tegu eating bark

aznboi409 · Member Joined: Jun 12, 2005 Posts: 47

There are 2 dead hoppers in my tank. For some reason, my tegu ate a bark. Does anyone have the same problem!!!? Is this normal???? will the bark kill him!!!

Teiidae · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 4:00 pm Post subject:

Why are the mice dead ? - How long have they been in there - Eating substrate is not normal and can block the digestive system ...
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aznboi409 · Member Joined: Jun 12, 2005 Posts: 47

i jus put them in. i drowned the mice so it wont kill my tegu. well..they were in ther for 2 hrs.

alex · Valued Member Joined: Aug 03, 2005 Posts: 106

Drowning the mice is inhumane. There are faster and easier ways to kill mice that result in far less suffering. Find someone who can show you cervical dislocation, 'cause if someone reports you to the animal protection society in your area for drowning you will be at least fined, if not actually given a sentence.
Why do you think hoppers will kill your tegu? Hoppers are barely functional as mice. Your tegu should be able to kill them just fine, or else feed a step down (like fuzzies) that it can eat like popcorn.

Deadpool · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 2:46 pm Post subject:

why would he get in trouble for drowning mice? yes i can see it being cruel... but either way they die. either they get frozen or killed by some other method... or they get eaten alive... i don't really think someone could get in trouble for that if he's feeding his reptile with them...

now if he just does it for fun... thats another story

alex · Valued Member Joined: Aug 03, 2005 Posts: 106

Because we have animal protection laws. You can't just kill animals any way you choose. Freezing, btw, is considered just as cruel as drowning. It's unacceptable and inhumane - that's why I suggested cervical dislocation, as when done correctly it's fast and nearly painless, even though there's muscle spasms. It's much the same with the animals we eat - they have to be slaughtered to certain standards, or else the producers get in a boatload of trouble. Note that I said if someone reported him, not that he automatically would. I can guarantee his tegus would do a better and faster job of killing those mice than he is by drowning them.
I'm not exactly familiar with the animal protection laws in the US, but Canada is moving away from considering animals as property (where no matter what, you just get a fine) to considering them people, which can carry jail time.
And if you allow people to abuse animals in small ways that don't really seem to matter to you, it gets much harder to draw the line with more serious abuse. This isn't like it's expensive or hard for him to learn how to snap a neck, it only really comes down to laziness and empathy.
If you want to check standards of animal care, particularly for rodents, look on these for position statements and information:
http://www.uwo.ca/animal/website/CALAM/
http://canadianveterinarians.net/Index.aspx
and a US link:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer

arf-man · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 7:56 am Post subject:

I see your point, but if I had a choice between drowning and being eaten alive by a huge reptile, I know what I'd choose...

Personally, killing anything kind of gives me the willies...always has.

Ever seen how they kosher beef, which is a legal method of butchering?

BTW, how do they kill pre-frozen rodents that are sold commercially?

alex · Valued Member Joined: Aug 03, 2005 Posts: 106

Have you ever started to drown? I have lower respiratory disease, which means when I get pneumonia on a semi-yearly basis, I am literally drowning inside. I also grew up with a younger bigger brorhter who thought it was fun to jump on my back and hold me upsidedown underwater. It's terrifying, painful and quite conscious. At least if you have sudden massive trauma over your body, shock takes over quite quickly and you don't feel much (snakes similarly kill quite quickly by stopping venous return when constricting)

Actually, I have seen Kosher beef slaughtering, and it's not particularly humane either. Cattle don't really do much with their carotids, it's not the main blood supply to the brain, so trying to exsanguinate through their carotids is kind of painful and slow. We've actually had cattle come in with cut throats who are doing relatively fine. Pigs and other less tropical-sourced ruminants can die pretty quickly from having their carotids slashed - like us, it's 3-4 seconds to actually die, much less to lose consciousness. However, I think we'd have to have much higher standards of animal welfare in general before we get to a level where we'd take on religious slaughter, and probably only after Europe does it.

Pre-frozen rodents you have to ask. Some just freeze alive, you can often tell because the animals are frozen huddled together (see it and you'll know what I mean). Some are cervically dislocated (not usually in large numbers, but when I buy my chicks, that's how they're killed) and anyone set up well uses gas, which isn't ideal but probably the best option for private production interms of cost to producer vs benefit to with large numbers of rodents. If I have my suspicions over a rodent breeder or I dislike how they're showing up (dirty, abscessed, whatever) then I don't buy from them.

Alex

arf-man · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:40 am Post subject:

Teiidae · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:53 am Post subject:

They are mice lol - I feed em live and both my Tegu's and I sleep well at night

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drfish · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:12 am Post subject:

In the Uk, I think it's illegal to kill mice any other way than gassing with CO2 now.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

Why not just chop the head off, that results in no pain at all, as long as it's done in one clean stroke, which isn't difficult, and may tempt your Tegu to respond quicker to feeding.

I grew up around farms in a rural area, and have seen some of the ways animals were 'traditionally' slaughtered, it's not a pleasant experience. Have you ever seen a bull still on it's feet with no head, just the nervous system controlling it's movements. Amusing to watch, but sick all the same.

arf-man · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:50 am Post subject:

drfish · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:57 am Post subject:

I'd prepare yourself for a backlash now mate.

Mice do serve other purposes. Lets face it, what fun would it be to watch the childrens cartoon Tom. Wouldn't be that good without Jerry.

arf-man · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:21 am Post subject:

aznboi409 · Member Joined: Jun 12, 2005 Posts: 47

What will the government do to me if they found out I was drowning my mice to feed my tegu? My tegu have a low feeding respond. I usally feed it fruits, ground turkey, eggs, ect all in a blue bowl. I dont usally give him mice. Mice are only a treat for him. When i put a LIVE hopper in his tank, he smells it and leaves it alone. Thats why i kill it so it could be in one spot. And plus, people told me mice could damage your tegu too. I see people freeze up ther mice or do all kind of ways to kill it before offering it to their tegu. These MICE are only for feeding purposes. The pet store told me that these mice could only live a life span for 6 months if taken care of.