# HELP!! Need tips on syringe feeding rats! (That don't want the medicine!)



## cccgina1 (Nov 11, 2012)

I've syringed cats and horses. Is it the same kind of thing, just pop it in the side of their mouth? I tried to get them to lick it off the end of the syringe, that that was a no go. 

They went to the vet today and got an ivermectin shot for the mange and antibiotics cause one of them has a little sneeze and he said they'll all get it and it turns into pneumonia. So I have to syringe them each like .05cc of pink medicine 2x a day. I know they're probably grumpy from their vet adventure, so I didn't push it tonight, but I want to be ready in the morning for the morning dose!

Thanks!


----------



## Willieboo (Oct 22, 2012)

I'm syringing medicine right now, too, though while I was at the vet the vet tech showed me how to do it and gave my rat the first day's dose. So yeah, basically if your rats don't like the medicine you just need to wiggle it into the side of the mouth (I've found the side is easier, but sometimes my rat will let me get it in between her teeth) and squirt it in. It reeeally helps if you have someone there with you to hold your rats up and hold them still so you can administer the meds without them wiggling around too much. The vet tech who did it for me on the first day squirted it in really fast, but I do it a little slower because I don't want my rat to wiggle away real fast and then squirt medicine all over everywhere on accident. However, though the first couple days were a chore, I kept rewarding her with peas after she got her meds, so now whenever I have the syringe she grabs it and licks the medicine out real quick as I push it from the syringe and then starts looking for the peas. c: 
So in the long run it might help you out to treat your babes afterward to their most favorite treat so they associate medicine time with treat time and (hopefully) make giving them the meds easier.


----------



## 1a1a (May 6, 2011)

I aim behind the teeth (coming in from the side too) but in front of the tongue. And be adequately careful, I read a confession from a guy once who'd killed his rat trying to give her meds (utterly heartbroken of course).


----------



## cervine (Oct 14, 2012)

I haven't ever used a syringe on a rat, but have you tried mixing in the medicine with a spoonful of soft food? When my rats both had URIs (they were not tame and couldn't be picked up without biting), I would mix in their medicine with a spoonful of non-dairy yogurt, such as a fruity soy yogurt or almond milk yogurt. They ALWAYS took the whole spoonful and even looked forward to it. You can also try warm baby food-- I hear that banana or turkey & peas is a favorite flavor.

I'm not sure if you've tried this or not already, but it might be worth a shot since it's easier than forcing the syringe on them. Best of luck, I hope they feel better soon


----------



## unlikelyfather (Sep 11, 2012)

Lilspaz has a video upload running around somewhere which demonstrates the proper way to administer medication to rats. But, yes, basically, it's the same.


----------



## CherriBomb (Nov 13, 2012)

never a fun situation. I always feel downright horrible when making them take meds... they look at you like how could you do this to me!!!! My boys were/are food snarfers but could always taste the meds so I had to resort to holding and syringing into the mouth. Its hard to strike a balance of getting enough meds in and not making them choke on it and start coughing more than they already were.


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

1) If one rat is sick, you only need to medicate that one rat, not all of them. Using antibiotics on healthy rats can reduce the effectiveness of it in the future. 

2) Is the medicationg called doxycycline? I think my friends in the US called it the "Nasty Pink"...its very bitter.

3) always medicate from the side behind the teeth, make sure it gets in deep enough so that it gets beyond the flap in their throat they use to prevent swallowing all the things they chew on.

4) Here's the video...I really should do a better one, it was an impulse thing so forgive the look LOL


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-_bFMkutKk


----------



## cccgina1 (Nov 11, 2012)

lilspaz68 said:


> 1) If one rat is sick, you only need to medicate that one rat, not all of them. Using antibiotics on healthy rats can reduce the effectiveness of it in the future.
> 
> 2) Is the medicationg called doxycycline? I think my friends in the US called it the "Nasty Pink"...its very bitter.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the video, you make that look so ea_s_y! I tried mixing with food and they won't eat it. So I'm going to syringe. This is Baytril. He gave it to all of them because one has the sneezies and he said they'll all get it. Anyway, they are from the feeder place and probably have something anyway. 

Ok, off we go to medicate!


----------



## centennial (Aug 28, 2012)

One of my rats is the squirmiest little guy ever and he HATES medicine time. I also am giving him more meds than just a bit of baytril (for seizures, boo ). I find that it's more effective to wrap him up in a towel (I call it a rat burrito) and hold the end of the burrito against my stomach so he can't squirm out the back. It keeps him contained enough. My current challenge is to make him actually SWALLOW, not just sit with the meds pooled in his mouth till he can wipe his mouth and spit them up on a towel. Sigh...


----------

