Anaesthetics are frequently used to prevent injuries, stress and to promote welfare while handling animals.
The efficiency of five anaesthetics for short-term handling of the European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) was
tested in order to determine the best agent and its concentration. Ethanol (10.0, 20.0 and 30.0 mL.L−1
),
clove oil (0.05, 0.15 mL.L−1
), hypothermia (8 °C), magnesium chloride (hexahydrated; 20.0, 27.0 g.L−1
)
and AQUI-S® (10.9 μl.L−1
) were the selected anaesthetics. This choice was preceded by a preliminary trial,
with additional agents, where 2-phenoxyethanol (10, 15, 20, 30 mL.L−1
) and MS-222® (30, 40 mg.L−1
)
were used
