Tips on how to give meds ASAP

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oasisandbambi

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
48
Location
Portugal
My rats WONT take their meds. When they do they get tired of them halfway and wont eat it all. Please help. Ive tried mixing it with meat baby food, fruit baby food, and yogurt.
 
I mix mine with strawberry syrup or you could try chocolate, either way you don’t need to add much to flavour it so it won’t add too much more to your mix. I don’t know if it makes the mixture tastier but some of mine despise taking meds and I can usually give them a whole dose.
 
I mix mine with strawberry syrup or you could try chocolate, either way you don’t need to add much to flavour it so it won’t add too much more to your mix. I don’t know if it makes the mixture tastier but some of mine despise taking meds and I can usually give them a whole dose.
Thank you ill try it out!
 
I've tried tens of ways to give my rats medication, and finally the best and quickest way is to wrap rat in small towel, except head, hold rat up tightly, put injector between teeth and finish the job. In this case rat gets full amount of medication. Mixing with food there is no guarantee that rat will eat all amount and will get full dose. It is better to do it with somebody else. One person holds rat, another one gives medication.
 
I've tried tens of ways to give my rats medication, and finally the best and quickest way is to wrap rat in small towel, except head, hold rat up tightly, put injector between teeth and finish the job. In this case rat gets full amount of medication. Mixing with food there is no guarantee that rat will eat all amount and will get full dose. It is better to do it with somebody else. One person holds rat, another one gives medication.
I hear somewhere that if you inject the meds down like that it can go through the respiratory tubes and make them real sick so I haven't tried that yet. Is it really safe?
 
I hear somewhere that if you inject the meds down like that it can go through the respiratory tubes and make them real sick so I haven't tried that yet. Is it really safe?
I've used this way many times and had no problems. My vets recommended me to do so too. Just inject medication gradually in 2-3 small portions (depends of dosage) to let rat to swallow portion. Mixing with food it's a big headache. Rat will not want to eat the same mix twice a day for 1-2 weeks, plus they feel something in food, that they do not want to eat.
 
Yes, nesquik. Or sundae topping, I keep strawberry, chocolate & caramel flavorings. Some will take meds mixed with a bit of peanut butter. Some like fish oil, if you have fish oil capsules you can poke a hole with a pin and squeeze drops into the meds.
 
Sometimes, though, you get a rat who knows all the tricks. Then you may need to tag-team them-- one person holds the rat, the other squidges the medication into their mouth. They don't like it, but if they won't take it any other way, sometimes you've got to do what needs doing. (Going through this right now with Cleo. She haaaaaaates Clavamox.)

Best of luck!
 
Oasisandbambi, the trick is to syringe the liquid into the side of the mouth, behind the teeth. That way they won’t choke because it doesn’t go right into the throat. If you don’t give them too much, usually they won’t spit it out, though I have had a few who love to wipe their mouths afterwards. I have also had rats who like to control the syringe themselves and will hold onto it and take it as they like. In cases like that, they only do it when the food is tasty.
 
Sometimes, though, you get a rat who knows all the tricks. Then you may need to tag-team them-- one person holds the rat, the other squidges the medication into their mouth. They don't like it, but if they won't take it any other way, sometimes you've got to do what needs doing. (Going through this right now with Cleo. She haaaaaaates Clavamox.)

Best of luck!
Thats it, darcy knows all the tricks. Its a pain in the butt. Its hard to get help, my girlfriend helps me sometimes when she comes by but when shes not here I dont really get any help. I live with my parents but they are not very interested in holding a rat. Ill try to do it alone.
 
Thats it, darcy knows all the tricks. Its a pain in the butt. Its hard to get help, my girlfriend helps me sometimes when she comes by but when shes not here I dont really get any help. I live with my parents but they are not very interested in holding a rat. Ill try to do it alone.

Please let us know how that works out.

I've got to medicate Cleo on my own tonight as well, since my husband is down for the count. (Epilepsy is an insidious bastard.) I suspect the wee girl will end up wearing more medication than she swallows.
 
I have used many things over the years ......... now what I do is I mix up each rats meds separately, I put two drops of real (organic) maple syrup in a tiny dish, add the meds, add 2 drops of water and mix it up with a tiny amount of baby cereal to thicken it. My rats think it is a treat and gobble it up out of the dish or off my finger.

I used to flavor with strawberry nesquik but since I frequently have rats long-term on antibiotics, last year I decided that using real maple syrup would be less harmful then using a product full of chemicals and artifical sweeteners (research on consumption of artificial sweeteners reports how bad they are :( )
 
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