Professional Carbon-dioxide Euthanasia Chambers

If you are a professional animal damage controller, or a conscientious trapper, then you will want to purchase a carbon dioxide euthanasia chamber. Carbon dioxide gas when used as a euthanasia agent has been considered a humane form of killing animals by the American Medical Veterinary Association and various animal rights groups. People who know Wildlife Damage Control, know that we don't follow the beliefs of animal rights groups. However, there are situations where what the animal rights protest industry wants and what we believe actually agree.

Wildlife Damage Control believes that an acceptable euthanasia technique should be

• humane to the animal
• effective
• safe to the human operator
• cost effective

The carbon dioxide euthanasia chamber as pictured below fits this criteria.

The System II Wildlife Euthanasia Chamber, a top loading model which allows you to place the animal & trap into the chamber eliminating unnecessary contact. This unit operates on CO2 gas and comes complete with a 8" x 12" viewing window on top, 5 feet of hose with fittings to connect to a regulator. This chamber is more than adequate to handle most large traps at 14" x 14" x 38".

It also comes in two varieties.

• Galvanized steel (as shown)
• Stainless steel (by special order).

CO2 Flow Regulators:

Using Carbon Dioxide Chambers

There is a debate on how fast the chamber should be filled. Some think that the chamber should be filled before placing the animal inside. Others believe that the chamber should be filled more slowly. For the latter position here is how you determine filling time. Determine the cubic feet of the chamber Lengthxheightxwidth. Divide those numbers by twelve to get the cubic feet. Take that number and divide it by .08333 with is the decimal figure of what part 1/20 is of five minutes. The number that results is the cubic/feet/hour flow rate you want the carbon dioxide gas to enter the chamber. For example if your chamber is 13 inches by 13 inches by 33 inches. These numbers divided by 12 come to 1.083 x 1.083 x 2.75=3.23 Cubic Feet. Then divide that number by .08333=38.76 per hour. 38.76 is the liter flow you want the gas to fill the chamber. At this rate it will take 5 minutes to fill the chamber with 100% CO2. (Information from The Wildlife Removal Handbook)

Resources on Euthanasia Guidelines

AVMA Euthanasia Guidelines (JAVMA vol 202 no. 2 January 15, 1993 pp. 229-249) Reprints are availalble from the AVMA 1931 North Meacheam Rd. Suite 100 Shaumburg, IL 60173.

We understand that these guidelines are being revised. I will cite them when I know they have passed all the review hurdles.

Euthanasia Chamber Plan

Disclaimer: WDC seeks to provide accurate, effective and responsible information on resolving human/wildlife conflicts. We welcome suggestions, criticisms to help us achieve this goal. The information provided is for informational purposes only and users of the information use it at their own risk. The reader must consult state/federal officials to determine the legality of any technique in the reader's locale. Some techniques are dangerous to the user and to others. WDC encourages readers to obtain appropriate training (see our informational literature at our Store ), and understand that proper animal damage control involves patience, understanding that not every technique/method works for every situation or even 100% of the time. Your use of this information is governed by this understanding. We welcome potential users of the information and photos to simply ask for permission via e-mail. Finally, WDC welcomes e-mail but understand that all e-mails become property of Wildlife Damage Control.