[SnufflePuff]

I was feeding Puff some mealies last night as well as some beetles (from my mealie farm) and I noticed she was spitting out parts of them. She would chew the mealies and then spit out the exoskeleton and then at one point, half of the mealie. She also chewed the beetle but then spit it out.

As far I can tell, she's been eating her kibble normal, she chews her kibble to crumbs, hasn't lost any weight and was eating her bugs normally up until yesterday. She also ate the mealies I left out for her last night (but I'm not sure how long that took her as I was sleeping).

Also no visible lumps or anything, so I'm obviously not too worried nor do I think this merits a stressful trip to the vet but it did get me thinking....what should I be watching out for if these were early symptoms of an oral tumor? Or just in general what are the signs?

 

[Nancy]

I've found many of mine quit eating the exoskeleton of mealies when they got older and it had nothing to do with an oral tumour. Yes some did go on to have an oral tumour but just as many didn't.

Oral tumours can appear from one day to the next and outwardly show as a swelling of the jaw. Sometimes if the tumour is on the upper part of their mouth, it can bulge their eye. I've had a few whose eye started to bulge and the tumour was on the roof of their mouth or inner part of the jaw.

If you are worried, you could take her to be checked but to do a proper examination, she would probably need to be gassed. Unless she is very co-operative about having her mouth held open and looked at, a quick visual look often misses beginning tumours.

 

[LizardGirl]

Sometimes there are days where Inky will chew up and spit out his bugs too, no matter how delicious and crunchy or squishy they are. Maybe she's just having one of those days.

 

[Nancy]

Good point. Sometimes I think they just don't like certain mealies. My Kei used to be quite selective even from a very young age. She would spit one out and gobble up the next. Some she would overlook completely. :lol:

 

[Kalandra]

Some bugs may not taste as good either. Poptart will chew up and spit out older mealworms (those that are getting close to pupating). I think for her she doesn't like the tougher skins. She prefers young mealworms. She likes her "veal."

 

[smhufflepuff]

"Vealworms" :lol:

Mine will just eat parts of crickets.

 

[SnufflePuff]

Thanks for all the input

That makes me feel a lot better to know she was probably just being picky. I will keep a look out for any further symptoms, and if I'm still worried I'll take a trip to the vet. My vet gets the technician to scruff my hedgies when being examined and she did get a pretty good look in her mouth last time so hopefully she wouldn't need to be gased.

But unless anything else worrisome arises, I think I will just chalk it up to yucky bugs...or hard skinned mealies, as these were the last of the mealies that hadn't turned into pupae yet so I'm guessing their skins were getting hard.