# Putting froglets to "sleep" with SLS



## bricespice

Seeking some advice and opinions:
I have been breeding azureus for over 2 years and recently I am getting some froglets with SLS.
What is the best way to put these "down'? 

If anyone has had to deal with this before, how do you handle it?
let the frogs starve? put them in the freezer? put them in boiling water?
these are a few ideas I have heard, but wanted some opinions and advice on possible other options or the best option?


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## D3monic

eeek those sound like horribly painful ways to die!

To my understanding something like orajel is applied on the thier back with a q tip instantly numbing and killing them. Not sure on how long it takes but to my understanding this is the most accepted humane way to go about euthanization. Please correct me if I am wrong.


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## bricespice

D3Monic, yes they do sound horrible, hence the reason Im looking for a more humane way. Thanks for the orajel suggestion....has anyone ever used this?


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## heatfreakk3

Brice when my azureus had sls I put them in the freezer. It is hard to do, but it's painless for the frogs. They just kind of get cold and go to sleep.


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## Ed

Caudata Culture Articles - Euthanasia

Freezing based on testing is no longer considered painless for amphibians that do not hibernate by freezing as the brain can still be conscious and recieving stimuli. 

That article needs to be updated as it should also include the fact that oragel is now an accepted method. 

Ed


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## heatfreakk3

Oh really?? Hmmm I need to read up on that more. Geeze Ed is there anything you don't know?!


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## bricespice

I guess I am heading to Walgreens for some orajel.


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## ivas

Luckily I have never had to euthanize one of my pet amphibians (knock on wood). In my job as a fish biologist, we use the sedative Tricaine Methanesulfonate (MS-222, Finquel(R)) to painlessly euthanize fish. It works by affecting the cardiovascular and nervous system, blocking the conduction of nerve impulses. A quick Google search reveals that it is also widely considered as a humane method for anesthetizing and (with larger doses) euthanizing amphibians. I do not think that the sale of MS-222 is restricted; it is available from many scientific suppliers and from some online aquarium sites (Dr. Foster & Smith have the name-brand stuff).


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## Baltimore Bryan

Ed said:


> Caudata Culture Articles - Euthanasia
> 
> Freezing based on testing is no longer considered painless for amphibians that do not hibernate by freezing as the brain can still be conscious and recieving stimuli.
> 
> That article needs to be updated as it should also include the fact that oragel is now an accepted method.
> 
> Ed


I used the a ethyl alcohol method described in the link provided (Thanks by the way for that info, Ed, it was very useful) and I had the ingredients on hand so it was simple. It was not easy putting them down, but the four froglets clearly could not eat and were losing weight so it was the right thing to do. It did not seem to cause any pain, after the initial sedation the only movement appeared to be unconscious muscle spasms. Luckily after that last batch the newer ones from this particular pair have had good legs, so hopefully I will not have to put any more frogs down.
Bryan


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## KevinS

ivas said:


> Luckily I have never had to euthanize one of my pet amphibians (knock on wood). In my job as a fish biologist, we use the sedative Tricaine Methanesulfonate (MS-222, Finquel(R)) to painlessly euthanize fish. It works by affecting the cardiovascular and nervous system, blocking the conduction of nerve impulses. A quick Google search reveals that it is also widely considered as a humane method for anesthetizing and (with larger doses) euthanizing amphibians. I do not think that the sale of MS-222 is restricted; it is available from many scientific suppliers and from some online aquarium sites (Dr. Foster & Smith have the name-brand stuff).


Orajel is comparable to MS-222 for amphibian anesthesia/euthanization, and I'd imagine it's much more convenient for most folks to pick up since any convenience store will have it (see PDF for one comparison of the two): 
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/...007 - Anesthesia Comparison - Herp Review.pdf

I've used orajel to euthanize a frog and I've also temporarily anesthetized salamanders for gut flushing (with a very diluted solution). I keep a tube of orajel in my field bag for those rare occasions when an amphibian is found mortally wounded and suffering.


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## ab1502

orajel seems to work best when applied to the ventral side of the frog.


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