Do flyers regurgitate?

[MiriamS]

I've seen my flyer Chip do something strange twice in the last couple of weeks. He makes a terrible sound and dry heaves, like he's choking. A second later, he seems to be fine.

This last time, I might have possibly seen him hack something up and then eat it again but I can't be sure. I'm wondering if this is normal behavior. I've had Cocoa and Chip for two years and haven't seen it other than the recent two incidents.

It scared the bejeezus out of me until he seemed to recover quickly. But the fact that it happened again has prompted this post. Any thoughts welcome.

[TinyPaws]

Just keeping this bumped up....

[MiriamS]

Thanks TP!

[Mrs Skul]

:wave123 Hi Miriam No that is not normal behavior!!:nono It is like he throws up, and their is nothing their. OR He gets something to come out. That is what Bucky did. If you can check to see if he has a hair in his mouth hanging down his throats. Was he playing real hard be for this happened?

[MiriamS]

Thanks C! I don't think there's a hair. He's not throwing up much if anything. I might have seen him hack up a tiny piece of pine nut and then eat it again. And I forgot to mention that when he does this little heave, he makes a small choking sound and then everything seems to go back to normal.

[muffinsquirrel]

I have had a couple of flyers do this - usually young ones. Every time, it was a piece of food caught in their throat, and I had to get it out with tweezers - it was usually apple or grape. I have not noticed it with my grown flyers, however. I don't know if this could have happened to yours, but be sure to give your flyers rather large pieces of food, so that they have to bite and chew it. If the pieces are too small they will try to just swallow them whole. I usually cut their food into quarter sized pieces, even when they are babies just learning to eat solid foods. (Also, particularly with babies, cut the grapes in half and peel them, and then cut the little stem-looking thing out of the middle.)

muffinsquirrel

[MiriamS]

Mine are a year so not quite babies anymore but I give them big hunks of food and I never cut anything up into tiny pieces.

I think Chip had been eating a pine nut. And when he did that dry heave, he made a little gagging sound. Christal just mentioned maybe the pine nut was dry so I'm going to throw them out and get fresh ones.

Then I'll keep an eye on him closely after feeding him one and see if it happens again.

I hear you have a very full house Muffinsquirrel! :bowdown