Syringe size?

[Liza]

Hi all-
I am so excited.. Murphy my big huge grey baby finally opened her eyes this morning (well, she opened one last night, but this morning she looks less like a pirate and more like a regular 2-eyed squirrel! yay!) I have a question about feeding this moose, however- I've always used 1cc syringes, even as my babies get older..I fill up six or 7 and set them in a coffee cup of warm water, yadda yadda.. But this little goofball goes insane when a syringe runs dry and she has to stop to latch onto the next one.. She has a full-fledged foody panic attack!! (rolling, sqawling, flailing and waving her little arms..if I didn't know she was upset, it would be comical to watch..) She is taking 9ccs of the GM formula every 4-5 hrs. I have no idea how much she weighs, as I have no access to a scale that weighs that precisely.. I was just on the Henry's site to order her FV, and saw they sell 3cc syringes.. they are super cheap, so I bought 3. The issue is, it says on there not to use them for mammals under 8 weeks without checking with a rehabber.. so here I am, checking with a rehabber! What would be the reason for NOT using 3cc ones? The 1cc ones I have are thin barreled enough that she almost seems to swallow them when she feeds.. so a little thicker barrel might be better anyway if that is the issue- and I bought a pack of silicone nipples for them just in case she doesn't want to suck on the bigger barrel.. I just thought if i could prevent a few of these food/panic attacks feeding time would be a whole lot more pleasant, especially given her size (and future size :D )..
So whatcha think? And anyone have any ideas on how long Henry's takes to ship? I have a few days of GM formula left and I'm hoping to have some left for transitioning without having to invest in more goats milk.. Man, I'm in the wrong business. that stuff is like gold!! LOL..

[CritterMom]

Henry's ships really fast.

The reason everyone harps about 1cc syringes is that the larger the syringe, the larger the hole at the tip and the less overall control you have in how much formula flows out. You should practice with them for a few minutes before you use them the first time to get a "feel." He may want to suck down a half gallon in 10 seconds but YOU CAN'T LET HIM, regardless of the size of his hissy fits!

[farrelli]

Yes, you may have to control the plunger with a larger syringe to make sure that she doesn't drink too fast. If she does, she could easily aspirate and get pneumonia, which kills babies fast. Always listen closely to her to make sure you never hear clicking or wheezing when she breathes.

[Liza]

I might just wait with them until she is a little bigger then.. I had one aspirate years ago.. she lived, but that was soooo traumatic to both of us!!- I'll see how fast they are when they get here- do you think putting a nipple on might slow the flow some? (I've never used nipples with any of mine before, but I've never had one so greedy she would literally swallow the syringe trying to get the last drop..) Really though, if there is a chance of aspiration I will wait. She is doing so well, I don't want to do anything that might mess her up in any way!!
Thank you! :thankyou :thankyou

[MJS]

:wave123 HEY LIZA...I'VE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH A 3CC SYRINGE (WITH A SILICONE NIPPLE) ON MY TWO 7-8WK OLDS. WOULDN'T DREAM OF TRYING IT WITHOUT A NIPPLE THOUGH. BE SURE TO WATCH VIDEO IN THIS THREAD (IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY) "PROPER FEEDING TECHNIQUE"...CONTROL THE FLOW, GO SLOW, KEEP THE BABY AND THE SYRINGE IN THE PROPER POSITION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER...AND PRACTICE FIRST!!! :thumbsup

[Nancy in New York]

The "rule of thumb".....ONLY use 1 cc syringes while the eyes are closed, nothing larger. Once the eyes are opened, supposedly you can go larger. I don't. I will wait until a good 7 to 8 weeks. I preload my syringes too, and if you are feeding multiple babies, that could mean up to 60 syringes....then I may switch to the 3 cc syringe, but only when they are minimum of 7 weeks. :D
You'll find that we all use different techniques. I am just more comfortable using the 1 cc, that's all. Oh, and always a nipple of course. :)

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Don't you find that if you preload and have to switch the nipple out each time that they wear out quicker and it would have been easier to just refill the syringe. i like using 1 ccer and then just refilling because then you don't have to put the baby down each time and you don't have a bazillion syringes to clean when you're done.

[Liza]

Truthfully, I've always used a 1cc before (and I've done this LOTS of times).. I either re-fill or fill "a bazillion" depending on how many squirrels I have and how many syringes I have on hand..and I've never used a nipple in all my years of raising baby squirrels. That said, I have never had one so greedy, hungry, and fit-throwy over food before! I keep my filled syringes within easy reach, so it is only a second or 2 between an empty and a new full one..but she acts like the world is coming to an end.. it is hard to get her to settle down and re-latch, and it seems by the time she settles down, its time to switch syringes again! Oh well..I'll just wait and see what the 3ccs are like when they get here.. I'll let you know..thanks for all the help!! :multi :multi :multi