S
Slateman
Guest
Written by Soulweaver
Force feeding is something that I would first get shown by someone experienced. It is not the easiest thing to do, and can put a lot of stress on yourself and the animal. After being shown how do to do it, this is how I would go about it.
First of cut off a tail from a rat or mouse, The si z e of the tail you want is dependant on the si z e of the animal you are try to feed. In this case we will assume it is a hatchling snake that hasnt fed since being hatched from the egg.
The si z e of that tail I would use would be around the 3cm mark. The hairs on the tail will help keep the tail down the snakes throat if you put in backwards. Meaning that the mouse tail needs to go into the mouth starting from the base of the tail where is would have been cut off the rodent. The hairs are reversed if you do this, and if the snake tries to push the tail out, it will work against them and slowly work itself down the snakes mouth.
Once the tail is almost down, I would grab a pinkie mouse and try and get it to follow the mouse tail down the throat. Once the initiation of feeding as started, the snake may continue to eat the pinkie if it has gone into feeding mode.
If this fails and a pinkie mouse needs to be fed, the best way to do this is to put ky jelly on the pinkie first (lubricate) using a small pair of feeding twee z ers grab the mouse directly behind the neck, if you are lucky the snake will strike out and hit the mouse on the nose, if done correctly this causes the snake to continue feeding, similar to the mouse tail, as it has hit the snakes feeding reflex.
During all of these procedures, the snakes mouth may need to be opened. I have found that if the snake was an adult python, then using a pen which has a soft rubber grip is a great idea, but since I have talking about a hatchling snake then the item used needs to be smaller, a small probe works well for this. The idea is not to break any teeth if it can be helped, although this may almost be impossible. You need not worry if you do break teeth as snakes shed teeth, but if bleeding occurs you may need to check the snake over the next few weeks to make sure that infection hasnt set in.
Before the mouth can be opened the snakes head needs to be grabbed. To do this you need to place your thumb under the snakes chin, index finger then sits on top of the snakes head, and your middle finger down along side the snakes head just to stop it from pulling out. I have only ever seen one snake that didnt mind this happening to it, so you have to be prepared for a struggle. The grip that needs to be held has to be firm enough to hold the snake still, but not so tight as to harm the snake from squee z ing.
You must remember that force feeding a snake would be like someone ramming a hotdog down your throat with a fist. It is defiantly not a pleasant experience, and should only be tried as a last resort.
The last and final way to force feed a snake is the most unpleasant of the lot. Basically you have to do what the question describes, and that is force the pinkie down. After opening the mouth you can either use our hand or a small pair of twee z ers, I have found a decent pair of twee z ers to be the best way to do this. You then force the head of the rodent down the snakes throat. And basically continue to stuff it down the snakes throat. If the prey item you chose should be small, so that the snake has no problems getting this down, I have seen ppl use large prey items when doing this, and it hasnt been a pleasant experience, far worse then using a small prey item. Once the prey item is inside the throat a little ways, you need to continue to force the rodent down the throat, whilst massaging the snakes throat and assisting the mouse down. The massage should continue until the mouse is in the snakes stomach.
All attempts to feed listed above are a lot easier done with two ppl helping. Some smaller snakes i.e hatchling childrens pythons may be too small to do this. Especially as a first attempt, and experienced person is recommended to do this, to limit stress to the animal.
Last of all, if the vet has recommended you do this, then the vet should show you how it is down. Technically this is a surgical procedure that should be done with someone with this medical knowledge. By no means try this on your own for the first time, if the snake is in that much trouble the vet should be able to help you. The use of pinkie pumps maybe another way you can force some food into the snakes mouth, but make sure you know how the pump works. David and Tracy barker have done research and offer a care sheet on how to use the pinkie pump, get in touch with them and they are happy to help you by sending the information via email. Not many ppl in Australia are experienced enough to use the pinkie pump, and animals have died as a result. Defiantly dont take any information off the net on how to use this, as most of it is wrong, and the ppl offering the information on how to use it, have animals die as a result.
Last of all.good luck!
Soulweaver
Written by Junglemad
junglemad
If the vet told me to force-feed a rodent then this is how I would do it.
If the snake is large, and the hint was that the snake was large and not a haytchling then i would get an assistant to hold the snake with me, in particular the tail because it is easier to force-feed if the snake is stretched out straight rather than colied around your arm.
