and we would…well put it out if its misery if it were still alive. depending on the gun, caliber and so on even if you were maybe just a inch off the impact would still most definitely kill the animal. So I imagine if you get a bigger caliber pellet gun for a baby snake it would kill it instantly regardless because although some bullets are not very big at all neither is a snakes head especially a baby snake’s head. I also think if you have culled more than a few baby snakes you would know where the brain is by then so if a person that has experience wants to do something like that then I see nothing wrong. But this is just my personal opinion. Everyone will obviously have their own thoughts on it which is completely fine.
Not to get too graphic, but it’s not just a matter of hitting the brain. Damaging the frontal lobe isn’t usually enough to kill, it’s basically just a lobotomy, which is why shooting an animal between the eyes shouldn’t be done. Brains are way more resilient than most people think, which is why it’s essential to disrupt/sever the brainstem
Sorry for not clarifying, I didn’t mean that you should just hit between the eyes. And although it is standard practice for many farmers to kill that way I don’t think it is the right way. I was just saying that if someone has experience with culling and knows where the brain is located then I don’t see a problem with them doing something like that where they use a pellet gun to cull. Not trying to ruffle any feathers or start any arguments I was just suggesting it as a option if done properly so sorry if I came off as ignorant or something.
I agree with you on that. Definitely a option if you know where to shoot.
And in the end, whatever anyone does to cull their snake or reptile is their decision. Even if it’s not proper, people can do with their snakes as they please, in whatever method they see fit and appropriate.
Side note: No one here thinks you’re ignorant at all Nathan, @mblaney was referring to general ignorance when killing livestock.
Thank you! It is sometimes hard to know exactly what someone is trying to convey through text so I didn’t know exactly how to go about responding. If I am somehow being ignorant towards a specific topic I am happy for somehow to correct me so I can better myself for next time but on this particular topic I didn’t think I was. All in all I am glad that this forum can engage in topics such as these like adults even if some of us may or may not disagree with each other.
Not at all, and I didn’t mean to come across as judgemental or anything. I grew up on a farm out in the country and it is very common for most animal keepers to euthanize their own animals via some type of gun. I just wanted to add on to what @mblaney said about why the traditional “gun between the eyes” isn’t the best strategy
Just to clarify, because I know a lot of people are horrified by the idea, shooting livestock is often considered one of the more humane methods of euthanization if done properly.
I am aware, but the “if done properly” is key. Often it is not. I’m not going to get into the biology of skull thickness and essential brain regions here, but someone trying to humanely euthanize their animal could just as easily cause it a lot of pain and suffering instead. If the goal is humane euthanasia then it is essential to cause as little suffering to the animal as possible
I absolutely agree, I just know that many people have a very strong reaction to the idea of shooting an animal and wanted to clarify that when properly done (which varies based on the animal and isn’t ‘between the eyes’) it is a humane method. I’ve heard some heart breaking stories about people insisting their large animal pets be put down via other less effective methods because ‘guns are bad’ and wanted to make sure the take away was that the bad thing is “not understanding the proper procedure”
No worries! I know you meant well when trying to explain to me so no harm done. Thank you for your valuable info and insight!
Thank you for this important information!
Emily’s videos on Snake Discovery are the absolute best I’ve seen and her and Ed deserve all 2 million of their YouTube subscribers! I’m so happy they are building a zoo! The only thing I find disappointing is that they do not sell their breeding stock on Morphmarket!
Emily and Ed don’t have to use MorphMarket. Their waiting lists are extensive, and they sell out immediately. I’ve been on their wait list for a Axanthic Bull since 2018.
I was wondering if anyone would bring this up. I keep Drymarchon, and in the rare case a hatchling of some other herp is badly deformed I feel genuine relief knowing that their body will not be wasted. I do think the crushing of the head method is the fastest and least traumatic for the neonate in question, but even in that scenario could still be fed off to a snake eating species.
I find most people will avoid mentioning it because they fear backlash from within the hobby. Over the past few years I have noticed that more people in the hobby seem to be coming around to the idea that this is not an intolerable behaviour, but I will still get occasional ruffled feathers when I mention it.
I am happy to have a discussion with anyone that might want to talk about it
No to go off topic but I would assume a axanthic bull is one hell of a snake to be waiting two years for.
I think so. I picked up a Hybino het white side and a Snow het Hypo from them years back. I’ve been wanting to get a bull back into my collection and I absolutely love Axanthic. Kinda hard to find too.
2 years is nothing really. I’m on 2 other wait lists that are still 4-5 years out lol. I don’t mind waiting for prime genetics.
While it’s likely going to be a long time before I can even start to breed snakes like I want to, I know sometimes there are hatchlings who get the short end of the stick, and come out with a deformity or hatch not developed all the way, and the only option is to cull/euthanize them.
I honestly wouldn’t know how to react to this kind of a situation for the first time, especially with how squeamish I tend to be around blood and medical issues.
So how do you react? How do you get over the squeamishness or emotion that comes with having to cull a hatchling? Especially for the first time
Raise any species of animal for long enough and you’re going to get a cull. It’s good you’re thinking about this early. There’s always a sadness involved, and sometimes hard disappointment if it’s a combo you were really aiming for. Everyone reacts to it differently, so how you adapt to the reality really depends upon you.
As far as the culling itself, I highly recommend getting a kingsnake or other snake-eating species. At least for me, I feel better knowing the cull is food for something else rather than just throwing it away.
What I’ve often wondered is what’s the most humane way to cull at home? I just had my own first clutch and the ones that hatched all hatched healthy. But it was a background worry of how to do a cull properly/humanely.