Burrito?

[Jeanette]

I need to 'burrito' Spiny to give him meds, but I just can't seem to get it!

Wasn't there a video or something on C&Q for it?
I'm worried that I'm going to squish him... but he always seems to get out of it!!

I won't get into WHY he's taking meds because I can't bring myself to think about the possibilities of what it could and possibly be at this moment... He is in good hands and is going to weekly vet visits at this point.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers... and burrito tips would be great!

Thanks!
Jeanette

 

[jmdebb]

Hi, I don't know if there is a video, but I will try to explain it, but I'm not great at explaining.

Get a good size towel, wrap it around him, I usually start around the neck [of course not to tight, but not to loose] wrap the whole chin up then what is left at the bottom [extra towel] wrap that up around his neck too so he can't get out of it. Just hold it snug, without squeezing, don't be afraid, you'll do just fine. They do try to get out, that's why you want to get the whole body in the towel except his head. And don't forget don't sryinge straight into the mouth in the middle because it can go down their lungs, put the syringe on the side of his mouth.

I sure hope that made sense, if it doesn't, I'm sure someone else will try to explain it better.

jean

 

[Nancy]

When I do it, I just use a washcloth or a receiving blanket folded in a quarter. I wrap it around the back of the hedgehog and pinch it closed under his chin. It works to keep flying feet out of the way.

You can also try to scruff him. I find it works better but some hedgehogs are not easy to scruff.

Another thing you can try is syringing him some yummy food and once he decides the syringe contains good stuff, have an extra one with a small amount of the yummy food mixed with the meds. Once they catch on, give the meds first and then the food as a reward.

 

[beanjelly]

And you might already know this--so sorry if it's repeat info!--but I always found that the easiest way to syringe meds into a hedgie is to put the syringe in the back of their mouth, like in the corner of his/her lips, behind the teeth.

Hope that makes sense!

Good luck to you and Spiny. I hope he heals up fast.

 

[AlbertaGirl]

I hope Spiny is feeling better soon! What I do with Ron is start syringing her regular food into her mouth, and while she's busy with that, I just squirt the meds in, and follow it immediately with more food. She never even knows she's being medicated!

 

[jmdebb]

I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were talking about a hedgie, I thought you were talking about a chinchilla. So listen to the other people before me because they are different anaimals and shapes.

Again, I apologize.

Jean

 

[FiaSpice]

I hope Spiny is feeling better soon! What I do with Ron is start syringing her regular food into her mouth, and while she's busy with that, I just squirt the meds in, and follow it immediately with more food. She never even knows she's being medicated!

that's what I had to do with Litchi before. At the begining, that trick was the only way she would take the meds, but after she took them more easily.

 

[Jeanette]

I was able to burrito him... but now he won't open his mouth to bite the syringe!
lol...
He knows what's going to happen. Poor little hog <3

He only eats kibble and he won't eat it wet, so I don't really know what to do. Putting it into a syringe just seems to prolong the struggle of trying to get him to take his meds. He's one smartie hog...

 

[Courtney]

What I do is hold the hogs on their back with their head leaned against my propped up knee so their head doesn't end up lower then their body. It works better when they're in semi-balls, so I make little noises to keep them in that ball. I gently work the syringe into the back of their mouth (even if they won't bite the syringe) and push down the plunger slowly so they have a chance to swallow without choking. Sometimes, they'll get frustrated and bite the syringe but most times... I can shoot the medicine down their throat without having them bite down on the tip.

Have you tried filling his syringe with yummy things (like diluted apple juice or something) in times when he's not getting medicine? If you condition him to enjoy what comes out of the syringe, he might be more willing to take medicine when he needs to.

If that doesn't work, I'd had a good deal of success injecting medicine into hamburger and tricking them that way. When Cuda was sick, he got wise to that and refused most baby food too. What I found worked really, really well was custard baby food. It's horrible for him, but he took it (laced with his yucky medicine) right off a spoon and never had any form of tummy upset. It was a lot easier than stressing him out twice daily, having him spit the medicine up, get an upset tummy, etc.