Stress-Related Vomitting

[Airilith]

I got a 5 month old male super snow at the August Hamburg show. He has yet to eat a mealie for me. I've been keeping his temps at 91-93 on the hot side and 80 on the cool.

Today I drove the first part of my trip to school, which was a three hour drive. I had the AC keep it at about 80 where my two leos were in the car. And I only stopped two times, for no more than 7 minutes a stop. During the stops the temp in the car may have risen to about 95-99ish. As soon as I got back in the car I lightly misted them and turned the AC up for a few minutes. I noticed that after my last stop my lil guy had vomitted. There were remains of a mealie and a brown ovoid about the size of pencil eraser. I switched containers so he didn't have to lay in his vomit for the hour remainder of the trip. He was very alert afterwards and seemed just fine. If I hadn't seen the vomit I wouldn't have known there was a problem. The fact that he doesn't appear or act ill makes me think that it was just too much time in the car recently. And my car can be kind of bumpy, so perhaps that just caused him to heave.

Now that were at a stopping point in the trip (We're here until Saturday morning when we finish the trip with a 6 hour drive), what should I be doing for him? I'm keeping his humid hide extra moist, and tonight after he settles down I plan on trying to hand feed him mealies. Any other suggestions?

 

[Airilith]

I tried to get him to eat a mealie, but no luck. He was completely uninterested in them, even when they were basically crawling on his lips. It has been only four days since I got him, so I guess I shouldn't be horribly worried. It's just with the vomitting I'm a bit concerned. I have seen him drink and his tail is big, though not huge. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[acpart]

THe last gecko I got (also a super snow) didn't eat for 2 weeks and didn't poop. Now he's a pig and has gained 20 grams since March. It sounds as if you're doing fine with him (them). One instance of vomiting shouldn't be a problem especially under the circumstances. You may want to have a damp paper towel or tissue in the container with him so he gets some moisture, and when you stop, maybe in addition to giving him a water bowl for the night try putting a drop of water on his mouth for him to lick off. That way he'll stay hydrated.

Have a good trip.

Aliza

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Leopard Geckos do get motion sickness, and when they regurgitate it brings up all the gastric juices. He probably just needs some time for his GI system to recover.

 

[Airilith]

Thank you both so much. It's makes me feel better to hear that he should be just fine. I'll keep you updated.

 

[o0 Ryan 0o]

The poor guy has been in the car the ton the past few days, and he really hasn't had a chance to settle in a new home yet. I wouldn't be happy if I were him too. We had one regurgitate at the show, it happens. It's a big speedbump for them. One day they're happy in their tubs, and then the show day they're stuck in deli's and driven around. Some have a hard time with it.

When we get animals shipped to us I'd say 50% of them take a few weeks to be what I call normal. Some guys are champs and eat right away, while others take some time to shrug off the shipping until the lightbulb finally clicks for them to eat. It's annoying, but I've learned to not worry unless there's seems to be a real issue. The regurgitation and not eating initially is common though. Being on the road a bunch and shipping takes a lot out of them. He'll come around once he's gotten a chance to settle in and get used to his new home.

Also, I wouldn't keep trying to hand feed him, it's just going to annoy him right now. I would wait until he's finally settled in for day and then try to feed him that night or the next day. He eats out of a bowl, so I would count out 10-15 mealworms for him and let him eat on his own when hes ready. All you have to do is keep and eye on the worms. Until then, just keep him hydrated and not bug him much...it's been a long haul for him.

Also, if you ever have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to give us a call. I know you're just concerned and not upset with us, but it stinks finding posts like this. Do keep us updated please

 

[Airilith]

Ryan I'm not upset at all. I was just a touch concerned for his wellbeing. And I wanted to make sure I was doing all the right things. I;ll stop trying to give him mealies and just leave them in the bowl for him.

Tomorrow is the last time he'll have to travel for a while. So I'm sure he'll once he isn't in the car every few days. And I'll definitely keep you updated once things settle down for all of us.