Help with force feeding

[emandkel]

Quick post -- have very thin frog, tried force feeding -- mouth lips are bleeding -- HELP? Don't want to lose him.

[TheHornedToad]

Try grabbing the corners of their mouth that makes them open up and have the food ready against his lip, and then you can put the food item in behind the tongue so he doesn't flick it out.

[GrifTheGreat]

Emily use a plastic spoon. Place it between the upper and lowet jaw at the side of the mouth. Apply gentle pressure while sliding the spoon down towards the nose. This normally will get them to open their mouths. You will want to give the frog something easily digested like Fluker's Repta Boost or chunks of earthworm. The Repta Boost will be much easier for the frog to keep down. Give it to the frog once a day dosage by weight.

How large is the frog SVL?

[emandkel]

Sorry for the lack of details earlier -- was at work when I posted that.

I'll try the spoon tonight. I've been using the corner of a credit card and he may open it a little but not really enough to put a chunk of nightcrawler in. Last night I mixed up Repta Boost and pacman food, mixed to a gooey ball and got a little in, not much. Once he opens it once, he really doesn't open his mouth again. I tried a piece of nightcrawler, got in one end, but he spit it back out.

I knew he hadn't been eating well and was a bit thin, but didn't realize just how thin he was until I tried force feeding him some Repta Boost Wednesday evening. They can really hold a lot of water!

He's about 3" SVL.

[GrifTheGreat]

Sorry for the lack of details earlier -- was at work when I posted that.

I'll try the spoon tonight. I've been using the corner of a credit card and he may open it a little but not really enough to put a chunk of nightcrawler in. Last night I mixed up Repta Boost and pacman food, mixed to a gooey ball and got a little in, not much. Once he opens it once, he really doesn't open his mouth again. I tried a piece of nightcrawler, got in one end, but he spit it back out.

I knew he hadn't been eating well and was a bit thin, but didn't realize just how thin he was until I tried force feeding him some Repta Boost Wednesday evening. They can really hold a lot of water!

He's about 3" SVL.

Make sure to use the spoon upsidedown. This makes it much easier.

[emandkel]

Thank you. Force-feeding went MUCH better tonight -- got in him a good dose of Repta Boost.

[Cwcuz2112]

Sorry you are having to force feed one . But out of curiosity wouldn't it be better to feed it a fuzzy mouse ? More nutrition to put weight back on quickly . I know mice are treats and not to be offered as a staple . But to try to help a skinny one eat and survive wouldn't it benefit from a larger meal less often ?

[GrifTheGreat]

Sorry you are having to force feed one . But out of curiosity wouldn't it be better to feed it a fuzzy mouse ? More nutrition to put weight back on quickly . I know mice are treats and not to be offered as a staple . But to try to help a skinny one eat and survive wouldn't it benefit from a larger meal less often ?

This is why they make formulas like Repta Boost. Any malnourished animal will be weak and may develope intestinal imbalances that can cause problems when digesting complex animal tissues such as rodent. Repta Boost is a whole food supplement that once digested produces no waste making it ideal for such situations. It is also easily administered because of it being a liquid making it difficult for them to spit out unlike a solid form of food like a mouse. Critcal care formulas are the best way to go. Plus the give energy and more nutrition than a mouse. Much easier on their systems.

[DVirginiana]

For any sick reptile, I always opt for the most easily digested food...

When I had to force-feed mine after about two or three tries, it got to where I could just rub the food against her lips and she'd open up without the credit card. Her issues were pretty drawn out though, so she got used to eating that way. lol She still takes food best if I put it right up against her face like that.

[Cwcuz2112]

Thanks for the detailed response . what y'all are saying makes sense . Its difficult to tell with certain animals if its sickness ,natural behavior or other stresses that are causing it not too eat . I have a few ball pythons that will only eat when the moon aligns with Jupiter , mars is on the eastern summit and its the third Tuesday of the 29 day of February . I feed them the biggest prey item they can handle or as many small ones as they will eat it's something you expect with the species .I also have a few ball that want to do nothing but eat . I've always heard that cranwells have a poor feeding responses . I don't have any that do but I have read it in several different places . So it seemed rational to me to do what i do with anything else that doesn't want to eat on a regular schedule . Stuff it full when it will eat and leave it alone the rest of the time . Everybody has different ways of doing things and y'alls way is probably better .

[GrifTheGreat]

Thanks for the detailed response . what y'all are saying makes sense . Its difficult to tell with certain animals if its sickness ,natural behavior or other stresses that are causing it not too eat . I have a few ball pythons that will only eat when the moon aligns with Jupiter , mars is on the eastern summit and its the third Tuesday of the 29 day of February . I feed them the biggest prey item they can handle or as many small ones as they will eat it's something you expect with the species .I also have a few ball that want to do nothing but eat . I've always heard that cranwells have a poor feeding responses . I don't have any that do but I have read it in several different places . So it seemed rational to me to do what i do with anything else that doesn't want to eat on a regular schedule . Stuff it full when it will eat and leave it alone the rest of the time . Everybody has different ways of doing things and y'alls way is probably better .

Feeding response has nothing really to do with the species. More so it differes between individual among each species. Most of the time its a stereotype.

I believe she is having trouble with an Ornate. Just a guess on my part though since she had one sick a few weeks ago.

[Lija]

Emily, try to get some royal canin critical care food or that Oxbow Animal Health | Carnivore Care
the last one is excellent, it is like reptiboost and critical care in one.

both available through vet, but somebody said it is also sold elsewhere in US.

i just add to what Grif said about big prey and sick frog, sometimes even nighcrawlers are hard to digest and you need to be very careful force feeding as well and not to give too much food at once. it is like when you are sick yourself, you don't really want to eat at all, and even mentioning greasy food makes you feel even more sick. try to feed a lot and you will have frog vomiting and that leads to stomach problems. basically you are complicating situation even more.
that is how body controls itself, it uses energy to fight whatever it is fighting and not much "energy" is left to digest simply speaking, thus feeding small amounts of highly digested food is a key.

[DVirginiana]

Also, it seems like usually an animal that is in ideal conditions and not sick will not hunger strike to the point of being emaciated. If they begin losing weight, that's when I start looking for something that may be wrong.

[emandkel]

Thanks to all who have responded. I didn't think about the portion size but want him to get enough nutrition to feel like eating again and to gain back his lost weight. Tonight he was much more cooperative about opening his mouth.

He is an albino cranwelli. He's not been a big eater and has gone days between feeding many times. He DID eat the feeding after I switched to coco fiber -- he jumped at the first worm and I think I got him to eat a 2nd one. That was first time he had eaten for at least a couple of weeks. He didn't want to eat again since then -- gave him a few days before I started force feeding him.

My little ornate that was sick -- after the first dose of Panacur, he's eaten well every feeding. He's fine.

[Cwcuz2112]

Glad to hear things may be looking up