Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have some runty corn snakes that dont wannna eat, so I thought I'd get a pinky pump to ease the feeding process with them.
A buddy of mine used to have one about 5 years ago and he had no issues with his. He's since thrown it away accidentally.

So, put a few thawed pinkies into it, give it a squeeze and the liquid pinky comes out the other end. Should be easy, huh?

I bought one from Big Apple Herp, with a spare glass tube JIC. I looked at it, and was surprised at how it actually works. I thought the pinkies got liquified in blender-like fashion before they were sent down the tube, but this one relies on 4 little holes, like a steel button on your shirt, and just shoves the pinkies through those holes. My concern was pinky rib cages and flesh jamming up the holes.
Sure enough, my first few attempts yeilded those very results.

Pinky guts made their way back up the tube past the plunger because they wouldnt go through the holes, which were jammed with flesh and pinky rib cages.

My friend who had the pinky pump years ago tried my new one out on a few of his snakes and he agreed, it was crap. It didnt work at all like the one he used to own.

I'm very disappointed in how this thing works. For over $50 after shipping, this does NOT make my life easier. I've had to resort back to jamming pinks down the snakes throats.

Have you had similar experiences? Are there other brands that work better? Am I doing something wrong? Do the pinkies require prep work?
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Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

good lord....im so glad my snake eats...
...yuck...

If you're going to force feed, it isn't necessary to use rodents. Baby food or a bit of egg will work fine too, and doesn't require a fancy pinky pump.
http://www.herpo.com/tubes/index.html
I used to force feed calves and they have a nice squeeze bag and clear tube with a ball tip and use big bore IV tubing and a very useful squeeze lock. There is an art to it, no matter how nice and expensive your tools are it still takes a bit of determination and feel.
The problem with using pinkie pumps and pinkies is that the holes plug up and you use more pressure and rupture the poor snakes stomach or intestines. I'd err on the side of caution and not feed solid food until they take it willingly. Also, if they MUST puke it up, I can imagine it's much less stressful puking up baby food, rather than something with bones in it.
Just my .02

I should note:
BE DOUBLE EXTRA CAREFUL NOT TO LOSE THE TUBE INTO THE SNAKE
If the tube doesn't fit snugly, or it wants to pop off, don't use it.
I like to use the tube a bit long, and keep at least 3 or 4 inches of tube outside the snake at all times, so you can grab the tube, just in case.

IF you want to get crazy and spend a whole 2 or 3 dollars, just super glue the tube onto a disposable syringe, and throw the whole thing away after you use it. If you think the tube is too sharp, cut it with a razor blade, and once you get the profile where you want it, take a bic lighter, and heat the tube until the edge goes away.

dosing needles at reptile basics
Also, do a google search on the monoject 412, it's made for vets and dentists. It would work fine for dosing/feeding snakes, with things like egg and watery baby food.

Awesome. I used to work at a vet as an assistant and had considered something like that, but had no luck trying to track any down cheaply through vet supply companies. Thats exactly what I was looking for.
I'll probably try beef flavored baby food, or egg, or both or something.
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Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"