I'd go with the rubber spatula, personally. Credit cards may be too sharp-edged & cause injury (cuts).
I have rubber catheters on hand from the snakes I've tube-fed over the years, and they work well too, though I doubt most will run out & buy one just for this.
You'd NEVER want to use just rubber tubing, as the cut ends will injure (cut) the snake too: catheters have rounded (closed) ends, so using the tip, I can force a
snake to open it's mouth by using the tip to put pressure either at the side or the front of the snake's mouth. That's how I open the snake's mouth to tube-feed,
but at that point you could also turn the catheter sideways in the snake's mouth while you examine.
An advantage to a rubber catheter (over a rubber spatula) is that it's much easier to see around (into the snake's mouth), & since any self-respecting snake is
going to be fighting you on this, you need to use whatever makes it easier and faster. I think some vets actually use wood tongue depressors, but there's another gadget they have now too, specific for snakes. (what did I do with my link for that???)
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