# Device to reduce diameter of syringe tip



## Frostie (Aug 20, 2013)

Hi all,

Does any one know what those attachments are called that go on the end of a 1ml syringe which reduce the diameter, they make it so much easier to medicate a bird that won't open his beak enough to get the syringe tip in his mouth!

I'm currently having to medicate Kiwi as he has a respiratory infection and I while I do have a few of those adaptors left to go on the end of the syringe I'd like to buy some more asap as they are a life safer when you have a stubborn bird that hates being medicated :001_tongue: The few I have I brought from ebay about 3 years ago and annoyingly the purchase history only goes back two years, I've searched on ebay and amazon & can't find them, doesn't help that I can't remember exatly what these attatchments are called so I don't know exactly what I'm searching for.

Any help would be appreciated.


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## Hunterkat (Mar 29, 2017)

I believe it may be called a Luer tip? I'm not sure though, that's the only thing that comes to mind from my time in a chemistry lab


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Budgies do have tiny mouths don’t they? 

What I found that helps with orally medicating budgies, is dampening the feathers around the beak area with a bit of water to slick the feathers down and away from the beak. Since budgies tend to bury their beak in facial feathers. 

A trick for getting oral meds into the mouth of any parrot (parakeet) type bird, is to position your hand a bit toward the side/back area of the head, and slowly leak a drop at a time into the corner of the mouth where the beak meets the face. That way they can’t bite the syringe (since it’s coming from the back angle of the head, not straight on). 

Remember, even with a smaller tip, when approached from the front angle they will bite it and make it hard to administer. 

To make sure each drop is swallowed before giving the next; gently touch the top of the beak, which should result in beak movement and the need to swallow. Or else they will just store as much as they can in the mouth, only to shake it all out at the first opportunity. 

Takes a little practice. Good luck with Kiwi . Hope he’s all better soon!


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## Frostie (Aug 20, 2013)

Hunterkat said:


> I believe it may be called a Luer tip? I'm not sure though, that's the only thing that comes to mind from my time in a chemistry lab


Many thanks for the reply, searching for luer tip didn't find what I wanted but looking at the related items I managed to fiind them, searching for tapered tip finally brought up the item I was after.



RavensGryf said:


> Budgies do have tiny mouths don't they?
> 
> What I found that helps with orally medicating budgies, is dampening the feathers around the beak area with a bit of water to slick the feathers down and away from the beak. Since budgies tend to bury their beak in facial feathers.
> A trick for getting oral meds into the mouth of any parrot (parakeet) type bird, is to position your hand a bit toward the side/back area of the head, and slowly leak a drop at a time into the corner of the mouth where the beak meets the face. That way they can't bite the syringe (since it's coming from the back angle of the head, not straight on).
> ...


Yeah budgies aren't dumb, after I find a way to medicate him easier, by using those tapered tips for the syringe now he's started to curl like a bloody hedgehog as soon as he lays eyes on the syringe lol


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