Firstly i would soak the rodent in water, this will allow it to slide down the snake's throat easier.Holding the snake firmly behind the head as though it was a lizard or a poisonous snake and holding the rodent with some blunt forceps use the rodent's head to open the mouth of the snake wide enough for the head of the rodent to enter the mouth hopefully in as far as the teeth so the snake's teeth . If the snake won't open its mouth using the rodent i would use a chopstick or a kebab skewer and roll it up the snake's chin until the snake opened its mouth. I would then roll the stick along the inside of the mouth until it is holding the mouth open. Then i would jam the rodent's head into the mouth and have my assisitant slide the stick out.
Then i would push the rodent further into the snake's mouth tucking each of the front legs into the snake's mouth one at a time pressing my index finger on the top of the snake's head to stop it spitting the rodent out. With my free had i would continue to push gently on the forceps to slide more of the rodent into the mouth.
If the snake's swallowing response doesn't kick in i would tickle it under the chin to stimulate the response. It is important to keep pressure on the mouth to keep it from opening up and spitting out the prey.The rodent may have to be pushed down the throat manually if the tickle doesn't work properly. This should be done very carefully so as to not damage the mouth and throat with the rodent and/or the forceps.Once the rodent is past the back teeth hold the mouth shut and rub under the chin to again help it to swallow
Do not relax until the rodent is at least 5 inches past the snake's mouth otherwise the snake may regurgitate the rodent and you will have to start all over again.
Written by by JandC_Reptiles
There is 2 ways of force feeding a snake. Which 1 you will use depends on the size & weight of the animal.
For small animals 8-20g the use of a pinkie pump is in-valuable. For larger animals the only option is manually force feeding tham.
THE PROCESS OF FORCE FEEDING WHOLE PREY ANIMALS:
Firstly I would use a fresh killed rodent of the size needed over thawed/frozen as the later may become a mushy mess. I would dip the head of the rodent into water for lubrication. If the snake has gone some time with out feeding I would use mutton oil.
Secure the snake behind the head, making certain it has no way of turning its head and sticking its teeth into you. Now carefully introduce the prey item head first to the mouth of the snake. Sometimes, the snake may be reluctant to open its mouth, in which case gently inserting a sterile metal probe will usually do the trick. At this point, some speciemens will decide to swallow the prey without any further help. I would insert the prey item into the snakes mouth & allow the snake to close its jaws. This way the snakes teeth will grab hold of the prey item & make it harder for the snake to spit it back up. I would continue trying this method inserting the rodent deeper & deeper each time untill the snake decides to consume the prey item of its own accord.However, this is not always the case, and you may have to actually have to push the prey item into the throat of the snake.Be very careful and gentle when doing this, as the risk of injury to both the snake and the keeper i!
s not insignificant. Once the prey item is half way into the throat of the snake, use a steril metal metal probe or similar tool to carefully push the prey item all the way in. It is advantageous to push it a bit past the throat towards the stomach, as this makes it less likely that the snake will immediately regurgitate the prey in defiance and discomfort. You may also massage the ventrals of the snake, which will encourage transport to the stomach. With some few specimens, you may be forced to push the prey item all the way into the stomach, as the snake will otherwise regurgitate the prey item right away. By the way, one way of keeping a snake from regurgitating is to place it into a tub with water immediately afterwards. It seems that the snakes tend to become more occupied with searching for a way out of the water than regurgitating the prey, thereby essentially retaining it. This does not always work, but it has proven to be quite effective.
THE PROCESS OF FORCE FEEDING USING A PINKIE PUMP: (snakes 8-20g)
Load the pumps barrel with the amount of pinkies you wish to feed (2-3max) of 1-4 day old hairless pinkies. It is best if you use frozen/thawed prey items for this method as it will pass easier. Once the pinkies are loaded, fasten the inner cap on the plunger into the cap of the barrel assembly before placing any pressure on the plunger. Failure to do so will provide the plunger with too much side-side movement which will break the glass barrel. Once the inner cap is secured into the cap squeeze the plunger untill you start to see pink coming from the tip. This will remove all air out of the tip before proceeding with force feeding. Just like a syringe the pump has markings along the side of the plunger that measure CC units of volume. Set the volume that is to be fed to the snake.
Again secure the snakes head. Pry open the snakes mouth using the tip of the pump and insert the tip into the snakes throat untill the mouth of the snake is against the bevel of the tip. Gently put pressure on the plunger to insert the food.
NOTE: It is important that the fore finger & thumb are used to seal off the throat of the snake while the tip is withdrawn due to vaccume. Again manipulate the food down the esophagus & stomache. A few strokes should be enough to get the food right down.
