Using NutriBac

[Shorty6]

I called KathyLove today and asked her what the best way to use NutriBac is. She recommended that I get an eyedropper or a pediatric syringe, mix the NutriBac up with water ( I forgot how much she said) open the snakes mouth and inject it in.

I don't think I will be able to do that. Seriously. How else can I use the NutriBac, put it in his water? When it comes time to feed him I plan on dusting the pink head with it, but advise would be greatly appreciated.

[laura92405]

i'm gettin nutribac for the first time also and i was told that you can put it in their water, but to make sure you change the water daily. Dusting the pinky with it also is a good idea...those were the only ways i was told to use it.

[Nanci]

Why don't you think you could do that? Just get a small syringe. A pharmacy may just _give_ you one, if you explain you need just one for medicating an animal. Then just press gently at the corner of the snake's mouth, it will open. Squirt it in. You don't have to worry about it going down the wrong pipe- the opening to the snake's airway is way in the front.

Is this a tiny hatchling? Then I probably would just do the water, put in a pinch every day and change the water daily because you are putting bacteria into it, then when you feed, just a tiny pinch on the pink.

[Shorty6]

He's not super tiny, but he's still very skiddish and scared and I'm pretty much pretending I don't have a snake right now (except for changing his water) so I will not disturb him while he is fasting.

I think trying to restrain him and stuffing something down his mouth will freak him out pretty bad. Should I just use a pinch of NutriBac in like a small water bowl?

[Nanci]

That's what I'd do, then. Put just a tiny pinch in his bowl and change it every day. You might even put him in the bowl to encourage him to drink once or twice during his fast.

[snakewispera snr]

Mix it up in the dropper/syringe. You can just lift up the hide, have a drop on the end of the dropper?syringe put it by the snakes nose and when he flicks his tongue...Bingo..
it won't take in a massive amount this way, but it does get it to them without stressing them..
MIKE

[Shorty6]

He's drinking very well, he even ventured outside the comforts of his toilet paper tube so go bask on his driftwood :)

So I think I am going to put it in his water. I am leaving for a backcountry camping/snowboarding trip tomorrow so I cannot put the NutriBac in his water just yet. But we're coming back home either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday (depending on weather). He is due to eat on Monday, so I think Sunday night I'll put some in his water for him to drink, then Monday I'll feed him his pink head with the NutriBac on it.

I am praying that his will work.

[MerlinsPop]

He's not super tiny, but he's still very skiddish and scared and I'm pretty much pretending I don't have a snake right now (except for changing his water) so I will not disturb him while he is fasting.

I think trying to restrain him and stuffing something down his mouth will freak him out pretty bad. Should I just use a pinch of NutriBac in like a small water bowl?

After giving tiny Vern (15g) oral meds every other day, injections every 3 days, and (getting) Big Butter oral meds daily and injections every 3 days, I can tell you that giving orals to a hatching is pretty easy, really. Yes, she's a wiggly worm, but if you hold her head pretty firmly, you can take a small syring and press the edge of the tip against the corner of his mouth, ready to hit the plunger. He'll open his mouth and all you need to do is squirt. He'll swallow enough to do what it needs to do.

Good luck!

[Cegninedorf]

I've put NutriBac in their water, but then it has to be changed daily -- and I have rolled the mouse in it prior to feeding, but that gets sticky. Instead, my preferred way to getting it into the snake is to inject a solution of NutriBac (about 1-2 tsps that I dissolve in approx 4 tsps of water in a shot glass & mix well) into the mouse, using a syringe. You can buy a bag (10 syringes) for about $3 at any pharmacy -- I get mine from Walgreens.

(If the pharmacist quizzes you, say that you need the small needle syringes -- U-100 or U-40 are the ones I'd used -- for your diabetic pet...my vet would order 100 at a time for me, but sometimes I ran out before I could get them from the vet, so I'd pick up a bag or two from Walgreens. I think that you can only buy 1-2 bags at a time, and no, you don't need a Rx from a vet to get them...just don't show up 3x a week to buy a new bag! :rofl:)

I dispose of my syringes by bending back the needle on the counter & putting the caps back on both ends -- and then into the trash it goes. (I spent a lot of time asking healthcare people in trying to figure out how to dispose of syringes...some people said that they just stick them into soda cans & throw that into the trash -- I would hang onto one can & stuff as many needles into one as I could...but as my cat went into diabetic remission, I no longer give as many shots as I used to, so I just toss the syringe into the trash & recycle the soda can. :) )

This has worked very well for the snakies & me...:)

[Shorty6]

If I can get some syringes by tomorrow, I might do that. Won't the solution just all come out of the mouse though? Mind you, I am cutting a pinkie in half (oh man that sounds horrible)

[MerlinsPop]

you probably just need about... oh... 0.1 ml at most of a solution. Enough will get down the hatch.

