Humanely Kill a Leopard Gecko? (Detailed Guide)


Having an injured or sick pet is hard because you cannot fully understand your pet’s pain. Most of the time, you can take your pet to the vet and have it treated for its injuries or illness. On some occasions, the vet cannot save your pet, and you have to euthanize your pet to end its suffering.

So, how do you humanely kill a leopard gecko? You can humanely kill your leopard gecko by taking it to a vet who offers euthanizing services. Your veterinarian knows what they are doing and will put down your leopard gecko quickly and effectively. Most veterinarians use an injection to kill sick or injured pets humanely using an appropriate dosage of medication. If you cannot afford a veterinarian, you can euthanize your leopard gecko at home as long as you have the stomach to do it.

Euthanizing your injured or sick pet is a way of relieving your pet from pain and suffering. Therefore, it has to be painless. Read on to find out more on how to humanely put down a leopard gecko, how to put a leopard gecko to sleep, and how much it costs to euthanize a leopard gecko.

Sometimes, euthanizing your leopard gecko is the only choice, especially when your veterinarian cannot treat its injuries or illness. There are different ways to euthanize your leopard gecko.

The most humane way to put down a leopard gecko is to take it to a veterinarian. Most veterinarians have the knowledge and skills to put down your leopard gecko without causing it pain. A veterinarian will first inject your leopard gecko with an anesthetic to prevent it from feeling pain. The vet will then inject your gecko with the correct medicine to kill it. The procedure is painless, less gruesome, and you can spend a few minutes with your gecko before it dies.

Some people would want to euthanize their leopard geckos at home. While some insist on doing it at home, the processes are very inhumane. The first method is hitting the leopard gecko with a hard object on the head. You have to place the leopard gecko on a hard surface and hit it on the head to kill it. The reason for hitting it in the head is to destroy the brain so that your leopard gecko will not feel pain.

You can also put your gecko down by decapitation. To some people, it might seem painless, but research shows a leopard gecko will still feel pain a few minutes after decapitation. This method is not for the faint-hearted; there will be blood and body organs. Your leopard gecko deserves a decent and human death; therefore, try your best to ensure only a qualified vet euthanizes your pet.

One common misconception is that you can euthanize your leopard gecko by freezing it or putting it in a freezer for a long time. When put in a freezer, the low temperature will slow down and stop most of their vital body processes.

The leopard gecko might seem at peace inside the freezer, but research shows the procedure is very painful since your leopard gecko’s tissues and body fluids will start to crystalize while it’s still alive. Also, if you free it, it may end up being attacked by predators or squashed by oncoming traffic.

The reason why you should not euthanize your leopard gecko at home is the likeliness of making a mistake. Vets have experience euthanizing different pets and will rarely make a mistake. Euthanizing has to be quick and painless, if you make a mistake, it means you have to do it all over again. The longer the process takes, the more pain your leopard gecko goes through.

Therefore, you need to choose a method that you consider humane and will result in less pain. If you can afford a veterinarian’s services, you should take your leopard gecko to one and have your vet euthanize it. If you cannot afford to pay a vet, find some way to make money to pay for the procedure. You can sell some of the items your leopard gecko was using such as the tank, UV light, heating pad, or its hiding place.

How Do You Put a Leopard Gecko to Sleep?

If your gecko is unwell, your vet may recommend putting it to sleep to perform certain medical procedures as required. Also, various medical policies dictate that animals should be put under when performing various procedures on them. Therefore, how do you put a gecko to sleep?

One method to put your leopard gecko to sleep is using anesthesia. Sedation and anesthesia are very important when performing a painful procedure on your pet. The veterinarian cannot perform a painful procedure on a gecko if it is fully awake. It will struggle and might get stressed. Anesthesia improves the handling of the leopard gecko and increases the procedure’s quality and safety while reducing discomfort.

Your gecko’s anatomy and physiology are very different from warm-blooded animals. Your leopard gecko’s metabolic rate is very low, affecting how the anesthesia works in its body. It may take longer for the effects of the anesthesia to work; therefore, you have to be careful when using it. If you want the anesthesia to work fast and effectively, you can increase the temperature around the leopard gecko.

Putting your gecko to sleep using anesthesia is very complex, and you should let a qualified veterinarian do it. If the anesthesia is for sedating your gecko before undergoing a medical procedure, the vet will also monitor the anesthetic depth and decide whether they will use either an ultrasonic Doppler, electrocardiography, pulse oximeter or an esophageal stethoscope to monitor your leopard geckos’ heart. Your leopard gecko may also need respiratory support during the medical procedure.

Administration of anesthesia can be through an injection or oral medication. For the injection, the vet will inject the anesthesia through the tail vein. An injection is the most reliable option because it is fast-acting, and you can use temperature to control how fast it works.

Oral administration of sedatives is not that reliable because of your gecko’s low metabolism rate. It may take a long time before your leopard gecko is fully sedated. Your vet can also use inhalant anesthetics such as halothane and sevoflurane.

Before your vet administers an anesthetic or sedative, they will assess if it is safe to do so. Certain health complications make it dangerous to use anesthetics or sedatives, such as respiratory diseases. Such conditions will force your vet to find other ways to reduce the pain when performing the medical procedure on your leopard gecko.

How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Leopard Gecko?

Euthanizing a pet is something no one wants to go through. Sometimes, injuries or illness make euthanizing the only option to save your leopard gecko from pain and suffering. Here is an estimate on how much euthanizing your leopard gecko would cost.

The cost of euthanizing a leopard gecko depends on the veterinarian. There are no fixed prices, and each vet will decide how much they will charge you to euthanize your leopard gecko. You should expect to pay your vet between $40 to $70 to put down your leopard gecko. The prices also differ with location, some vets in certain areas will charge higher than vets in other areas.

You can research several vets near you and choose the one you can afford. You should make a decision quickly because the more you stall, the more your leopard gecko continues to suffer.

Before you decide to euthanize your leopard gecko, check if the injuries or illnesses are treatable. Get a second opinion from a different vet since you might find a viable treatment for your leopard gecko’s injuries or ailment.

You should visit at least one herp veterinarian before you decide to put your leopard gecko down. A herp veterinarian is a special vet who is qualified in treating exotic animals such as leopard geckos. Regular vets might lack the skills and knowledge necessary to treat your leopard gecko.

Lastly

Losing a pet is difficult is hard and making the decision to euthanize does not make the experience any easier. If it is necessary to euthanize your leopard gecko, you have to choose the most humane method. The best method to euthanize your leopard gecko is to take it to a qualified vet and let them put down your leopard gecko peacefully and painlessly.

Anesthetics and sedatives are the best options if you want to put your leopard gecko to sleep. You can put down your leopard gecko at home; however, most of the methods are gruesome and less humane. You can set aside a few dollars and pay your vet to euthanize your leopard gecko. If you cannot afford to pay the vet, one simple way of getting the money is selling the tank. There is no need of keeping a tank if you are not going to get another leopard gecko.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is an owner of several pets including reptiles, cats and dogs. An avid writer, who loves to share her insights into caring for pets.

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