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Culling Fish With Nepenthes?

Nepenthesis

Formerly known as Pineapple
Is the digestive fluid in a Nepenthes pitcher strong enough to digest a live guppy? I would never cull a guppy even if it were ugly, but I recently received about 40 see-thru guppies (you can see the babies in the stomach as they develop, weird genetic thing, not the product of some lab) and one seems to have been squished a bit maybe in the corner of the bag during shipping because his body is bent and he swims 100% vertically...

I reckon he will die either way because he won't be able to get food and he'll tire himself just trying to swim, and it kills me to watch him. I know people say the most humane way is chopping their head off, but I could never bring myself to come close to that.

Would dropping him into a Nepenthes pitcher kill him? To me that's better than just wasting the body because he can live on through the plant. :crazy:

EDIT: Forgot to add, he's probably a couple months old and just starting to show color (which is how I know he's male)... He is a bit less than an inch.
 
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Dropping the guppy in a pitcher would definitely kill it, but it would be incredibly cruel. It would probably languish while its gills, eyes, and other exposed parts are digested alive. I imagine it would perish once its gills have been broken down by the enzymes to a point where they stop functioning and it suffocates.

If you wanted to kill it first, then feed it to the nep, it would probably be fine if the pitcher is big enough. The pitcher life will be greatly shortened however.
 
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Dropping the guppy in a pitcher would definitely kill it, but it would be incredibly cruel. It would probably languish while its gills, eyes, and other exposed parts are digested alive. I imagine it would perish once its gills have been broken down by the enzymes to a point where they stop functioning and it suffocates.

If you wanted to kill it first, then feed it to the nep, it would probably be fine if the pitcher is big enough. The pitcher life will be greatly shortened however.

Oh god okay then that won't be happening. I just had the thought because I had hear people say that they do it / specifically use guppy fry to feed their Nepenthes... Do you know a human way to cull? If only I had liquid nitrogen (it'd be awesome and a fast painless death)...
 
I hear freezing is a good way to cull fish. Personally I'd just quickly crush its head, would be a quick death and I think it would go into shock and thus not feel pain.
 
The viscosity of the fluid may actually suffocate the fish quicker than you'd think.
 
Suffering is a part of life. I don't think that the fish would suffer any more in your pitcher's fluids than it might if it were to slowly live out its days as a gimp with the rest of the fish. Also keep in mind that all the insects that might naturally fall into your Nepenthes' pitchers also experience the same amount of suffering as they slowly drown/become exhausted. If ending suffering is something you find very important then I say smash its head as quickly and precisely as you can.
 
I may just put it in a bag in the freezer... I think it would feel very cold, but its heart would slow and it'd go unconscious. I don't see that being too painful, because cold doesn't hurt and then the fish would go unconscious and freeze without pain.
 
I feel your pain. I used to have to kill our pet rats by hitting their head with a shovel. (They would get cancer and brain tumors later in their life and theyd have to be put down so they wouldnt suffer)
Its an awful feeling killing them, but you should know its for the better. I wouldnt put them in the freezer, Id just deliver one precise blow with a hammer to the head and put it in the pitcher. The freezer would be a LOT slower. If youre honestly trying to give it a quick and painless death, you should just smash its head. It wont feel a thing. The only down side is itll upset you, but is your own comfort worth the suffering of the fish?
 
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I would rather be beheaded before i die of frostbite.
Head chop would be the swiftest action.
I hate killing fish as well, but its already probably in bad pain from the bag.
 
  • #11
Ill just put it this way - Being killed by a PLANT probably isnt the most
pleasant way to die..
 
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  • #12
Ill just put it this way - Being killed by a PLANT probably isnt the most
pleasant way to die..
Neither is freezing. However having your head squashed or cut off in a fraction of a second is. Painless and instant :)
 
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  • #13
The way cold blooded creatures succumb is a far different experience than the way warm blooded ones freeze to death. Their bodies slowly and painlessly come to a halt long before the actual freezing sets in. It's quite different from the shivering and discomfort we would experience. Freezing is actually a very humane way to dispatch fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. I do recommend placing them in the refrigerator for a few hours first though.
 
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  • #14
In any event, I hope your nep is outside or a separate building with excellent ventilation. I imagine the stench from the fish rotting/being digested would be quite .... memorable.
 
  • #15
Clove oil is suggested as a method to anesthetize fish before euthanizing. I believe a high enough concentration can even kill the fish by itself and is supposedly one of the most humane methods. As an anesthetic only though it does make just about any method a bit more humane. Freezing is definitely an option as well, especially if the smashin of the head/neck doesn't appeal to you as it doesn't to many others. I've been told the best way of freezing is to put some water in the freezer until it is slushy, then add the fish. Supposedly the temperature shock is enough for the fish to shut down before their bodies actually succumb.

If your gonna feed it to the Nepenthes I would say definitely euthanize first.
 
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