[Shorty6]

Does the NutriBac have to sit in his tummy?

Or can he just take in it there with his meal?

[Cegninedorf]

If I can get some syringes by tomorrow, I might do that. Won't the solution just all come out of the mouse though? Mind you, I am cutting a pinkie in half (oh man that sounds horrible)

Does the NutriBac have to sit in his tummy?

Or can he just take in it there with his meal?

Well, if you're just cutting a pinky in half, then it might be easiest to roll it in the NutriBac because it's so tiny! Dab a bunch onto the sticky/cut end of the mouse -- it'll dissolve fast & become mushy/sticky. Just do what you can. Some is better than none. :)

When I inject NutriBac into a mouse, I inject some into it's midsection & then some into its head...and yeah, sometimes some does come squirting out...but I don't think it's that big of a deal.

I had a ton of concerns when I first used NutriBac because the bottle had no specific directions & in searching the forum at the time, I found little information, too. But, your snake can't overdose on the NutriBac, so whatever/however you can get some of it into your snake -- that'll work. :) (Obviously, I wouldn't inject it into my snake, though!) The easiest way that I've found is by food, and whether you roll the mouse into it or inject a solution of NutriBac into the mouse, you're doing the snake some good. :)

[Shorty6]

ok. I'm trying my best with my little guy. I think waiting 14 days is better then 8 also, because I'm hoping hs 2nd regurg was from not waiting long enough.

His temps are at 82-85 now. (The house is colder) so I think everything is okay. *Knocks on wood*

[Cegninedorf]

ok. I'm trying my best with my little guy. I think waiting 14 days is better then 8 also, because I'm hoping hs 2nd regurg was from not waiting long enough.

His temps are at 82-85 now. (The house is colder) so I think everything is okay. *Knocks on wood*

I've dealt with 2 snakes having regurged not just one mouse, but two in a row, and while I know that NutriBac isn't a magical cure, I really do owe the fact that those two snakes recovered from their regurges to time (and my patience!) & mice just soaked/rolled/injected with NutriBac. Mice completely saturated with NutriBac. :)

I do hope that all turns out well!

[Shorty6]

Thank you so much, I appreciate it.

Will they eat a pink that is covered in NutriBac? LoL Because if they do, I am going to smother it

[hartsock]

If I can get some syringes by tomorrow, I might do that. Won't the solution just all come out of the mouse though? Mind you, I am cutting a pinkie in half (oh man that sounds horrible)

LOL!!!! I know what you mean. I remember the first time I had to "brain" a pinkie...I thought, "what have I become!!!!" lol, comes with the territory, but wouldn't have it differently now!

[Cegninedorf]

Thank you so much, I appreciate it.

Will they eat a pink that is covered in NutriBac? LoL Because if they do, I am going to smother it

Mine have, with a NutriBac frosting...:p

[Shorty6]

sounds delicious! like a cupcake!

[kathylove]

As I mentioned on the phone, it is certainly possible to just put it in the water, although you do waste a lot that way. I would take away the water for a day so he will be really thirsty, and use a very small water bowl and don't fill it too much so that you waste as little as possible. As already discussed, you have to throw it out every day.

I have injected NB into pinks before, but that doesn't help if you have a regurger and are trying to get some NB into it before feeding again. And rolling or dusting pinks is fine, and the snake will USUALLY take the pink ok. But again, doesn't help if you are trying to dose between feedings.

No matter what you do, the only way to get a fairly large, KNOWN amount of it into the snake is by putting it into his mouth via syringe or tube. I am going to try to get hubby to do a series of photos on the best way to do this. Maybe that will simplify it for those who haven't done it yet. It is pretty easy once you do it a couple of times. But if you are really not comfortable, and don't have an experienced keeper or breeder to help, just use the other methods and get as much into him as you can.

Good luck!

[Shorty6]

Thanks Kathy, I was so freaked out when you told me what I had to do over the phone! This is my first corn snake and I have little confidence that I would be able to attempt to put it down my Ziggy's mouth.

I think I'm going to try the water thing, then dusting it on my pink on Monday, thanks for the advise though!

[Nanci]

So I got to follow my own advice since I just found a regurge in Jasper's viv. I attribute this to a too large pink- it sure wasn't very big, but was the second largest I had...I got jasper to open his mouth by pressing the corner with a small wooden stick (for mixing fecals in fixative) and with the stick crosswise in his mouth to hold it open, squirted .2ml of Nutribac water down his throat.

