# Tegu regurg



## Ntyvirus (Nov 20, 2012)

Had my tegu regurg today after a car ride and I was wondering if it messes with their systems as much as snakes throwing up.


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## Dubya (Nov 20, 2012)

Ntyvirus said:


> Had my tegu regurg today after a car ride and I was wondering if it messes with their systems as much as snakes throwing up.



I think that getting jostled around on a long car ride may be.making it carsick. The same thing happens in about 1 in 20 hedgehogs that I sell. Customers will sometimes call me when they get home and tell me that the hedgehog threw up in the carrier. It could be from being nervous and stressed from the ride too. I would not worry so much, but I would still keep an eye on him for a few days.


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## james.w (Nov 20, 2012)

It does not cause the same issues as it does in snakes. Like Dubya said just keep an eye on him.


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## Ntyvirus (Nov 20, 2012)

Thanks for the input guys. Made it all the way home and when I went to get him out of his travel container out came a bung or crickety/mousy groasness


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## dragonmetalhead (Nov 20, 2012)

What issue does going in the car cause fort snakes? My snakes do fine on car rides. In 20 years of keeping snakes, I have never had one regurgitate for any reason.


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## james.w (Nov 20, 2012)

It's not the car ride I'm referring to as far as snakes it is the regurging that I'm talking about.


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## laurarfl (Nov 21, 2012)

My guys travel in the van for shows and such. I just adjust their feeding schedule to prevent regurg.

dragon...regurg in snakes causes them to lose stomach acids and owners have to be careful when re-feeding.


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## Ntyvirus (Nov 21, 2012)

Yea I think I overfed him now that I think about it, because he's made the same trip with no problems before


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## Dubya (Nov 21, 2012)

[attachment=5802]I myself tend to sometimes take a little off the top when riding home from the Japanese buffet. That last sea urchin is the killer.


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## Ntyvirus (Nov 21, 2012)

That is an epic barf


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## Roadkill (Nov 21, 2012)

Actually, Laura, I don't think the issue in snakes has anything to do with losing stomach acids, per se (as in depletion is a problem), these can readily be replaced.

Just as an aside to help understand some issues: vomiting and regurgitation are considered two different processes. Regurgitation is when contents are expelled from the mouth, pharynx, esophagus and/or minor outpocketings of these anatomical structures and is largely a passive process that is of minor consequence to the animal. Vomition is when contents are expelled from the stomach and/or upper intestines. This is a violent and stressful process that is detrimental to the animal. So what is really being discussed here is vomiting and not regurgitation.

Anyways, snakes generally have anatomical features (for example, esophageal "teeth", internally projecting bone processes, etc.) that function to restrict the movement of the swallowed bolus in a rostral-to-caudal direction. Vomiting goes against this, and can physically damage these structures (think of it like bending your fingers backwards...). Furthermore, and this is where the stomach acid can come in, beings as it is the contents of the stomach and/or upper intestines, this is accompanied by expulsion of the chemical excretions of these organs (which possess means to protect themselves from their own secretions) to the higher digestive tract (which are possibly being torn/broken/lesioned and which do NOT possess means to protect themselves from the chemicals of the stomach/intestines) and chemical burns can ensue. So not only do we see how this can be immediately damaging, but should also be apparent how this can lead to an internal infection and we now can see why snakes suffer much more so than other animals when they vomit.


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## laurarfl (Nov 22, 2012)

That would make sense. I've always understand it to be an issue of waiting a few days for stomach acid to replenish. But you know how information gets spread around the net.  Internal structure irritation would make sense, same as bulimia in humans.


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