My blood parrots stomach is huge

**Lady Hobbs** · 06-19-2008, 08:28 PM

What is wrong with him? This is my male.

He only eats a few pellets a day.

**cocoa_pleco** · 06-19-2008, 08:30 PM

WOW that is huge, could it be a tumor or something?

**Lady Hobbs** · 06-19-2008, 08:36 PM

Man, I don't know. It's only gotten that large the last couple of days. I would take food away from him but he doesn't eat that much. A few pellets each day, once a day. I gave him some spirulina today but no change. I never, ever have seen my parrots poop! They must hide behind the log when they do it.

**Fishalicious** · 06-19-2008, 08:42 PM

I really hate posting this.....

This is a problem that seems to crop up more often than not. Because a bloated, swollen abdomen is a symptom, not a disease, it can be extremely difficult to treat. Unfortunately, in many cases, BP´s that develop severely swollen abdomens do not survive. By the time the symptoms have shown themselves, it is too late for the fish. There are various reasons why a fish will develop these symptoms. In some cases, there is a genetic problem with the fish. The fish may well be okay for the first few years, then it starts developing problems in the abdominal area. There wouldn't be any cure for this condition.

Fish can develop tumours which will cause swelling in the abdomen. Unfortunately, the only treatment for this is surgery which would probably be futile as the fish would probably not survive.

Internal bacteria or viral infections in fish can often result in them having a swollen abdomen/body. Quite often the eyes bulge and the scales are raised. This is sometimes referred to as "dropsy" This is an extremely serious condition. Remember that dropsy isn't an actual disease, it is actually a symptom of something more serious that is wrong with the fish. For this reason, it is very difficult to treat. If caught early, antibiotics might help. However, off-the-shelf may medication not work, you may have to seek professional advice and have injections administered. Again, the chances of this resulting in a cure are quite slim.

If your fish develops a balloon shaped abdomen that is soft and not hard like a tumour, this could possibly be internal organ disease which can result in fluid buildup in the abdominal cavity. There is no cure for this.

Occasionally, a severe blockage in the intestine, or constipation can cause a fish's abdomen to swell. Peas can often help relieve constipation in fish. However, not all BP´s will accept this type of food.

If you notice your BP has developed a swollen stomach in a short space of time, it just may be that he has even too much. BP´s are very gluttonous and they will eat as much as they possibly can which can result in a swollen abdomen. If the fish is showing no other signs of ill-health such as refusing food, cease feeding and see if the swollen stomach reduces in size. If it does, reduce the amount of food you give the fish and keep observing it to see if it happens again

I'll be blatantly honest with you, if your BP develops a severely bloated abdomen and stops eating, the chances are it will die. In lots of cases, it can take days, sometimes weeks for this to happen. In cases like this, the kindest thing you can do for the fish is to humanely kill it using either clove oil, or an overdose of anaesthetic.

Of course all the fingers are crossed here that it is none of the above

**ladyoutlaw50** · 06-19-2008, 08:46 PM

I hope everything is ok!!! I will say a prayer for him

**Lady Hobbs** · 06-19-2008, 08:54 PM

I certainly hope none of this is the case. He is eating well, swimming all over the place, colored up nicely and shows no sign of being ill. I notice the females gills are nearly black ........ a sign she is getting ready to spawn. You'd think she'd be the fat one.

My silver dollars have been spawning nearly non stop in this tank as well. I also thought he might be full of their eggs but geez..........he'd have to eat a million eggs to get this fat.

I will try some garlic soaked flakes just incase ............and bawl my head off if something is wrong with him!