Kathy, what ratio of Nutribac to water do you use? I used 1/8 tsp in 1 tbsp. And how much water would you give a 13g hatchling??

Thanks,

Nanci

[kathylove]

I never measure the NB - "a pinch" is what I use. I measure the water (about 1cc for a typical hatchling, or up to 2 cc for really big hatchling - small yearling, or maybe 5cc for a subadult or adult. Then I put as much NB into it as I can, and still keep it a liquid.

Since it is not a medicine, there is no real dose. I just did trial and error to see what worked for me.

After a regurge, I like to "dose" them as above about once every 3 days while fasting. Then a very small meal a day or two after the last dose. Then 2 doses, every 3 days, and then another small meal a day or so after the last dose. Then a dose once per week in between feedings for the next month or two, at least. If it is not a really horrible problem causing the regurge, that usually does the trick.

[Nanci]

Thanks a lot, Kathy. I'm positive it was size-related, although I do aggressively slit the pinks. I was just trying to reserve the very smallest of the 10 remaining for the two smaller hatchlings, so the larger hatchling got the second largest pink left. I'm getting a new batch Friday, so they can all have 1g pinks for a while, I guess. Except for Mr. Jasper, who will be getting partials.

[Nanci]

Jasper is doing ok. He has not lost any weight. I made this feeding tube for him to give him Nutribac with. It makes me nervous! But I like sticking the soft plastic thing in his tiny little mouth rather than a wooden stick of any sort. 1ml is a lot of fluid! I bet I got .75ml down him before chickening out about making him explode or something...

Jasper's favorite hide with the secret compartment also underwent another amputation. Even though I cut off the blind limb, he could still wedge himself in inextricably, so twice I have had to roust him out by running water into the limb. Not any more! (Would a less stubborn person just throw away the offending hide??) (But he LOVES it so much!) Now the limb is a wide open stub, and one of the secret passages down into the main compartment has been filled with silicone and is curing. Jasper got the cut off limb, open on both ends, as a consolation prize.

Cherry (adult) is the model- all babies are sleeping. That's a quarter for size comparison. The tubing holds .5ml of solution, so I filled the tube, then drew up my 1ml dose.

[Shorty6]

Well I got the NutriBac when I came home from my trip. I plan in rolling the pinkie half in it before feeding...

But I've been hearing this stuff is very sticky. Should I not put a paper towel down or anything because the mouse might get stuck to it? I was thinking of just feeding Ziggy in a plastic tupperwear container so nothing gets stuck it it...

[Cegninedorf]

Well I got the NutriBac when I came home from my trip. I plan in rolling the pinkie half in it before feeding...

But I've been hearing this stuff is very sticky. Should I not put a paper towel down or anything because the mouse might get stuck to it? I was thinking of just feeding Ziggy in a plastic tupperwear container so nothing gets stuck it it...

I'd just put Ziggy in the container with the NutriBac'ed mouse & let go, as is. It's always worked for me...and then, carefully wipe or rinse Ziggy off to get off any of the NutriBac before returning Ziggy to the tank. :)

Good luck!

[Shorty6]

I have to wipe my snake's mouth. :rofl:

Do you think that would stress him out so he'll regurg again?

Another queestion...I've finally caved into getting a thermostat. But I can't find one ANYWHERE. Suggestion? :confused:

[Cegninedorf]

I have to wipe my snake's mouth. :rofl:

Do you think that would stress him out so he'll regurg again?

Another queestion...I've finally caved into getting a thermostat. But I can't find one ANYWHERE. Suggestion? :confused:

Well, you could just handle the snake using a washcloth so that when you do pick him up, anything sticky will be wiped off by the cloth. Or, just take him as is from the container. I can't say that I've had a problem occur either way.

Thermostat? Not sure where to get one, as I use the $7 diy rheostat found on this site. But, if it's a thermometer that you're looking for, I get a nice one with a probe from Wal-Mart for $11. :)

[Shorty6]

yeah I saw that rheostat from the site...looks way to complicated for me LoL.

I have those stick-to-the-wall thermometers. I just throw them right onto the aspen bedding and they read about 83F

[Shorty6]

Actually, after reading how to build that rheostat, I'm going to do that instead of buying one. I'm an idiot when it comes to electrical stuff, but I think I understand. I've called a electrically savvy friend for back up though.

I am probably going to have to take Ziggy out of his viv to get the tmp correct. I'm just nervous that moving him is going to stress him out too much. He eats in two days.