How to Euthanize a Rat

Okay, you love your rat and you want to save it from its painful and inevitable death. This happened to me with our pet rat, Mojo, who had a tumor which was a bigger than her and it was starting to rot. The vet wanted $100+ to give her a shot and send her off peacefully. Here is how to do it painlessly and cheap.

What you'll need:

1. A box (it can be open on top - the CO2 is heavier than air and will sit low in the box)
2. A bowl of warm water
3. a chunk of dry ice (I bought one for about $4 at the supermarket. You just have to ask the cashier, but apparently it's readily availabe. Dry Ice is pure, frozen CO2)

Say your goodbyes. Put the rat in the box with the bowl of water. Put the dry ice into the water. With Mojo, I just pet her ears and she licked me as she gradually got drowsy. After a few minutes she was asleep. I kept petting her for a while and made sure she was comfortable. It was very peaceful way for her to go.