Softer Syringe needed?

snitz427

Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi! I think Charlie might have an upper respiratory infection - I noticed some unusual (for him) activity and gaping in cooler areas. He seems fine otherwise, but taking him to the vet tonight.

I've been giving him Reptaid 2x a day since I've noticed 2 days ago. I just give him a hornworm and squirt it in the side of his mouth, but he's bit down on the syringe quite hard a few times when I didn't remove it fast enough. I'm worried I'm going to hurt his jaw or mouth. Am I being a sissy, or should I switch to a soft tipped syringe? Any risk of the rubber coming off the syringe? It seems like it would be a bit trickier to aim with.

Thanks for any advice.
 
There are a couple different strategies you can use. If he is a very reliable eater you can buy (Amazon) or get insulin syringes from your vet and inject the worn with the meds. For poor eaters we used to use metal bird crop feeding needles/tubes wrapped in medical tape as padding to cushion it for the teeth and jaw. You have to fill the crop tube completely with the meds to get the correct dose.
I haven't seen Biting plastic syringes do any serious damage to healthy jaws but MBD is a different story.
 
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There are a couple different strategies you can use. If he is a very reliable eater you can buy (Amazon) or get insulin syringes from your vet and inject the worn with the meds. For poor eaters we used to use metal bird crop feeding needles/tubes wrapped in medical tape as padding to cushion it for the teeth and jaw. You have to fill the crop tube completely with the meds to get the correct dose.
I haven't seen Biting plastic syringes do any serious damage to healthy jaws but MBD is a different story.

Thank you Jill! My sister brought me home some needles to use, which are long gone. I'll have to see if she'll get me a few more. I think I used it, and cleaned it, and reused it before tossing. I certainly dont want to reuse it and breed bacteria. Do you typically just use them once and chuck them?

I thought about taping the end but then thought "what if their teeth get stuck in the tape and make it worse?" I think you're right, I should get more needles and inject the feeders since they're all good eaters, and save the needle-less syringe for emergency care.
 
I tried using plastic tips. That ended when a beardy ate an end...

chams have super jaws, to the point they can clamp down on a cotton ball to the point it breaks their jaw during "twilight" surgery. So a softer tip isnt going to help.

At best you might be able to use a small tube in the cheek :)
 
Thank you sir. I ordered a 50 pack of needles from Amazon and will sacrifice a few hornworms to the cham gods. In the meantime I think I will go back to teasing them with the feeder so they stick their tongue out, and drop the medicine on it. Takes forever to give them meds, but haven't missed a drop yet!
 
I wouldn't wrap a syringe tip says it would slip off and could be eaten. The crop feeding or olive tip needles have round ball at the end so the tape doesn't slip off. Used this to force feed a variety of exotics. Not really necessary for an animal is eating.
If you are using the syringes and needles only to inject an oral medication into a feeder insect then sterility isn't important but they should be washed and rinsed and disposed of properly when the get dull after a few uses. You are treating them like you would a spoon. Don't mix them with your sterile needles.
 
I wouldn't wrap a syringe tip says it would slip off and could be eaten. The crop feeding or olive tip needles have round ball at the end so the tape doesn't slip off. Used this to force feed a variety of exotics. Not really necessary for an animal is eating.
If you are using the syringes and needles only to inject an oral medication into a feeder insect then sterility isn't important but they should be washed and rinsed and disposed of properly when the get dull after a few uses. You are treating them like you would a spoon. Don't mix them with your sterile needles.

Thank you! The needle-less syringes I wash and reuse indefinitely. The needles I washed once or twice then tossed. The unused stay in wrappers.

Thanks for your input. Charlie seems to like his medicine, or as he likes to call it, his Purple Drank. I might have a little lush on my hands.
 
200PCS 3ml Disposable Plastic Transfer Pipettes, Moveland Calibrated Dropper Suitable for Essential Oils & Science Laboratory https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F3ZN56V/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SZoaEb9G4QZDQ
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Thank you Jill! My sister brought me home some needles to use, which are long gone. I'll have to see if she'll get me a few more. I think I used it, and cleaned it, and reused it before tossing. I certainly dont want to reuse it and breed bacteria. Do you typically just use them once and chuck them?

I thought about taping the end but then thought "what if their teeth get stuck in the tape and make it worse?" I think you're right, I should get more needles and inject the feeders since they're all good eaters, and save the needle-less syringe for emergency care.
If you wash them in bleach/water and let them completely dry with the slide removed from the body, there is no concern about bacteria.
I use standard needles with a section of TYGON plastic fuel line meant for tiny gasoline engines. Tygon is soft but rigid. It will bend easily but is reluctant to kink.
There are several sizes.
I use the 1/4" for my tortoises. That size would be way too large for a Chameleon.
 
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