Force feeding is something that I would first get shown by someone experienced. It is not the easiest thing to do, and can put a lot of stress on yourself and the animal. After being shown how do to do it, this is how I would go about it.
First of cut off a tail from a rat or mouse, The si z e of the tail you want is dependant on the si z e of the animal you are try to feed. In this case we will assume it is a hatchling snake that hasnt fed since being hatched from the egg.
The si z e of that tail I would use would be around the 3cm mark. The hairs on the tail will help keep the tail down the snakes throat if you put in backwards. Meaning that the mouse tail needs to go into the mouth starting from the base of the tail where is would have been cut off the rodent. The hairs are reversed if you do this, and if the snake tries to push the tail out, it will work against them and slowly work itself down the snakes mouth.
Once the tail is almost down, I would grab a pinkie mouse and try and get it to follow the mouse tail down the throat. Once the initiation of feeding as started, the snake may continue to eat the pinkie if it has gone into feeding mode.
If this fails and a pinkie mouse needs to be fed, the best way to do this is to put ky jelly on the pinkie first (lubricate) using a small pair of feeding twee z ers grab the mouse directly behind the neck, if you are lucky the snake will strike out and hit the mouse on the nose, if done correctly this causes the snake to continue feeding, similar to the mouse tail, as it has hit the snakes feeding reflex.
During all of these procedures, the snakes mouth may need to be opened. I have found that if the snake was an adult python, then using a pen which has a soft rubber grip is a great idea, but since I have talking about a hatchling snake then the item used needs to be smaller, a small probe works well for this. The idea is not to break any teeth if it can be helped, although this may almost be impossible. You need not worry if you do break teeth as snakes shed teeth, but if bleeding occurs you may need to check the snake over the next few weeks to make sure that infection hasnt set in.
Before the mouth can be opened the snakes head needs to be grabbed. To do this you need to place your thumb under the snakes chin, index finger then sits on top of the snakes head, and your middle finger down along side the snakes head just to stop it from pulling out. I have only ever seen one snake that didnt mind this happening to it, so you have to be prepared for a struggle. The grip that needs to be held has to be firm enough to hold the snake still, but not so tight as to harm the snake from squee z ing.
You must remember that force feeding a snake would be like someone ramming a hotdog down your throat with a fist. It is defiantly not a pleasant experience, and should only be tried as a last resort.
The last and final way to force feed a snake is the most unpleasant of the lot. Basically you have to do what the question describes, and that is force the pinkie down. After opening the mouth you can either use our hand or a small pair of twee z ers, I have found a decent pair of twee z ers to be the best way to do this. You then force the head of the rodent down the snakes throat. And basically continue to stuff it down the snakes throat. If the prey item you chose should be small, so that the snake has no problems getting this down, I have seen ppl use large prey items when doing this, and it hasnt been a pleasant experience, far worse then using a small prey item. Once the prey item is inside the throat a little ways, you need to continue to force the rodent down the throat, whilst massaging the snakes throat and assisting the mouse down. The massage should continue until the mouse is in the snakes stomach.
All attempts to feed listed above are a lot easier done with two ppl helping. Some smaller snakes i.e hatchling childrens pythons may be too small to do this. Especially as a first attempt, and experienced person is recommended to do this, to limit stress to the animal.
Last of all, if the vet has recommended you do this, then the vet should show you how it is down. Technically this is a surgical procedure that should be done with someone with this medical knowledge. By no means try this on your own for the first time, if the snake is in that much trouble the vet should be able to help you. The use of pinkie pumps maybe another way you can force some food into the snakes mouth, but make sure you know how the pump works. David and Tracy barker have done research and offer a care sheet on how to use the pinkie pump, get in touch with them and they are happy to help you by sending the information via email. Not many ppl in Australia are experienced enough to use the pinkie pump, and animals have died as a result. Defiantly dont take any information off the net on how to use this, as most of it is wrong, and the ppl offering the information on how to use it, have animals die as a result.
Last of all.good luck!
Soulweaver
Written by Junglemad
junglemad
If the vet told me to force-feed a rodent then this is how I would do it.
If the snake is large, and the hint was that the snake was large and not a haytchling then i would get an assistant to hold the snake with me, in particular the tail because it is easier to force-feed if the snake is stretched out straight rather than colied around your arm.
