Australia's Science Forum

What is the best way to euthanase snails and worms for dissection?
Ellie
Lab Tech, Trinity Christian School

Use Tread-n-'em, , Sorry I couldn't help myself

LOL! Thanks for that!!!!!!

Hi Ellie,

What about CO2? Generate some - dry ice is easiest - and put the little geezers in a closed system, a flask or the like, and let them go to sleep. Freezers work for worms, but not so well with snails, coz they can go mushy. Actually they start that way too! Worms do well for dissection if they're pickled too. Used to be formalin, but I'm guessing meths would work just as well.

Cheers, K

Hello,

For marine life (invertebrates ans vertebrate) I know that the most humane way of euthanising animals is by pytting them on ice, at uni this was the only way we were allowed to do it due to animal ethics! So thats what I would suggest to do. Be careful though, I never forget when i was dissecting a redclaw (yabbie) and it jumped to life in my hand, after hours on ice, man I have never screamed so much in my entire life

Good Luck!

Sassi

Thanks guys. I was coming to the CO2 option in my own research and the ice sounds interesting.

Ellie

I reckon the ice option sounds good, as I am about to have to set about getting some worms for dissection. However it reminded me of the following song lyrics:

Ice ice baby vanilla
Ice ice baby (oh-oh) vanilla
Ice ice baby vanilla
Ice ice baby vanilla ice
Yo man let's get out of here
Word to your mother
Ice ice baby too cold
Ice ice baby too cold too cold (x2)
Ice ice baby

I reckon play them that tune Andrew - they'd just lose the will to live!! I know I did when I first heard it. Vanilla Ice sang it didn't he? What ever happened to him?

Perhaps he listened to himself and, like you said, lost the will to live...