Endler swallowed a long hair.

[CalmedByFish]

I have a female endler who swallowed a hair. The distance between her mouth and toosh is less than an inch. The hair hanging out her mouth is more than an inch long, and so is the hair hanging out of her toosh. 

She's been like this 48 hours. I assumed it would pass through, but appears to not be progressing. She is swimming and eating normally.

Suggestions?

[Odd Duck]

If she’s still eating, try something high fiber that encourage the hair to move on through. Since they are micro predators, I would suggest Daphnia or small scuds.  The exoskeleton should help move the hair along.

Be aware, that a linear foreign body can be very dangerous in many animals.  Because the intestines are always moving, a linear foreign body can saw through the intestinal wall from the inside as the intestine moves up and down along it.  She may be doing fine, then get severely ill very quickly and pass with little warning. 

[DebSills]

Just a total guess, but at this point, I wouldn't necessarily worry about the hair that has already passed through - definitely don't pull either end, I would worry that would do more damage than anything else. If possible, you may try to cut the hair that is hanging out of her mouth...just a bit in front if possible...that way, it at least lessens what needs to pass through - as long as she is swimming and eating, I would assume that it will pass...and then make sure to get it out of the tank after she passes the full piece.

Not an experienced fish mom, so hopefully others will chime in with maybe some better insight

keeping my fingers crossed for your endler 🙂 

[CalmedByFish]

On 7/7/2021 at 7:42 PM, Odd Duck said:

The exoskeleton should help move the hair along.

Be aware, that a linear foreign body can be very dangerous in many animals.

I don't have anything available with an exoskeleton. Might freeze-dried bloodworms be "grabby" like that? Or is there a fibrous type of vegetable I should hunt in my freezer for perhaps?

And thanks for the warning.

On 7/7/2021 at 7:42 PM, DebSills said:

you may try to cut the hair that is hanging out of her mouth...just a bit in front if possible...that way, it at least lessens what needs to pass through

That's so obvious - now that I hear it! Thank you. I'll try to figure that out tomorrow when the light is on.

[Odd Duck]

@CalmedByFish You should be able to find frozen Daphnia or freeze dried.  Either should work for an endler.  Bloodworms should have some grab, but not as much as Daphnia or scuds.  I siphon scuds out of my shrimp tanks frequently.  I want them out of the shrimp tanks and a want to feed them to my pea puffers.  I use a 12 ml syringe (because they’re easy for me to get), a short piece (about 3/4”) of airline tubing, and a piece of rigid airline tubing (the soft connects the syringe to the rigid tubing).  I know others use turkey basters or coral feeding pipettes.

You should also be able to feed her about any kind of vegetable for additional fiber.  I hear some endlers will even eat broccoli or green beans.  Kale would also be good.

I second the idea of cutting off the part of the hair going into the mouth to reduce the length that has to go through her.  Should have thought of that myself.

[CalmedByFish]

@Odd Duck and @DebSills, Success! I got the endler laying in my wet hand, snipped the mouth side, and let her rest in a cup of water. Then I picked her up again, and in my effort to get ahold of the toosh side, the hair either broke, or somehow slid all the way out - that one was almost 2" long! She's acting okay now, so maybe she will be. She sends her appreciation. 🙂 

[Odd Duck]

@CalmedByFish  That’s awesome!  Good job to you on the snipping and to the fish for passing her foreign body!

[DebSills]

I'm so glad she is doing better!!! 😃

[Scott P.]

On 7/8/2021 at 2:57 PM, CalmedByFish said:

@Odd Duck and @DebSills, Success! I got the endler laying in my wet hand, snipped the mouth side, and let her rest in a cup of water. Then I picked her up again, and in my effort to get ahold of the toosh side, the hair either broke, or somehow slid all the way out - that one was almost 2" long! She's acting okay now, so maybe she will be. She sends her appreciation. 🙂 

Good news, I was wondering how that was going to go.

[NorthernAquarist]

This reminds me of an Endler we have that for whatever reason had a hair size piece of black silicone from out of mouth to out of the behind. Didn't know what to do so a day passed. Was still eating but appeared this was nit processing further. It was one piece I missed when preparing the tank.

 

So I checked all other seals and all good no other pieces.

 

What we did was netted him and then gently kinda held him and slightly pulled this to see if there was any kind of give. There was, and he literally slipped down this piece of silicone, off my fingers and ploop, right back into fish tank! Got lucky im guessing, seems fine and is part of our Endler breeding project lol.

 

I triple check seals now lol

[CalmedByFish]

On 7/8/2021 at 2:46 PM, Scott P. said:

Good news, I was wondering how that was going to go.

This makes me laugh. Sometimes I get invested in threads I don't comment on, and come back to check on them. I didn't know other people are doing it, too. 

On 7/8/2021 at 4:59 PM, NorthernAquarist said:

What we did was netted him and then gently kinda held him and slightly pulled this to see if there was any kind of give. There was, and he literally slipped down this piece of silicone, off my fingers and ploop, right back into fish tank!

I'd say that seems impossible, except I just saw the hair thing! I wonder if their digestive tract is more straight, instead of curvy like ours are.

[CalmedByFish]

By the way, it's been at least 2 years since any humans in this house have had hair like that. I don't know where in the world that hair had been chillin' this whole time.

[Just Renee]

On 7/8/2021 at 5:47 PM, CalmedByFish said:

By the way, it's been at least 2 years since any humans in this house have had hair like that. I don't know where in the world that hair had been chillin' this whole time.

 

LOL!!  Literally!