inflated mouse

[Bartman]

i was feeding my tegu a mouse, a pinky, and i fed it to him but he didnt eat it right away he left it in his bowl all night and when i woke up the next morning it looked like someone blew it up like a balloon. it was all inflated and its skin was stretched to its max. very gross looking by the way but my quesiton is he ate it and i wanted to know if this could have been harmfull and why this happenened?

thanks in advance :confused:

[Zoe]

Bloating occurs because the microorganisms of decomposition
produce gas, mostly methane, which, lacking any other escape
route, collects in the tissues and body cavities.

I don't know if methane poses a danger to a snake, as they are sometimes carion eaters, but I know humans don't harvest meat once the corpse has bloated.

[Bartman]

its a lizard though...does that make any difference?

thanks for ur reply though

[Zoe]

Oh, duh. I'm not sure, if methane is toxic or not to herps.

[Zoe]

I wouldn't worry too much, because many animals prey on bloated carcasses, and I believe humans don't because of the taste.
I would suggest contacting a vet and asking what they think.

Zoe

[Linds]

I wouldn't be overly concerned. Reptiles seem to have a tolerance towards the bacteria in decaying prey that would make humans quite ill. One of my snakes actually refuses anything that isn't slightly gone. I have to kill the rat, leave it out for at least 12 hours, then freeze it for a few days, then thaw it out and leave it in his cage at night... way I see it... he wouldn't have developed a preference like that if it was in any way harmful to him, even though it seems so unhealthy to us ;)

[Thomas]

It probably bloated if you warmed it up to thaw it.