Post by burningamber520 on Apr 26, 2009 19:42:05 GMT -5
It's a hard thing to deal with, but sometimes there's nothing left to do for out finned but help them go quickly and painlessly. So heres a guide that I wrote up to help you decide if the time is right to euthanize your fish, and the best methods for doing it.
Signs that a betta will more then likely not recover and should be put out of their misery:
-Pineconing, their scales are sticking out and make them look like a pinecone. The pineconing is caused by fluid buildup underneath the skin, which is caused my kidney failure. Once the kidneys fail, there's really nothing else that you can do.
-Gaping open wounds, i.e you can litterally see through the fish, or exploding egg sacks (it does happen)
-Laying on the bottom on their side, not moving, barely breathing and they stay that way no matter what you do.
-Completely covered in fuzz, head to tail, then you have an infection thats so far go that you have no hope of reversing it.
-The fish is floating on it side and then suddenly begins spazzing and doing flips then floats gasping again.
Ways to Euthanize:
There is still ongoing debates about the best ways to euthanize a fish, I'll list the acceptable methods and the unacceptable ones.
Acceptable:
- First of all use clove oil before doing any of the following! Clove oil will put the fish into a quick, painless sleep, and they won't feel anything else you do.
- The most effective and quickest method involves taking the fish, putting him on a flat surface and taking a knife and removing his head (make sure to sever the spine first) This is a very tough method to use on a fish that you are very close to, I couldn't imagine cutting off the head of any of my bettas, or my other fish.
- Vodka, after you clove oil your fish, put them into straight vodka, this should kill them almost straight away.
The next to methods have a bit of controversy:
-Boiling, after you clove oil your fish, dip him quickly in boiling water. This will kill him almost instantly, and since he's already sleeping he won't feel a thing.
-Freezing, some people swear by this method, while others condemn it, saying that its totally cruel. Simply clove oil your fish and place him into your freezer for an hour or so. I would personally never use this method.
Non-Humane or unacceptible methods you should never use:
- Flushing a fish down the toilet will not put the fish out of its misery. Instead it will wallow in misery in sewage and harmful chemical levels for hours or even days.
- Dumping the fish in a local river or pond is not acceptible! Introducing non native live to any natural source is bad for the environment. You just might start an infestation
Signs that a betta will more then likely not recover and should be put out of their misery:
-Pineconing, their scales are sticking out and make them look like a pinecone. The pineconing is caused by fluid buildup underneath the skin, which is caused my kidney failure. Once the kidneys fail, there's really nothing else that you can do.
-Gaping open wounds, i.e you can litterally see through the fish, or exploding egg sacks (it does happen)
-Laying on the bottom on their side, not moving, barely breathing and they stay that way no matter what you do.
-Completely covered in fuzz, head to tail, then you have an infection thats so far go that you have no hope of reversing it.
-The fish is floating on it side and then suddenly begins spazzing and doing flips then floats gasping again.
Ways to Euthanize:
There is still ongoing debates about the best ways to euthanize a fish, I'll list the acceptable methods and the unacceptable ones.
Acceptable:
- First of all use clove oil before doing any of the following! Clove oil will put the fish into a quick, painless sleep, and they won't feel anything else you do.
- The most effective and quickest method involves taking the fish, putting him on a flat surface and taking a knife and removing his head (make sure to sever the spine first) This is a very tough method to use on a fish that you are very close to, I couldn't imagine cutting off the head of any of my bettas, or my other fish.
- Vodka, after you clove oil your fish, put them into straight vodka, this should kill them almost straight away.
The next to methods have a bit of controversy:
-Boiling, after you clove oil your fish, dip him quickly in boiling water. This will kill him almost instantly, and since he's already sleeping he won't feel a thing.
-Freezing, some people swear by this method, while others condemn it, saying that its totally cruel. Simply clove oil your fish and place him into your freezer for an hour or so. I would personally never use this method.
Non-Humane or unacceptible methods you should never use:
- Flushing a fish down the toilet will not put the fish out of its misery. Instead it will wallow in misery in sewage and harmful chemical levels for hours or even days.
- Dumping the fish in a local river or pond is not acceptible! Introducing non native live to any natural source is bad for the environment. You just might start an infestation
