Opening Cham mouths

[Bernie]

Hi all,

I have just brought my panther Cham back from the vets and he needs to take some medication orally.

The only issue is that I cannot get his mouth open.

He is impossible to annoy as he is so placid and friendly (neither do I want to stress him unnecessarily).

I have tried to apply gentle pressure on the jaw but this doesn't work either.

Anyone have any tips?

 

[Rango05]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOzJk-Vq4Xo

i found this the other day, hope it helps.

 

[RealIzeRecognIze]

My veiled licks her lips while eating maybe you could slip it in then?? Just a thought..

 

[HolyToledo]

Try injecting the medication into a soft-bodied feeder. Soft worms are easiest but you can also inject the med into the belly of a roach. Then try feeding that to them.

If they aren't eating, rather than prying on the lips and jaws like in the video, first I would pull on his chin. Grasp the loose skin and pull down gently. Most don't like it and will pull away sometimes opening their mouth. Too bad you don't have a veiled. If handled carefully, the casque worked like a handle and I could hold mine's head still and pull down on the chin. Worked every time! Maybe you could figure out a safe way to hold his head?

If not, you may have to resort to prying gently. Just be careful because you can pull their lips away from their jaw. Also, if you are forcing stuff into them, you need to make sure you are getting it past their trachea so they don't breathe the stuff instead of swallowing it. ((Look for other threads about force-feeding, there are some good ones on here.)

Good luck and I hope your critter gets better soon!

 

[Solid Snake]

I dont agree with that video 100%.

It does give a rough idea, but IMO thats to much fluid at once, in the wrong part of the mouth, and could cause aspiration.

If you use this position, using the side of the syringe, on the front part of the mouth, youll have much better success with them opening their mouth.

(its not beautiful, but you get the idea yes?)

Just press inward slightly, and then downward slightly, and they should open up. Once they do, just place the very tip in the very front of their mouth, and only administer a few drops at a time.

Hope that made some sense

 

[carol5208]

do you have something he will gape at? What about himself in the mirror?

 

[Bernie]

Thanks for the input folks.

We managed to get his mouth open so we had to act fast. He did make a couple of deep breaths afterwards which was a little worrying. He was fine after 30secs or so. We think the thickness of the liquid meant it was going down slowly and perhaps meant he needed a couple of big swallows and deep breaths.

I'll be taking the feeder injection route from now on as we found the whole experience stressful and harsh on him (and us too).

We have never seen him gape, not even if he see's himself in the mirror!

 

[muji]

Thanks for the input folks.

We managed to get his mouth open so we had to act fast. He did make a couple of deep breaths afterwards which was a little worrying. He was fine after 30secs or so. We think the thickness of the liquid meant it was going down slowly and perhaps meant he needed a couple of big swallows and deep breaths.

I'll be taking the feeder injection route from now on as we found the whole experience stressful and harsh on him (and us too).

We have never seen him gape, not even if he see's himself in the mirror!

Hi Chris try and make sure you put his meds at the back of his throat, or he could breath in the fluids.

 

[Solid Snake]

Hi Chris try and make sure you put his meds at the back of his throat, or he could breath in the fluids.

Hi muji, they breath through the back of the throat, and putting fluids there can cause them to aspirate and die.

Fluids should be administered at the front of the mouth area for this reason.

 

[muji]

Hi muji, they breath through the back of the throat, and putting fluids there can cause them to aspirate and die.

Fluids should be administered at the front of the mouth area for this reason.

Hi Solid Snake, not according to the advice we've been given in the past.

According to Linda Davison...... I quote...............................

"Panacur should be given by placing the tip of the syringe with the proper dose amount into the back of the throat. After dispensing, the animal should be allowed to swallow the medication prior to giving any further dosages."

Our vets also agree with this advice.

 

[Bernie]

Hi Solid Snake, not according to the advice we've been given in the past.

According to Linda Davison...... I quote...............................

"Panacur should be given by placing the tip of the syringe with the proper dose amount into the back of the throat. After dispensing, the animal should be allowed to swallow the medication prior to giving any further dosages."

Our vets also agree with this advice.

How far back is "safe" to ensure there is no chance of breathing in the fluids?

Or, where exactly in the mouth do they breathe from?

 

[Goatsniper]

i dont like the way this was done, it works but there is an easier way, and less painful. I did an internship at a reptile specialist clinic in arizona under a vet who breeds the San Marcos island chucawalas, which we all know cost as much as a new BMW. What he taught me to do, i sexed and dewormed all my lizards myself by the way, and even examined the fecal matter from my lizards under a microscope to see exactly what they were infected with. it looked like aliens vs predator in all of their poop. and they were all captive bred. anyways, what we did was took a steralized paper clip or something similar, and push it gently into the front of the mouth, and they will open their mouth, long ways obviosuly, so that the lizard has the clip in his mouth like a bridle on a horse, its uncomfortable for the lizard but it gives you a great approach to shoot stuff down their throat. if the lizard has developed teeth or bone structure, a softer approach such as a plastic tooth pick might be better. this could be controversial, but to be honest, in a clinic where they dont really care about how your lizard "feels", these methods are very common because it makes treatment effective. quick story....i got parasites when i was in the jungles of south america, and they gave me the same medicine i give my lizards for deworming. flagil. haha. good luck.

 

[Bernie]

I have found a previous thread with a photo of where to squirt/where not to squirt liquids....

Very helpful.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/warning-all-chameleon-owners-80201/index3.html

 

[redsfandrew]

i dont like the way this was done, it works but there is an easier way, and less painful. I did an internship at a reptile specialist clinic in arizona under a vet who breeds the San Marcos island chucawalas, which we all know cost as much as a new BMW. What he taught me to do, i sexed and dewormed all my lizards myself by the way, and even examined the fecal matter from my lizards under a microscope to see exactly what they were infected with. it looked like aliens vs predator in all of their poop. and they were all captive bred. anyways, what we did was took a steralized paper clip or something similar, and push it gently into the front of the mouth, and they will open their mouth, long ways obviosuly, so that the lizard has the clip in his mouth like a bridle on a horse, its uncomfortable for the lizard but it gives you a great approach to shoot stuff down their throat. if the lizard has developed teeth or bone structure, a softer approach such as a plastic tooth pick might be better. this could be controversial, but to be honest, in a clinic where they dont really care about how your lizard "feels", these methods are very common because it makes treatment effective. quick story....i got parasites when i was in the jungles of south america, and they gave me the same medicine i give my lizards for deworming. flagil. haha. good luck.

The jungles of South America! Sweet! It sounds like you had an interesting vacation... JK.