how do i syringe feed?

[marlimarbles]

hello!

i am going to be starting treatment for marbles coccidia/pinworm problem tmrw, i have picked up my probiotics for her, & critical care should things go sour, my question is..

if & when i have to hand feed her, how do i do it??

i've searched the forum and not found anything so forgive me if im missing something, do i have to put it right into her mouth or do i just offer it to her?

i assume i'd offer it to her, and if she doesnt take it then move on to force feeding?

just needing some confirmation and perhaps some tips on it, never done this before!!

 

[TheWerewolf]

How to hand feed: Take the bug and hold it with your fingers. Or use tweezers. Wiggle it in front of her mouth and see if she goes for it.
If she doesn't you could do force feeding but I can't help you with that because I haven't tried it.
Hope this helps!

 

[marlimarbles]

sorry i used the wrong terms, i meant syringe feeding !!!!


today, she ate the tip off her aphodophaluz (sp?) syringe !!!!!!!


ahhhh!!!!

 

[ToughPrincess]

I found this on YouTube. It looks pretty helpful, but I only watched half. He seems to know what he's doing. I've never done it. My girl is a good eater & she's too bratty for this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYol3D3TEk4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Derobmi]

I have a fair amount of experience syringe-feeding my beardie. I recently posted about the method I use here.

The video that ToughPrincess found is very close to what I do. I hold a little differently (you can see in the above link) and I usually hold him on my lap.

When I had to syringe-feed, it was time consuming for sure. I found that I preferred the smaller (1.0 mL) syringes over the bigger because it was easier to control how much critical care I gave him with each plunge. Don't direct the food toward the back of his throat. Have paper towels ready because it will be messy. I would mix my critical care in a bowl and fill 4 or 5 syringes and lay them out. If the dragon is behaving and taking the syringes well, you don't want to have to stop to refill, but if you only have one syringe, you can manage. Well, for a while, but it doesn't take long for the syringe tip to get chewed up and you can't continue using it then. She could bite off the tip, which it sounds like she already did. I found a few threads with advice about that. Here and here.

Good luck!

 

[marlimarbles]

thank you so much!!

right now shes taking her probiotics okay, im just worried about the medication, she hates it !!!

also, any tips on mixing the critical care? ratios, what you mixed it with etc etc.

i know some people add it to baby food and stuff.

 

[Derobmi]

You can use the same method to give her the meds if she won't take them willingly. I have heard a lot of people talk about putting a drop at a time on the dragon's nose and they'll lick it off. I think that the meds, well, Panacur at least, taste *really* bad. I have a uromastyx who is refusing flower petals now because I tried to hide some Panacur on a petal. Flower petals are like crack to my uro, so Panacur must be particularly horrid.

I mixed the critical care with warm water. I don't know the ratio; I just used trial and error to find what worked best for Desmond and then eyeballed it each time. It thickens up as it sits. I found that a more watery texture worked best for me because it was easier to force out of the syringe tip, but it was still fairly thick. It's been awhile since I used it, but it was probably close to an applesauce when it had thickened.

 

[marlimarbles]

thank you!!!

this is my first beardie, and the first time that im dealing with any of this kind of stuff.

shes still eating willingly, so i shouldnt give her any syringe feeding until she stops completely? at the moment she will lick baby food up with some escarole no problem... but not as much as she used to, maybe three or four mouthfuls instead of the whole bowl like before.


is there any harm done in giving her some critical care just as a precaution or can that be too much for their systems?

sorry for the whole one question after another thing.

 

[Derobmi]

Don't worry about asking questions - I'm happy to help

I don't think it would be harmful to give your beardie some critical care. At the same time, it doesn't sound necessary yet. I don't know if you should or shouldn't. Maybe someone with more knowledge about that will chime in. Oxbow's website does have some information that might help you. It might be helpful just to get a little practice before you HAVE to do it.

One thing that I do which I've found helpful overall is to keep a medical chart for my beardie. I just have a spreadsheet and I track his weight, length, notable events, and a list of concerns. I weigh Desmond weekly on my kitchen scale (Desmond goes on a plate on the scale, his very own weight plate that isn't used for anything else). If you were to start tracking weight, you'll have a better idea if your beardie is eating enough. I try to weigh in the morning after he defecates before he eats for a consistent measurement.

The things we do for our beardies I told someone the other day that I love my beardie like I'd love a dog. I was lying because I was afraid he'd think I was a lunatic if I told him how much I really love my beardie!

Mary

 

[marlimarbles]

thanks!! i try to keep track of it as much as i can but finding a routine like that sounds like a good idea!!


maybe someone will chime in, shes definitely not basking as much anymore, mostly just sits in her hammock.

 

[Derobmi]

Maybe you could post in the Infectious Disease forum about her behavior and reaction to the medication? Or in the Health forum...

 

[Derobmi]

How is she doing?

 

[tweet0302]

Hey i have two baby beardues an they are barely eatin i got one Tuesday an the other one yesterday both are from petsmart they spend more time basking but they did eat like three crics today do you think i should syringe feed baby food if i knew how to put pic on here i would I'm new to this site an also with bds I NEED HELP PLZ

 

[Derobmi]

Hey i have two baby beardues an they are barely eatin i got one Tuesday an the other one yesterday both are from petsmart they spend more time basking but they did eat like three crics today do you think i should syringe feed baby food if i knew how to put pic on here i would I'm new to this site an also with bds I NEED HELP PLZ

Hi,

In order to post a picture, you have to upload them somewhere. I use imgur.com. Then, in your comment or post, type:

[*img]http://i.imgur.com/o7FfO.jpg[/img] But take out the * in the first bracket and the link in the center should be the address of the picture you are trying to show. I am pretty sure you can do this with photobucket and maybe others, and you can always preview your post to make sure it worked.

Your beardies probably just need a few days to adjust to the change in their environment. There are a few things that come to mind, though.

1. What kind of lighting do you have? The UVB bulb is extremely important for their health and also stimulates their appetite. Please check out this post to read about a proper lighting setup.

2. Are you getting proper temperatures? 105 to 110 in the basking spot for juveniles and 80 to 85 on the cold side (fahrenheit). The basking spot should be raised, a rock or a cave work, so that they can climb higher or lower as they need to.

3. Are you housing them together? My beardie refused food for a long time and it ended up being because he could see his reflection in the glass and it was stressing him out. I imagine two in a cage could have the same effect. This post talks about the dangers of cohabitation, if you are interested.