can fish throw up?

[tropicfishman]

my friend brought this up today, can fish actually throw up?

[TomK2]

Sometimes they are greedy, and stuff thier mouths with more food than they can swallow. They will swim around trying to swallow it, then eventually spit it out and re-swallow a smaller amount, usually trying to do it fast before any other fish come by and eat what they spit out. Sometimes the go to a secluded spot, in the hopes that they will get to re-eat it all before other fish zoom in.

[Squirt0170]

I have never heard of a fish throwing up or seen this.

[HannahJ]

I sure hope they can't throw up. I've already got enough things to worry about with them, let alone tacking on vomiting!

[QTOFFER]

From Wikipedia (my favorite online source of information )

I don't see fish on the list, but I have to admire the ability of the sea cucumber to hurl its entire digestive system at its enemies and then grow another! 8O 8O 8O 8O


"Vomiting
In other animals

* Whales vomit regularly (every 7 to 10 days) as a means of the ordinary digestive process, to expel inedible things they have swallowed.
* The domestic cat is well known for its tendency to vomit, particularly when attempting to dislodge hairballs from its throat or upper gastrointestinal tract. Chronic vomiting in cats may indicate underlying thyroid, liver or kidney dysfunction and should be investigated by a veterinarian. Dogs also vomit often (frequently after eating grass) and are also known for eating their own vomit, a fact even cited in the Bible: KJV Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly."
* Owls will expel the undigestible bones and fur of their meals after partial digestion of the nutritious parts rather than passing them through the digestive tract.
* Some adult birds regurgitate food to feed their young, triggered by a feather or a beak of their young. The food can be either incompletely digested or partially predigested, depending on the species. Some bird species may also use regurgitation as a form of defense, vomiting when wounded or molested. When an intruder or a predator comes near a fulmar on its nest, the bird vomits oil up to 3 feet at the enemy. Larger animals, such as wolves, may also regurgitate partially or undigested food to feed their young.
* When in danger, the sea cucumber may eject its entire digestive tract. The animal is able to re-grow another one.
* Some large mammals, including horses, cannot or rarely vomit.
* Many rodents are readily killed by commercial poisons because they lack the ability to vomit, which can be problematic for some pet owners."

[crazyred]

EWWWWW, and umm....EWWWWW 8O

What a digusting topic! LOL I think one item needs to be added:

*children of parents who are totally repulsed by, and have a phobic aversion to vomiting, will almost always vomit early, often, and in the most inconvenient places at the most inconvenient times with impunity. LOL

[tropicfishman]

lol I didn't thhink about htem being greedy, my tiger barbs do that alot

[HannahJ]

Yeah, it's right about horses not being able to vomit. That's why digestive problems with them turn into often-fatal colic while we can just upchuck our problems, so to speak.

/horse derail

I know bettas will pick up eggs and spit them into bubble nests, but I guess that isn't quite vomiting. I wonder if large fish species, like sharks, can vomit....

[Big C]

It is true! My girl had an oscar that did that all the time, TomK2. One day I almost take it out of the water to help him because I thought it was choking on a freeze dried shrimp, but eventually he managed to swallow it. After that episode I got used to see him struggle with more food than he could manage.

[Toirtis]

Bichirs can vomit (or at least the fish equivalent)....trust me on this...and it isn't pleasant.