Tube feeding small elapids

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Jonno from ERD

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G'day guys,

Just wondering how everyone goes about tub feeding their small elapids. I have done it a lot in the past, mainly using pureed pinkies with a bit of Nutrigel mixed in. Has anyone got a different recipe? What size tube/catheter are you using? I'm about to start tube feeding the last 10 Eastern Browns here as I'm sick of sticking pinkies down their necks.

Cheers
 
Check this link John Hollister, Feeding Tubes and methods.
I like this bit.
For food I prefer to use Gerber's beef baby food. One jar ($0.64) is equivalent in bulk to around 35 pinkies. Other types such as turkey and pork are also available. I add in a bit of osteoform, but you can use finely powdered calcium/vitamins to suit yourself. I spoon out a bit of the baby food into a cup, add in the suppliments and then add JUST A BIT of water, bit by bit, until is is a sufficient consistency. You will want to play around a bit until you get it where you want it. I like it liquid enough so that a clump will slide off the end of a spoon and roll down into the syringe. I don't like it too liquid, though.
Cheers
 
Tube feeding !!!

My system is : Turkey mince from woolies, one vetafarm 8 gauge x 100 mm crop needle and a syringe [size to suite] now you need a [must be] 3.5mm drill bit [because thats the biggest you can use] [better off brand new and only keep it for this job] and a variable speed drill....now drill the syringe out with your 3.5mm drill put your cropping needle on and presto...it usually takes about 20 seconds per critter......two points...they will put on plenty of weight on this extremely lean mince.....2nd point leave the mince in the fridge for two plus days before you use it.......used fresh their droppings are a bit loose, left for 2-3 days their droppings are spot on [imo]....cheers solar 17 [baden]
 
Gday Solar
Are you doing anything to the mince or will it go through a crop needle fine? I have even had trouble with a good flow of blended cat food through a doseing needle.
Also can anyone answer why we so commonly tend to use turkey mine with reptiles.
 
Food flow !!!!

Works great [4 me] I mucked around for a long time b4 coming up with this solution and I believe it works great, you do need a 3.5mm drill bit for the mince to flow real easy, any bigger [drill bit] and you weaken the syringe....cheers solar 17 [Baden]....PS the mince is not touched [altered] in any way....
 
G'day Solar,

I'll give that a go using one of the crop needles I have here and see how it goes. Sure beats forcefeeding whole pinkies.
 
Turkey Mince

Gday Solar
Are you doing anything to the mince or will it go through a crop needle fine? I have even had trouble with a good flow of blended cat food through a doseing needle.
Also can anyone answer why we so commonly tend to use turkey mine with reptiles.
I guess you meant turkey mince [2] reasons why l personally use it [1] chicken mince is as sticky as [sticks like s..t to a blanket [2] actually two more reasons : the turkey [appears leaner [less fat] and finer [mince grade]...cheers solar 17 [Baden]
 
I use canned dog food via a 1ml syringe.Just plain dog food not gravy,pasta or anything fancy.Or freshly killed mice in the vitamiser and then freeze the what you don't use in ice cube trays.
 
I use Hill's Prescription diet and add protein powder. I place this in plastic syringes and then freeze it. Means I can make up large batches and have them on hand. They thaw quickly.
I use a dosing needle to administer as I find most crop needles to large for a lot of neonates.
Works for me but I find that nothing puts weight on like pinkies.
I might look at SOFAR's method for larger specimen.
 
G'day Solar,

I'll give that a go using one of the crop needles I have here and see how it goes. Sure beats forcefeeding whole pinkies.

Thank you SO much Solar & especially to you Jonno for starting this thread. PLEASE can someone make it a Sticky??? I have a hard to feed snake... Force-feeding pinkies tends to mean I have pinky all over me & less in the snake. (Feel ill talking about it).:rolleyes:
 
Thank you SO much Solar & especially to you Jonno for starting this thread. PLEASE can someone make it a Sticky??? I have a hard to feed snake... Force-feeding pinkies tends to mean I have pinky all over me & less in the snake. (Feel ill talking about it).:rolleyes:

I generally force feed pinkies, the trick is you HAVE to use fresh, once they have been frozen then they're useless..... I use a plastic cable tie (plastic soft on teeth ect) held in a vice to pry open the snakes mouth whilst holding the snake in my left hand and pinky in my right, another cable tie is used to tuck in the front legs and push the back end when it's doing down the throat, then manipulate the pinky 1/4 of the way down with your fingers... and always use a pinky much smaller than what it is capable of eating on it's own, never push your luck with the sizes...
The good thing with most small elapids is that you don't need to open their mouths, they are happy just to bite the pinkies head on their own... just to save you time, kind little buggers.
 
Yes, my problem feeder is a BHP... He jams his mouth shut. I kinda wish I had to dodge vemon in this case. Bu thanks for the heads up- I will try him on some fresh if I can get them- he isn't into pinky rats, maybe mice?
 
Assist Feeding

Just one final point [if] the critter doesn't want to open their mouth (when assist feeding) l use a (round) tooth pick....cheers solar 17 [Baden]
 
Yes, my problem feeder is a BHP... He jams his mouth shut. I kinda wish I had to dodge vemon in this case. Bu thanks for the heads up- I will try him on some fresh if I can get them- he isn't into pinky rats, maybe mice?

Yeah, thats hatchy BHPs for you! try every different thing you can think of, scenting with bird ect..
 
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