Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently got a pinky pump for my gbk and i am having trouble using it. The pinks just get smashed up inside it and only a drop comes out. When i first used it a clear rubber ring fell out from inside the glass tube. The article on the barkers website is gone so i have nothing to guide me. If anyone has any information on pinkypumps please tell me.thanks.

I usually run a couple pinks through into a bowl then take the pump apart and clean the bit of any stuck material. I then mix the ground pinkies about 50/50 with chicken liver cat food. Put the mix back in the pump and you are ready to go. Make sure you mix thoughly and that there are no big air bubbles in the pump. I use Fancy Feast because I have found bone chips in the cheapo cat foods.
Also lube the nozzle with a little water before you put it in the snakes mouth and be extremely gentle opening the snakes mouth. Just push a little on the snakes "lip" until the snake voluntarily opens it's mouth. If when you get the nozzle in the mouth the snake tightens it's neck muscles preventing further passage squirt a little of the mix and this will make it easier. Make sure you put the nozzle in as far as it can go before pumping the rest in because if you only go part way in the snake is more likely to regurge.

Arron gave you some great advice on what to do!!

Just to let you know, i had the same problem as you when i first tried a pump years back.. I also tried to push a few pinks through and then put the mush back into the tube which turns into a bloody mess. So i just used cat food alone for a few meals.

Your really having a tough time with this hatchling!

~ Mike

I just use some Gerber brand baby food liver, chicken, turkey or beef. I mix the baby food with a little water and add a good vitamin/calcium mix like Reptical.

I don't even use the "pinky pumps" any longer. They are not worth the frustration. Are messy to work with and never worked well grating the pinks. Instead I use a large syringe with a rubber hose attached. This way you can store the left over in the frig and re-use. The rubber attachment is also softer on the snakes mouth and can be fed deeper.

That sounds better than my method. Has this worked long term for you? I have in the past used straight pinks for up to 9 months and the catfood/pinks mix for over 6 months.

I have had experience with pinky pumps for over thirty years, from the third one ever made(a fella in Seattle who worked at boeing) to ones from Bob Barker.

They work fine. But, you must learn out to use them. I made one adaption to both. I attached a four inches of plastic tubing and cut the end at an angle so it entered the reptiles mouth easily and harmlessly.

Use small pinkies, add a tiny bit of water. Push the plunger until the pinky mix is to the end of the plastic tube. Wet the tube and insert the tube to the stomach. Only pump a small amount of pinkie.

The idea is to start the digestion process, not take it over. Its much easier for a snake to digest a small amount. This also acts as a stimulant to get the reptile feeding on its own.

Its also good for adding suppliments or vitamins, depending on the situation.

Pinky pumps are worth their weight in GOLD, specially if you never have to use them. Cheers

Wow Frank! That adaptation sounds great. I am definitly going to try it. I have sat there patiently but practicly fuming at a baby snake that would not open it's mouth and I am sure the angled rubber tip will make it way easier and safer at the same time. I am seriously upset that in over ten years of doing this I never thought of that. All is well now though. Thanks again.

>>I just use some Gerber brand baby food liver, chicken, turkey or beef. I mix the baby food with a little water and add a good vitamin/calcium mix like Reptical.
>>
>>I don't even use the "pinky pumps" any longer. They are not worth the frustration. Are messy to work with and never worked well grating the pinks. Instead I use a large syringe with a rubber hose attached. This way you can store the left over in the frig and re-use. The rubber attachment is also softer on the snakes mouth and can be fed deeper.

