How to give mineral oil??

The night before last Zoey was making this hiss/bark noise combination. She had her tail raised and looked like she was trying to go to the bathroom. I assume that she is constipated, as this is what I have heard this means. I read that mineral oil should help.

But how do I give it to her. When I use apple juice I just pour a small amount in a bowl. Should I do this? Or should I just see if she'll lick a little of my finger??

Hmmm....good question! If noone here knows...maybe you could call a vet and ask...they know more about doseage sizes for such little guys....

Usually constipation means she's not eating enough fruits and veggies. Try feeding just fruits, veggies and applesauce for a night and that should clear it up. And remember to sprinkle a pinch of calcium on them.

Mage, thanks for the idea..but she gets fruit and veggies every night along with 2-3 mealies, 1 large cricket and 1/2 cube of BML.

I know I've seen people on the board who use the mineral oil, just don't know how?

Hmmm....maybe you could try some citrus fruits?? Do you usually feed them? I know they are supposed to loosen stools up a bit...might be worth a try...

I know you can give her like a drop of it, if you can get her to lick it off your finger, or mix it into something. I wouldn't want to give very much and only after trying everything else. The other thing you can do is get some gliderade and give her some of that, that's supposed to help with constipation too. So, first, try some citrus, maybe some tomato, or an orange, if that doesn't work, try the gliderade, and then try the mineral oil. Mine ran from it, so you might have to either mix it into something and hand feed that to her, or wipe it on her hands, and mouth so when she cleans up, she gets it that way.Let us know how it goes! I wouldn't use much over a drop, and not a big one at that, we don't want diarrhea!
Chey

What about [:"purple"] Prunes [/] <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />. If it has the same effect on suggies as it does people i would cover the walls with plastic sheets <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif" alt="" />.

Wait are prunes safe for gliders????

Belles Slave, let's not get too silly here!!!! I would recommend you stick to the suggestions above, and not take a chance on dehydrating little Belle. She wouldn't appreciate that! Try the citrus, a little bit of tomato, or a whole/half section of an orange, and see if that won't work before you do anything else. I would also increase the fruit in her diet if she continues to be constipated.

Chey

Just wanted to let everyone know that see is fine now. It only lasted for a night or two. Next time I will try the citrus fruits and maybe glideraide.

Thanks everyone

Glad she is feeling better! Thanks for the update Courtney!

Just to add here, mineral oil does work well. Mine bite my fingers to get to it -- I'm not sure what in it tastes good. But if they didn't like it, I would follow the suggestion above to mix it with something. It doens't take much, and you might want to try the other suggestions before resorting to mineral oil. But it has usually worked for my gliders for those occasional irregular days <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />