URGENT Stinking, brownish fluid dripping from mouth and nose!

I had my 1750g female albino ball out tonight, just letting her have a little exercise. She ate a medium f/t rat 2 days ago, is being kept in a 28qt tub with 89F on the hot side, two hides, and a water dish. She prefers the cool side.
While I had her out, all was well. General inspection, no mites, no ailments, nothing coming from the nose or mouth, no clicking in breath. After about five minutes of handling (she was around my neck, not really doing anything, as I was working on online class work) I hear clicking. At first, I thought it was because her scales were getting caught on my hoodie, but I took a look at her anyway. She had small bubbles of what looked like clear snot coming out of her nostrils. Then the smell hit me. It's difficult to describe, but it was rather putrid, almost rancid. The liquid, after I began wiping her nose with tissue, I noticed was brown, but not gooey like mucus. It was actually quite watery, like drool, only smelly and brown. I sat back down, and was getting ready to open her mouth for inspection, when two massive globs of the brown drool poured out of her mouth, landing in my hand. The smell was something else. I took her into the bathroom, where she would occasionally open her mouth. This entire time, her tongue never stuck to itself like it commonly does with an RI. Anyway, I opened her mouth to find that there was no inflammation, no mucus build up, or anything. Although, as she pulled away, I think my hand firmly holding her neck might have pushed up more of the brown goo. Is she just beginning to regurge? That's what it smelled like. She's never showed any signs of being sick before, and is one of my best eaters.

I'm going to be scheduling a vet appointment for one of my male normals tomorrow, should I bring her along as well?

The putrid smell makes it sound like a regurg since you fed 2 days ago. You also said she prefers the cool side and being she is 1700+ grams in a 28 qt tub she may not have adequate room to thermoregulate. Keep us posted, if she regurged, I would definitely work on upgrading her tub size. If its some other ailment taking her to vet sounds like a good idea. Hope everything works out.

I've definitely been meaning to upgrade her tub for a while (finals week next week, UGH,) so I'll see about doing that tomorrow after school. Glad I'm not alone in thinking it's a regurge! It was the rat's first time being thawed, and I was forced to leave it over night due to running out of time. I've fed off rats after an over-night thaw on their first run without any problems before, so hopefully(?) this is just one of those days.

I agree, it sounds like a regurgitation. If you have never experienced that, it is a pretty bad smell. And it definetely sounds like a 41qt is needed for housing. Big girls like that need a little more space then what you have her in now.

Good luck, hope it is just regurg and nothing else more serious.

Hi,

It sounds like your handling so soon after a meal may have caused some of the stomach contents to be regurged.

I'm not sure that requires a vet visit but I definitely would leave her longer next time as their stomach acid is very strong and I doubt it felt pleasant for her.


dr del

Hmm, yeah that does sound weird. I suppose it could be something like a regurge.

What are your cool side temps?