3 replies to this topic

[woverine]

Just to share....... Did ever your seahorse swim on the surface flat?
Well it means it have (PE)

A build up of gas in their pouches is affecting their buoyancy and equilibrium. Seahorses have a large swimbladder in their upper chest and neck which allows them to maintain neutral buoyancy in the water and swim easily with the aid of their door swung pectoral fins. When a significant amount of gas builds up in the pouch, it can shift their center of the balance so that they can only swim upside down. If the excess gas continues to build up, it may result in positive buoyancy that leaves them floating helplessly at the surface, unable to swim at all.

If we see this...we need to try to aspirate or manually release the gas from their pouches as soon as possible

[woverine]

Immediate Treament
Pouch Massage: Burping the Pouch

Pouch bloat is ordinarily easily resolved by evacuating the gas from the marsupium. This procedure is commonly known as pouch massage or "burping" the pouch and it provides immediate relief for the seahorse when successful. The first attempt or two at performing this procedure can be very intimidating, but it is actually much easier than it sounds.

To expel the trapped air, wet your hands first and hold the seahorse upright in the water with your non-dominant hand, allowing his tail to wrap your little finger or ring finger so he has a good grip and feels secure (Burns, 2001). While the seahorse is thus restrained, use your dominant hand to massage the pouch firmly yet gently between your index finger and thumb, working upward with a circular motion from the bottom of the tail toward the top so as to work the trapped gas upwards toward the opening of the pouch (Burns, 2001). Don't squeeze the pouch too forcibly, just maintain gentle pressure from below as you massage the pouch, always working from the base of the pouch toward the orifice at the top with your thumb and index finger to force the gas upward.

[woverine]

Hopefully, as your massage moves to the upper half of the pouch and approaches the top, the aperture of the pouch will begin to gape open, allowing a stream of bubbles to escape (Burns, 2001). This is the "burp" you've been hoping to produce, and when it happens, you can actually feel the bloated pouch slowly deflate as you gently force the bubbles out (Burns, 20010

[woverine]

I believe there are other follow up methods....perhaps some exp. seahorse lover can share ....