Rat refusing medications

[Natasa]

My rat is refusing her already apple flavoured baytril for her respiratory infection. I took her in today and she got a shot of antibiotic and I was sent home with an Apple flavour antibiotic baytril for her and she wouldn’t take the stupid thing. I tried mixing it with pineapple, banana, and it’s like she can smell the antibiotic in it. She will eat the plain banana but as soon as I mix it she is refusing. It’s so frustrating. I tried wrapping her like a burrito but she was just freaking out I couldn’t get her to stay still and it was too stressful. I Don’t know how much of it I got in but I will have to try again in the morning and I don’t know what I could mix it with that she could eat it. I gave her some plain yogurt today and she liked that so maybe I can try to mix it with that and just leave it with her and hope he eats it? What else could I try? Honey? I don’t want to keep wasting the medication by trying it with different food if she does not end up eating it.

 

[lilspaz68]

apple sounds nasty. Try pure caramel syrup to cover the taste or you might have to syringe the Baytril into her mouth. I'll link the wretched little video i made for a friend of how I do it. Maybe it will help you figure out a method better for you and her.

 

[rmn34]

Depending on the individual, some like certain flavors and some don't. One of mine loves banana and the other hates it.

For future reference, I prefer "pure" 10% baytril solution to the pre-flavored stuff. It doesn't have a strong smell or taste, not to me anyway.

The dosage for my rats weight works out to exactly 3 drops from a 22g needle and I can mix it with whatever they happen to be eating today, or just mix it into 1cc of ensure and they have never refused that. When you get the flavored stuff they just end up adding way too much volume as inert liquid, so if you then try to mix that with something they like, you might end up with a huge dose by the time you have made it palatable.