Syringe feeding tips please help

Vmoreno

New Member
I took my Cham Pedro to the vet and I need syringe feed him. I tried opening his mouth with a credit card but it doesn't seem to work. Can anyone please help.
Thanks
 
You can place the side of the syringe against the edge of the mouth, and press inwards, this works better than a credit card, and is not likely to cut them. Then after the mouth is open, just swivel in the tip, and administer the meds.

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You have to hold the chameleon firmly when doing this.

Another option is to wait for it to open its mouth to eat/drink, and slip the meds in then. I like to give them as they are drinking water, as you can just place a few drops on the edge of the mouth at a time as its opening, and they will intake the meds with their water.
 
I had to syringe feed my veiled for two months and I would use the long q-tips I got from the vet and then I went with a soft rubber baby spoon....just put either between the lips and push down....then insert the syringe and push, but give in small amounts at a time, he needs time to swallow.
 
I would go back to the vet and ask for a needle. Then inject the medication into a worm an feed it to your chameleon. I bought a nosy be a month ago. One week after having him I had a feeling something was wrong. Sure enough he had parasites. For six days straight I had to give him .1 ml very morning. My had to pull him out eland open his mouth while my mom gave him the medication. I really didn't want to stress him out anymore considering it was his first week with me. I tried the method with the worm and it worked great.
 
Sorry I didn't realize you were syringe feeding. Well if you ever need to administer medication try the worm method.
 
I took my Cham Pedro to the vet and I need syringe feed him. I tried opening his mouth with a credit card but it doesn't seem to work. Can anyone please help.
Thanks

Hello. To syringe feed you first need a small syringe idealy the 1 ml works best. As with any animal they all have strong points withing the skeletal structure these are your focal points for grasping. This can be done with one hand then along the gumline there's a rather small indentation gently press in .you then applly a little preassure downward very slowly until the jaw is supressed enough to place the tip of the syringe just past the gum line. Do not press against the teeth as this may trigger a bite. This may cause pain or damage the teeth or gums. Deposit small ammounts of food ie : 1 cricket and so fourth. Allow time for maculation and also check with you vet for proper ammounts of water per day . Divide the water up throughout the day and accompany the food with proper minerals/vitamins. Wish you luck with your Cham cheers from Canada!
 
excellent advice all,

i also just want to point out that if you work with gravity, often you can just put the syringe tip in-between the lips on the side of the mouth without forcing the teeth apart, and gently push the plunger. the liquid (depends how viscous) will usually just flow between the teeth and towards the back of his throat as long as you hold him in the angle that gravity will be of service. kind of his head looking up in a 45-90° angle, and slightly twisted to the side so the lips and teeth that you are working with are at the top and his throat is down. best i can describe it.

also, they can hold the liquid in their mouths for a long time and have it spill right out, so usually after i squirt meds in i will immediately place them in an upwards facing direction back in their cage or just hold them. you will see them swallow a few times. if you don’t see the swallow, the meds are probably still in the mouth!!

o-
 
I would go back to the vet and ask for a needle. Then inject the medication into a worm an feed it to your chameleon. I bought a nosy be a month ago. One week after having him I had a feeling something was wrong. Sure enough he had parasites. For six days straight I had to give him .1 ml very morning. My had to pull him out eland open his mouth while my mom gave him the medication. I really didn't want to stress him out anymore considering it was his first week with me. I tried the method with the worm and it worked great.

If this is applicable to your situation, know that you can get hypodermic needles & syringes from any pharmacy for like 50 cents a pop, just tell them what it's for and they'll sell them to you.
 
If this is applicable to your situation, know that you can get hypodermic needles & syringes from any pharmacy for like 50 cents a pop, just tell them what it's for and they'll sell them to you.

for the record that’s a state-by-state law; in many states you do need a prescription for syringes with needles or needles alone. oral syringes are everywhere; look in the “baby section” of any big pharmacy is a good bet most anywhere for those.
 
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