I like that idea. I have a GBK that dosn't want to eat, I might have to resort to that. How deep do you feed the tube? And how do you switch to pinks later on.
Thanks; R.Bichler

I like that idea. I have a GBK that dosn't want to eat, I might have to resort to that. How deep do you feed the tube? And how do you switch to pinks later on.
Thanks; R.Bichler

I go a little past the neck area with the tube. If the snake is still not eating by Dec I cool them and they come out feeding like champs in spring. They usually surpass the ones that have been feeding all winter in growth.

hey i still have some non eatters,Including Hypo poss het PB brooks/Fla.
do you think they will brumate ok ? i didnt try any force feedings this year. most of all have eatten f/t pinks,live pinks or 2"-3" f/t corn snake french frys.YUM

Since you are in Florida but try and cool em down for a month or two if you can. They should come out eating like champs on F/T. Happens to a few every year and the ones that go off feed actaully have a better growth spurt after some down time.

the temps here are warm again,and 1 ate a CS fry and the other drug a F/T Skink around but it was uneatten this morn.in a month or two it'll be Jan. BURRR so . everyone naps according to the temps. L8r

>>I just use some Gerber brand baby food liver, chicken, turkey or beef. I mix the baby food with a little water and add a good vitamin/calcium mix like Reptical.
>>
>>I don't even use the "pinky pumps" any longer. They are not worth the frustration. Are messy to work with and never worked well grating the pinks. Instead I use a large syringe with a rubber hose attached. This way you can store the left over in the frig and re-use. The rubber attachment is also softer on the snakes mouth and can be fed deeper.

I like that idea. I have a GBK that dosn't want to eat, I might have to resort to that. How deep do you feed the tube? And how do you switch to pinks later on.
Thanks; R.Bichler

I've used the same method as Rainer for a couple of years now, and it seems to work well. I feed mine every two to three days though. Since there is no solid food to digest, they seem to digest it faster than solid food. I've had pretty good luck adding weight on under weight hold outs with this method as well.
-Phil

Sounds like a great idea. Where do you get a hose that is small enough? Thanks. Kevin

aquarium tubing generally fits a syringe,since it is a hard rubber cutting at an angle could be sharp,maybe dip in HOT water and dull the edge (or a ligher).As far as smaller diameter tubing, Weed Whacker fuel line is smaller and a type of soft silicone compound

My wife's a nurse, so I have access to pediatric catheters. They are pretty long, so I cut them to the length I need. Which for a newborn snake is only about 3-4 inches. I cut them at an angle, similar to Frank Retes' (FR) method. The rubber adapter on the other end fits perfectly over an oral med syringe. I make sure that there are no bubbles in the syringe, filled with beef or poultry baby food, mixed with a little water, calcium, and vitamins. I then push the food out into the catheter until its filled to the end. Then I dip the end of the catheter into some water or vegetable oil and insert about an 1" past the newborns head, further for larger snakes. I have used this method to feed a gecko, Cyrtodactylus peguensis, that had a broken lower jaw and was unable to catch crickets without further damaging it. His jaw eventually healed, and was a little disfigured, but he went on to sire many clutches for me.
Most of my newborns will eventually take F/T or live pinkies with a little work, after they start to gain a little weight. I'm sure you could find pediatric catheters on the internet if you have the time to look.
Good Luck!
-Phil

which part of it is the plunger? Does anyone know what that clear plastic ring could have been that fell out of the glass barrel? Also sometimes when i press down it wont go down all the way because of the air pressure so it wont go down. Can someone give me directions on how to use it? It didnt include any when i got it

which part of it is the plunger?
>>>That's the part you push down on.

Does anyone know what that clear plastic ring could have been that fell out of the glass barrel?
>>>Sounds like a washer. You could probably find one at any hardware store that sells them.

Also sometimes when i press down it wont go down all the way because of the air pressure so it wont go down.
>>>That's because the bit (little round plate with four holes) on the inside is clogged. You then need to dismantle the pump clean it and start over. Clogs happen frequently unless you are using the tiniest pinks. That's why I run the pinks through once first. It still happens but less often.

Can someone give me directions on how to use it? It didnt include any when i got it.
>>>Use it like a baseball bat or some chopsticks. Sometimes I just swing it around all crazy fancy like a James Bond tool. Just kidding. Put the pinks (or mix) in and set the stopper (ring thing on the plunger) to how much you want to dose. Insert and push.

LOL! Now THAT'S funny, I don't care who you are!
Todd Hughes

Glad you liked it. I was just just trying to ad a little humor courtesy of The Jerky Boys.