Gassing rabbits....

[oldwoodcutter]

Used to put down cymag years ago,same rules applied even then - keep upwind of it,dont do it when theres a lot of moisture in the air,think what you're doing all the time,and take somebody out there with you.

Edited May 17, 2012 by oldwoodcutter

[Dave.G.]

I did my gassing ticket a few years ago and we were taught not to wear a resperator as you get a build up of condensation in the filter. But having done it both ways and having the headache and nausia without the mask I always use a mask now.

[MikeTM150]

IME wear a mask..... if it kills a mammal then it'll certaintly harm you. My father has parkinsons which is attributed to years of un-protected crop spraying, so i try to make sure i wear a mask and keep any vapours out my lungs. A few hours discomfort is better than what he's going through!

[cousin jack]

Really one of my mates got cymag poisoning, i dont think he would agree, he was critical for a couple of weeks. Phostoxin is far far safer than cymag

I would say cymag was a better product because it could actually be blown into burrows, via a pipe, you could do all your sealing up before you started, there was also an antidote in the form of amyl nitrate, no such antidote for phosphine as far as I am aware, either way gassing is not very nice for man or beast, and is not something I would contemplate these days.

[Tom10]

Thanks for all your replies - I guess its one of those questions that has a different answer from everybody you ask from their own experience.

 

To note - I would rather use phostoxin that cymag, given that cymag is a powder and blows around in the wind and when you take the lid off as opposed to a tablet that is administered via an applicator.

 

I just cant work out why I didnt use a mask on my course, and secondly, even if i did wear one its not linked up to a divers bottle for example so the air coming through is only filtered air surely? In which case it must be worse as the phostoxin will react with condensation build up in the filters? It cant be phostoxin filter but allows oxygen through when it has the same density as air?

 

Secondly to whoever said something about wikipediering it.... yeah it only works when exposed to water, the more water the quicker it reacts. Hence why only doing it on a dry day as rain will seriously affect its reaction. If you do it on a dry day then the slight water in the ground in the burrow will slowly release the gas over 24 / 48 hours.

 

Im hoping the answer lies with common sense

[Rich2484]

Again, ppe is last line of defence, but at the end of the day it's you that is doing the job so whatever precautions is your choice, it will be you that will get hurt unless someone else is there aswell.

 

It's your life and you health, so it's your future that is on the line so to speak. If you are Ill after not wearing a mask then it's your fault.

 

I would wear a mask, same as why you wear chainsaw trousers, a lid with ear defenders and a visor, or a mask and suit when spraying chemicals.

 

As its been said if its designed to kill mammals like rabbits then I'm damn sure it will kill you in the same way.....

 

Did you not wear a mask when training as they didn't know the extent of the damage it could cause? Like when roundup was first introduced the rep from the company used to drink some to prove it was safe to animals! I'm sur ether wont do it now!

[Justme]

Try using a different type of gas like this one

[sawmonkey]

how does folks,

i've used phostoxin for years (bloody hate the stuff) like a few others i've had a close call with it and so would always wear full face mask since, but personlly ( like others) i would prefer getting the ferrets in. failing that (like you said, there's a lot of young about) give a rat smoker a go, theres a few companies sell them. i got 1 a few years ago (for rats) but had a rabbit job in a hedge come in. the hedge was boundary between kiddies park and a main road so gas was out the question due to the kids and ferreting was out due to the cars skimming my rear end so i tried the smoker, it worked a treat, all the adults bolted (into waiting nets ) and the young were suffocated (not nice but whats the difference with gas?????)

end result was job done, rabbits gone (all the bolters went into my freezer and eventually my belly ) customer happy, no one got sick and i got paid

 

give it a go

 

http://www.facebook.com/CoppiceCrafts.com

[Tom10]

Update -

 

Job done - 3/4 of a mile of double banked former railway line gassed.

 

After contacting the guy who ran my course several years ago he confirmed my suspicions that no mask was 'needed' as well as a bit of an over the phone refresher course - to highlight the main and important factors while using phostoxin.

 

Dry, overcast weather with a light breeze made for decent conditions and we worked the bank so we were always upwind of the gas.

 

A system in place whereby I applicated the poison and a second man backfilled holes with sand after placing 2 sheets of newspaper over the hole itself.

 

Everything went well - used nearly 300 tablets and not so much as a headache for either of us.

 

Deffinately common sense needs to take presidence and its easy to see how some people may come a cropper to the stuff.

 

The one strange thing was this - I had a very very acute nose for the stuff, it releases a powerful smell if you get in the way of the fumes and therefore a slight whiff and I could move out of the way, take a breath and move back when the breeze had cleared the air. Very easy, safe and simple - never felt funny, nausea or headache at all.

 

But

 

The guy I was working with couldnt smell it he didnt have a cold or anything but seemed to lack the power to identify the smell. Therefore if I had not of repeatedly move him backward into clean air he would of just stood digging in toxic air, completely unaware?

 

Maybe some people can smell it better than others, I could personally smell it very easily and this allowed us to work safely and breath very little, if not none of it in. Im sure my apprentice would of being going home rather ill if he had been on his own.

 

So IMO be careful and if I was doing it full time I would certainly invest in some technical breathing apparatus.

[frenchy]

i would sooner stick some ferrets down mate