Regurgitation - Need Help

[ckuhn003]

for cleaning: use a vinegar solution to help get rid of the smell. i agree with you in that i'd wait the 2 weeks before messing with her too much (if the smell will allow it).

my only ever regurge happened with Yellow when i had an ambient heat spike a year or so ago. it hadn't lasted more than an hour but that was still long enough to stress him out to that point. i waited the two weeks out and he's been a good boy ever since, but i was TERRIFIED after that, tho. i literally thought i might have killed him and i was waiting to come home and find a corpse. it was traumatic for us both, but we managed to pull through.

as for the reason why it happened, i can't help you there. i'm sure this all would be easier for you if you knew what happened. just know that regurges do happen sometimes (and for a reason), it's terrible, and you must try your best to learn and avoid it in the future (you already are).

beeps bounce back 100% if proper care is provided in the aftermath. your noodle will be just fine.

The pvc enclosure is good at keeping humidity and smells in so if I don't open the cage doors it doesn't bother me too much. Do you just bottle spray w/ vinegar & water and wipe down?

I REALLY hope this is not related to the f/t rats that I bought. This was the 1st one of 24 so I'm leery of giving him another one after the 2 week period.

[ckuhn003]

I second the vinegar. It is probably the best thing to get rid of the stink.

Normally a cause can be found for a regurge. In this case it was probably the food change that upset the animal. Relax, as long as the animal is not exhibiting any other symptoms of illness it is probably fine.

So if it's a food change, wouldn't it be a good chance this could happen again (going back to a small mouse and then trying a rat pup again)? No signs of illness but also hard tell since he's been in his hide when the times I've seen him.

[tttaylorrr]

The pvc enclosure is good at keeping humidity and smells in so if I don't open the cage doors it doesn't bother me too much. Do you just bottle spray w/ vinegar & water and wipe down?

I REALLY hope this is not related to the f/t rats that I bought. This was the 1st one of 24 so I'm leery of giving him another one after the 2 week period.

you can do that. mix something like 1 part water 1 part vinegar and use that as a cleaning solution. vinegar is great at tackling smells.

it is an interesting note that this happened with the first feeder from a new supply. honestly, the piece of mind of buying new feeders just might be worth it to you if you can afford it. if you're not comfortable offering those feeders, then don't. "when in doubt, throw it out" applies, and the feeders are the only suspect at this point.

if this happened to me, tho, i'd offer one more of those feeders and see. if ANYTHING suspicious happens – from refusal, to a weird poo afterwards – anything at all, i'd pitch 'em.

[ckuhn003]

you can do that. mix something like 1 part water 1 part vinegar and use that as a cleaning solution. vinegar is great at tackling smells.

it is an interesting note that this happened with the first feeder from a new supply. honestly, the piece of mind of buying new feeders just might be worth it to you if you can afford it. if you're not comfortable offering those feeders, then don't. "when in doubt, throw it out" applies, and the feeders are the only suspect at this point.

if this happened to me, tho, i'd offer one more of those feeders and see. if ANYTHING suspicious happens – from refusal, to a weird poo afterwards – anything at all, i'd pitch 'em.

I'm a novice in this area so I appreciate all the knowledge shared. Price isn't so much of an issue but I hate to toss 24 newly purchased rat pups if it's something else. Is there a 'safe' place to buy f/t rat pups if I do choose that route or need more after the 24 are gone?

[tttaylorrr]

I'm a novice in this area so I appreciate all the knowledge shared. Price isn't so much of an issue but I hate to toss 24 newly purchased rat pups if it's something else. Is there a 'safe' place to buy f/t rat pups if I do choose that route or need more after the 24 are gone?

PerfectPrey.com

i had a smelly batch of f/t feeders from somewhere, and when Spaghetti started refusing them, i decided "when in doubt, throw them out." i bought entirely new stock from PerfectPrey.com and she was back on feed. i don't think i've ever heard a bad story about PerfectPrey.

[SDA]

Could have been an issue with the freezing and shipping of those rodents. Where did you get your feed from?

I have only used Big cheese rodent as a supplier so I can't attest to any other but they are amazing with shipping and packaging. It arrived frozen solid and packed so well that my last few are as good as the first few I ordered last batch. They only ship Monday and Tuesday to avoid issues with delivery and they use dry ice and insulated packages to ship.

I hate buying from big pet stores or reptile shows because I have no idea how they have been stored and most reptile shows just sell in a frozen bag that is not prepared in a way that makes it easy to keep them free of getting freezer burn.

[ckuhn003]

Could have been an issue with the freezing and shipping of those rodents. Where did you get your feed from?

I have only used Big cheese rodent as a supplier so I can't attest to any other but they are amazing with shipping and packaging. It arrived frozen solid and packed so well that my last few are as good as the first few I ordered last batch. They only ship Monday and Tuesday to avoid issues with delivery and they use dry ice and insulated packages to ship.

I hate buying from big pet stores or reptile shows because I have no idea how they have been stored and most reptile shows just sell in a frozen bag that is not prepared in a way that makes it easy to keep them free of getting freezer burn.

I bought them a week ago from www.feedersource.com who was at the Atlanta repticon. I purchased 25 of them and transported them back to the house in a cooler. They are in a frozen zipped locked bag which doesn't seem to have any freezer burn. They definitely looked in better shape then the Artic Mice that I used to buy from PetsMart which always had traces of blood coming from the mouth area.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I bought them a week ago from www.feedersource.com who was at the Atlanta repticon. I purchased 25 of them and transported them back to the house in a cooler. They are in a frozen zipped locked bag which doesn't seem to have any freezer burn. They definitely looked in better shape then the Artic Mice that I used to buy from PetsMart which always had traces of blood coming from the mouth area.

I cannot attest to the quality of either source of food, however do not associate quality with blood around the mouth and nose. It is normal. Bad feeders will usually have an off smell to them. I consider dirty and or skinny rodents to be of bad quality.

[ckuhn003]

I cannot attest to the quality of either source of food, however do not associate quality with blood around the mouth and nose. It is normal. Bad feeders will usually have an off smell to them. I consider dirty and or skinny rodents to be of bad quality.

That's fair and I believe I've heard this before. These new feeders did not seem dirty nor skinny and I didn't notice any smell.

[ckuhn003]

Just a thought but I'm wondering if the way I thawed the f/t rat had some bearing on the regurgitation. I used the same techniques which I've used on the f/t mice. Thaw in the Fridge for several hours and then place the rat/mouse at room temp near the enclosure for 2-3 hours. Then I hit the rat w/ a hair dryer for 20-30 seconds. The rat felt like he was thawed but maybe there is a better 'sure' way to prepare a f/t.