Good feeding syringe?

[naturestee]

With Mocha sick, I had to use a feeding syringe for the first time. I had used the tiny medicine syringes before with no problems- they moved nice and smoothly. The feeding syringe tended to stick, and then squirt a bunch in at once. I was feeding pumpkin with a little water and Nutrical. It stuck when I was using it for Pedialyte,too. I was using the Easy Feeder syringe from Petsmart.

What brands/types have you used? Which ones do you like and which don't you like? What sizes are good for my small bunnies (it can be difficult to get into Mocha's small, unhappy mouth)? I would like to have something better on hand.

 

[huntress]

The feeding syringe tended to stick, and then squirt a bunch in at once

For syringes that stick you can take the plunger out, anrub a little vegetable oil onitto see if it solves the sticking problem.Not sure what the easy feeder syringe looks like.

They make syringes that have a curved tip on them that are good for syringe feeding. You can also take a regular syringe and get a short piece of plastic tubing(not surebut fish tank airline tubingmight be small enough)that will fit snugly over where the needle attached, this will help place the food further back in the mouth. I had to do this with a big syringe and add the tubing to get medsinto a large animal.

 

[JimD]

The one that worked best for us was a 5cc medicine syringe that I bought at the pharmacy.

It has a decent "nub" on the end to allow for easy administering. It also came with a small rubber tube and a stopper that fit either in the end of the tube or the end of the syringe. Made it easy to pre-fill the syringe ........put the stopper in to keep it from running out the end.

~JimD

 

[2bunmom]

You can also buy syringes at the farm supply store. (Tractor Supply)I bought the3ml/cc size. I also use a1 ml/cc size. Be sure it has the "nub" on the end, so that you can put the "nub" directly into your buns mouth. My vet gave me a syringe to use and the opening was flush with the end of the syringe. When I got home I quickly realized that I would have to put the entire end of the syringe in the buns mouth. That was definitely not going to work!!!

I find that I have to thin some things down with water for it to go into and out of the syringe. Both my rabbits hate nutrical and they do not like pumpkin. So I am still trying to figure out different ways to get them into them when need be. This last go around, I mixed the pumpkin with baby food butternut squash and Trixie loved it.

Trouble is not well now. I am having to syringe him, he is eating no oats or pellets. He will eat some greens though. Like Mocha, his poops are small and hard-looking. I know tonight I am planning to syringe lots of water.

Hope your little one gets well soon. She is such a cute little thing.
Beckie

 

[seniorcats]

I like the catheter tip syringe - easier to get in the mouth and usually a larger size I can use for rabbits or cats. They can be found at the vet's, a vet supply or the farm supply.

 

[m.e.]

*nods to seniorcats*

That's what I use as well.

 

[seniorcats]

Refilling those dinky 3 cc syringes is a pain in the neck and they squirt unevenly. It's so much easier to get a catheter tip into a reluctant animal's mouth.

If the food is mushy enough, I have used a pet nurser bottle (available at Wal Mart, Petsmart, etc) and cut more of the tip off. That works in a pinch but has to be squeezed a bit. Shoot, in areal pinch you can put the food in a plastic baggy and cut off a small part of the corner. It works in an urgent situation.