I just recently got back from a trip to kansas. The night before I left, I noticed labor signs in my guppy. Apparantly she was much farther along than she looked, she didnt get as big as pregnant guppies tend to, and I wasn't prepared. So, I put her in my spare 'tank,' (an old 2 gallon with a thermometer and a castle in it) and lucky for me it was already set up, for emergencies and stuff. I placed a light over it to keep the water temp warm and stable, and threw in some fake floating plants, for fry to hide in. Best I could do on short notice, late at night, with no liscense. So in she went, and that night she gave birth, but I wasn't there for it. In the morning, RIGHT before I was supposed to leave to catch my plane, I notice she is skinny. I panic, and put her in a cup. I then began searching for fry. The tank was FILTHY with waste. She had eaten almost all of her babies. After much searching and fry-netting, and re-searching and double, triple checking every nook and cranny, I managed to net out 4 fry into a cup. I then changed the water in the 2 gallon, put the fry in, returned mom to her girly tank, and crushed up fish flakes into a fine powder, and left it with a toothpick and instructions for my neighbor, who was watching my pets. I came home to 4 beautiful, active, healthy fry who had grown a bit while I was gone for 4 days. They eat heartily, and seem healthy. They get mini water changes as often as I can find the time to do it, and have so far been living off of powdered flakes. I guess it is a blessing in disguise that the mom ate most of them, because now I can keep all of the babies.
The down side is mom. She is not right at all. She swims with her tail facing down, fins clamped, and it looks like her insides around the birthing region are beginning to come out. She looks like she is in tremendous pain, but I have NO idea what to do for her, besides put her down, and she is still swimming and eating and stuff, and perhaps there is something I can do for her? It happened directly after she had the fry.
sorry to hear about your guppy, orkybetta. congrats on the fry though.
if it looks like her insides are starting to come out, i think i would put her down.
What about some epsom salts? they work pretty good.
i don't know if that would help if the fish's insides are hanging out already.
Well, I think I described it as way more drastic than it is. It kinda looks like some of her insides are STARTING to come out, but it is more like her anus, or possibly th lining of her birth canal are starting to fall out. I put her in a cup with a pinch of salt and colloidal silver. I am giving her daily water changes, and today I replaced the doc wellfish salt with epsom salt, and I am keeping up with the colloidal. She is still eating OK, and can swim, but her spine seems to be bent permanently in an arch. I am going to keep treating her so long as she is eating and acting normally, but if she seems to go more downhill, I am going to put her down. any other suggestions for treatment?