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Your opinion on a regurge.

AndrewFromSoCal Nov 08, 2007 12:49 PM

My buddy got me some Phoenix Worms, so I figured i'd give the leopards some as a treat. Gave them each 3 the first night, no problem. Last night, I gave the girls two and Mr. 3, and then we moved on to our regularly schedualed cricket feeding. Furniture was out for 10 minutes, crickets were in, crickets were dead and in bellies, so furniture went back in. I gave the girls two mealworms each, and went to bed.

10 minutes later, I hear a vocalization. A fight? Crap! So I grab my flashlight and hit the girl cage..what do I find? Spaz regurgitating. Weird, this has never happened before. So, as she's freaking out spitting up her food, I grab an extra cage and some toilet paper to toss the food, and what do I find? I find a Phoenix Worm wriggling around among the carcasses of 3 crickets and 2 mealworms. ALIVE. After 15 minutes of being in her belly. Needless to say, I don't think we'll be feeding those ever again.

So, here's where my questions lay:
1. Do I keep Spaz separated from her cagemate until I know she's not regurgitating?
2. Do you think it is a for sure thing that she threw up because of something wriggling around in her belly?
3. Is something like that terribly traumatizing on her body? Could I feed her again tonight?

I've never dealt with a regurge in a gecko before, it is kind of freaking me out. Any help would be appreciated.
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2.2 Corn Snakes
1.2 Leopard Geckos
1.1 Crested Geckos
1.2 Green Anoles
1.0 Russian Tortoise
3.2 House Cats
0.0.1 African Millipede

RIP
Alice, Bruno, Lars

Replies (9)

lecoiskin Nov 08, 2007 04:52 PM

Don´t feed her again tonight. I would recommend you to wait 3 days before feeding again. And I don´t think it´s necessary to separate them unless you see some fighting/bullying occur.
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4.7.0 Leopard Geckos
0.1.0 AFT
0.2.0 Homonota Darwinii (Talus & Gracilis)
0.0.1 Hemidactylus Turcicus
0.0.1 Tarentola Mauritanica (Pickles)
0.1.0 Cham Caliptratus (Clotilde)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Cafu)
1.0.0 Black cat (Felipe)
0.0.2 Acanthoscurria Musculosa
0.0.5 Eupalestrus Campestratus
0.0.1 Gramostola Rosea

casichelydia Nov 08, 2007 06:10 PM

Ah, heck, don't make a gecko fast for days just because a food item disagreed with it.

Regurgitation takes a lot of liquid to do, and is a tiring process. Why hold out on calories if you don't have to? The problem's (assuming the maggot was the problem) been taken care of, so, back to normal.

AndrewFromSoCal Nov 08, 2007 07:33 PM

Then I will feed her tomorrow, with her cagemate! I think I may just stick to feeding crickets as opposed to any wriggling item. Crickets have to die to be swallowed.

As for water. Has anyone ever actually seen their gecko drink from it's bowl?
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2.2 Corn Snakes
1.2 Leopard Geckos
1.1 Crested Geckos
1.2 Green Anoles
1.0 Russian Tortoise
3.2 House Cats
0.0.1 African Millipede

RIP
Alice, Bruno, Lars

Graniteer Nov 08, 2007 08:14 PM

Yeah, I see mine drinking all the time. One in particular loves cold fresh water, while the other waits for it to warm up. Look like little scaly yellow dogs.
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0.2 Leopard Geckos (Fire and Mello)
0.0.1 Blue Tongue Skink (Smoot)

yellermelon2 Nov 08, 2007 08:27 PM

Strange I have fed my leos crix, meallies, supers, waxies, and phoenix worms. I have never seen or heard of this before. I think this was a strange "occurrence"

lecoiskin Nov 08, 2007 11:23 PM

I think this is an isolated event. But anyway I would wait a couple of days before feeding him again. You have no idea what an irritated esophagus could provoke. You don´t miss a thing by letting your gecko to settle for 2 days..
just my 2c
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4.7.0 Leopard Geckos
0.1.0 AFT
0.2.0 Homonota Darwinii (Talus & Gracilis)
0.0.1 Hemidactylus Turcicus
0.0.1 Tarentola Mauritanica (Pickles)
0.1.0 Cham Caliptratus (Clotilde)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Cafu)
1.0.0 Black cat (Felipe)
0.0.2 Acanthoscurria Musculosa
0.0.5 Eupalestrus Campestratus
0.0.1 Gramostola Rosea

sleepygecko Nov 08, 2007 11:52 PM

I've not dealt with phoenix worms, but it is always a caution about superworms whom can bite on the way down, but usually die in the stomach. That would scare the daylight out of me for sure. Probably over kill, but I know I was warned to make sure calcium was high so the gecko would have enough strength to kill the superworm before swallowing, I'm sure you've got all that well taken care of, but just throwing it out there. Talk about the "snack that bites back". (Our joke about superworms)

Do you have any soft and easy food? I'm thinking waxworms here... I would suggest separation for feeding time and offer only one cricket and let the gecko make the choice. What you'll see is either the normal feeding behavior or you will see the gecko track the movement of the cricket, almost like it wants to eat it, but then thinks better of it. Then I wouldn't feed and try again the next time your feeding schedule says you'd feed.

Oh, and I believe Steve's common saying was "Flat out like a lizard drinking"... Yes, I've seen her plenty of times drinking from her water bowl... her favorite activity, however, still is walking from the water bowl directly into the calcium dish and tracking white powder everywhere. Gotta love the leos.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

AndrewFromSoCal Nov 09, 2007 03:31 AM

Right on guys, thanks. I'm slightly stressed out right now because of classes, so i'm kind of going to you guys before trying to figure things out on my own, which I apologize for. This hasn't happened any other night that I fed phoenix worms, but it was really freaky. I wish I had it on video. Spaz was NOT pleased, to say the least.

Feeding is tomorrow. We'll see if she wants food. I was holding my male tonight and after I put him back, she came out of her hide, climbed on top, and stared at me. I put her back in with her cage mate, and all went as normal. She did stare at me like they do when they get fed, so maybe she'll be okay for food tomorrow.

Again, thanks guys. This week is getting to me.
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2.2 Corn Snakes
1.2 Leopard Geckos
1.1 Crested Geckos
1.2 Green Anoles
1.0 Russian Tortoise
3.2 House Cats
0.0.1 African Millipede

RIP
Alice, Bruno, Lars

Shadow4108 Nov 11, 2007 10:11 AM

i see my gecko drinking from her bowl almost nightly.

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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

2.1 chocolate labs and bassett (Harley, Barker and Capone)
1.0 leopard gecko (Nacho)

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