Vent Swelling

I have a female Beardie a little over 2 years old. Her vent is swollen and despite warm baths has not gotten better. She seems to be laying eggs here and there as well as going to the bathroom but not very regular and very runny. Is active and eating, behvior is normal, base of tail seems a little sensitive to the touch. Any Help would be apprecated, thanks.

Hello,

How many eggs has she laid thus far? How old is she?
If her vent is swollen, she could be having some trouble passing an egg or her vent area is just sore from passing eggs. How long has this been going on for?
Does she seem to be in distress?

Tracie

I have only seen 2 eggs layed but she does eat them so its possible there have been more. they are not fertile she has always been alone, and this will be her second time laying, she layed over 30 eggs her first time. She is 2 years old. the sewlling seems to have gone down a little but still swollen, id say its been swollen 4 or 5 days now. doesnt seem in distress at all, just base of tail is a little sensitive.

Hello,

She eats her eggs? I wouldn't really let her eat her eggs though.
Do you have UVB lighting? How often does she get calcium supplementation?
I would watch for signs of distress in case she is having some trouble laying them.


Tracie

She does have uvb and I supplement 2 to 3 times a week

Can you fill us in on the brand and type (coil, compact, strip fluorescent or mercury vapor bulb) you have? What is the distance of this particular bulb and how old is it? For a gravid female, they should be getting extra calcium so 5 days a wk would help replace what she has lost with the egg production.

Have you increased her protein intake to help build her back up? How often are you bathing her and offering oral fluids?

Are her beard and/or tail darkened? What type of substrate is on the bottom of her tank?

I agree with Tracie, please don't let her eat her eggs.

What are her tank temps and what type of thermometer are you using?

Be sure to keep us updated on her.

Strip flor bulb about 6 months old. Weight seems normal and is eating fine, bathing her once a day sometimes twice when I first noticed swelling. Tail seems normal beard darkens off and on if she doesn't want to be held. I try not to let her eat the eggs. She ate them more her first time she layed she ate maybe 5 out 35 40. And she is on carpet.

Do you happen to know the brand of the strip fluorescent bulb? I'm asking because there are some brands that are too strong and others that are useless so we want to make sure hers is a good one. As your probably know, the fluorescent tubes need to be replaced every 6 months as that's when they show that they're declining with the UVB output. What is the distance of the UVB?

That's good that she's eating well, lots of protein and greens will be good for her. Great that you're giving her frequent baths because laying eggs is very dehydrating for them.

I'm glad she hasn't eaten any eggs this time. Carpet is a good and safe substrate, no worries there.

I would recommend increasing her calcium though.

The distance is about ten to 14 inches and since I need to change the bulb anyway what brands do u recomend? The one I was using was repti glo. Also any idea as to what would be causing the swelling and anything I can do to help it subside?

We highly recommend the Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent bulb and with that one, it should be 6 to 8" from her while in her basking spot. www.petmountain.com has very reasonable prices. At a distance of 10 to 14", she's not getting much UVB at all but since you're using the Repti-Glo, I wouldn't put it any closer than 10" because that particular bulb has caused some health issues.

The swelling could be from laying eggs, are they quite large? Or, she could have one that is bigger and blocking her vent somewhat. Can you feel an egg near her vent? Does she seem to be pushing and nothing is coming out? If she is, then she should be checked by a vet so that an xray can be taken to make sure she isn't egg bound as that is a very serious situation and can actually kill them. That's why you need to watch her for signs of stress like darkened beard/and or tail, gaping frequently, change in her breathing, straining, lethargy, loss of appetite etc. If you see any of those signs, a vet needs to be seen asap.

What are her tank temps and what type of thermometer are you using? Does she have a laying box?

If you're not seeing any of those signs, continue with the frequent baths and also oral fluids as well as increasing her calcium intake.

Hello,

I agree, if the vent is still swollen, she needs to see a vet soon. She may have a large egg blocking her & she is having trouble laying.
She could crash very quickly on you in this type of situation, so you will need to keep an eye on her.
Bathing her could help right now, in warm water. As suggested, a lay box would definitely be a good idea, too.
Increasing her calcium is a good idea along with oral fluids daily to help her out. Is she wanting to eat very much right now?

Please let us know how she is doing.

Tracie