My CO2 setup

[Cas]

Got my CO₂ setup hooked up and running today.... works really fast on hopper through adult mice... (pinkies of course take about 10-15 minutes... resiliant little things!)

<img width="480" height="360" src="http://image.photoloft.com/opx-bin/OpxFIDISA.dll?s=cano&src=/PhotoLoft/Asset20/2002/12/14/10221/10221180_0_6105.fpx,0,0,1,1,480,360,FFFFFF">

Dawn

[Lisa]

Thats really cool. how much dose it cost you to gas a rat? are you able to reuse the co2?

[sophia]

Nice setup, have you found that pinkies will come back to life after gassing them? That freaked us out...

Jon

[Christina]

Cas why do you not just put the pinkies in the freezer in an air tight baggie take all of the are out without the using the CO2. They pass in the same amount of time. And you do'nt have to worry about them coming back to life when you need them ;)
Christina and Jason

[BoidKeeper]

Very nice set up. I've wanted to build one for some time now.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Cas]

Lisa, I've only got mice, actually - are you asking how much the setup cost, or how much it costs per mouse? There's no way I'll know per mouse until I run out of CO₂... and since it's a 20 lbs. tank, that'll take a loonnngggg time....
And no, CO₂ is not reusable once it's left the tank

Christina, I figure I've got the tank anyway, and it's going to probably last me years... so I might as well use it on the pinks. I personally wouldn't want to die by hypothermia, and even though I'm sure it doesn't take long for the pinks to lose consciousnes in the freezer, I'd still feel bad. I'm also trying to follow the American vet association lab animal guidelines... figure its harder for anyone to ever complain that it's "inhumane" to be killing "poor defensless little mice" that way. :)

Dawn

[Lisa]

Hmmm maybe put the pinks in gas in a ziplock and put those in the freezer? though wouldn't vaccume sealing them in a bag with no air at all acheive the same purpose?

[V.aw]

Now, thats a humane alternative to a pillowcase and a hammer isnt it?

[XxRachxX]

how much did the whole thing cost u to set up??

[Cas]

Just under $200 - about $80 for the 1 year rental of the canister and getting it filled, and about $80 for the regulator... the rest was some kind of "dangerous goods fee" and taxes.

All the silver connectors are fitttings from a big box that my dad had picked up from the university salvage sale for about $10... just the 3 or 4 connectors I used on this, new, would probably cost around $50 (precision scientific type hose connetors- could definitely get cheaper ones). Hoses we also had kicking around at home already.

Oh, and the juice jug was a couple bucks from Value Village. ;)

Seems like a lot of cash - but considering that I already killed $30 worth of mice just the first time I used it... (and I find cervical dislocation to just be too hands on for me)...

Dawn