Firstly i would soak the rodent in water, this will allow it to slide down the snake's throat easier.Holding the snake firmly behind the head as though it was a lizard or a poisonous snake and holding the rodent with some blunt forceps use the rodent's head to open the mouth of the snake wide enough for the head of the rodent to enter the mouth hopefully in as far as the teeth so the snake's teeth . If the snake won't open its mouth using the rodent i would use a chopstick or a kebab skewer and roll it up the snake's chin until the snake opened its mouth. I would then roll the stick along the inside of the mouth until it is holding the mouth open. Then i would jam the rodent's head into the mouth and have my assisitant slide the stick out.
Then i would push the rodent further into the snake's mouth tucking each of the front legs into the snake's mouth one at a time pressing my index finger on the top of the snake's head to stop it spitting the rodent out. With my free had i would continue to push gently on the forceps to slide more of the rodent into the mouth.
If the snake's swallowing response doesn't kick in i would tickle it under the chin to stimulate the response. It is important to keep pressure on the mouth to keep it from opening up and spitting out the prey.The rodent may have to be pushed down the throat manually if the tickle doesn't work properly. This should be done very carefully so as to not damage the mouth and throat with the rodent and/or the forceps.Once the rodent is past the back teeth hold the mouth shut and rub under the chin to again help it to swallow
Do not relax until the rodent is at least 5 inches past the snake's mouth otherwise the snake may regurgitate the rodent and you will have to start all over again.
Written by by JandC_Reptiles
There is 2 ways of force feeding a snake. Which 1 you will use depends on the size & weight of the animal.
For small animals 8-20g the use of a pinkie pump is in-valuable. For larger animals the only option is manually force feeding tham.
THE PROCESS OF FORCE FEEDING WHOLE PREY ANIMALS:
Firstly I would use a fresh killed rodent of the size needed over thawed/frozen as the later may become a mushy mess. I would dip the head of the rodent into water for lubrication. If the snake has gone some time with out feeding I would use mutton oil.
Secure the snake behind the head, making certain it has no way of turning its head and sticking its teeth into you. Now carefully introduce the prey item head first to the mouth of the snake. Sometimes, the snake may be reluctant to open its mouth, in which case gently inserting a sterile metal probe will usually do the trick. At this point, some speciemens will decide to swallow the prey without any further help. I would insert the prey item into the snakes mouth & allow the snake to close its jaws. This way the snakes teeth will grab hold of the prey item & make it harder for the snake to spit it back up. I would continue trying this method inserting the rodent deeper & deeper each time untill the snake decides to consume the prey item of its own accord.However, this is not always the case, and you may have to actually have to push the prey item into the throat of the snake.Be very careful and gentle when doing this, as the risk of injury to both the snake and the keeper i!
s not insignificant. Once the prey item is half way into the throat of the snake, use a steril metal metal probe or similar tool to carefully push the prey item all the way in. It is advantageous to push it a bit past the throat towards the stomach, as this makes it less likely that the snake will immediately regurgitate the prey in defiance and discomfort. You may also massage the ventrals of the snake, which will encourage transport to the stomach. With some few specimens, you may be forced to push the prey item all the way into the stomach, as the snake will otherwise regurgitate the prey item right away. By the way, one way of keeping a snake from regurgitating is to place it into a tub with water immediately afterwards. It seems that the snakes tend to become more occupied with searching for a way out of the water than regurgitating the prey, thereby essentially retaining it. This does not always work, but it has proven to be quite effective.
THE PROCESS OF FORCE FEEDING USING A PINKIE PUMP: (snakes 8-20g)
Load the pumps barrel with the amount of pinkies you wish to feed (2-3max) of 1-4 day old hairless pinkies. It is best if you use frozen/thawed prey items for this method as it will pass easier. Once the pinkies are loaded, fasten the inner cap on the plunger into the cap of the barrel assembly before placing any pressure on the plunger. Failure to do so will provide the plunger with too much side-side movement which will break the glass barrel. Once the inner cap is secured into the cap squeeze the plunger untill you start to see pink coming from the tip. This will remove all air out of the tip before proceeding with force feeding. Just like a syringe the pump has markings along the side of the plunger that measure CC units of volume. Set the volume that is to be fed to the snake.
Again secure the snakes head. Pry open the snakes mouth using the tip of the pump and insert the tip into the snakes throat untill the mouth of the snake is against the bevel of the tip. Gently put pressure on the plunger to insert the food.
NOTE: It is important that the fore finger & thumb are used to seal off the throat of the snake while the tip is withdrawn due to vaccume. Again manipulate the food down the esophagus & stomache. A few strokes should be enough to get the food right down.
