Buddy... is not a boy, she's a momma! 3 times now *Pics*

So Buddy is almost a year now (from when I got HER from petsmart). Thought she was a boy because I self examined her and she got those pore things around her vent. Today Buddy decided to lay an egg! (infertile)
Buddy has been SOO active for the last couple days or maybe over a week.. thought "he" was going through an adolence phase. Guess not...

Is there anything I should be doing for her while she is going through this?

I provided a sandbox for her (which she is making a mess!!)

How long will this last, and is it every year?
Any tips will be very appreciated. I'm also going to do some research. Wasn't expecting this at all..

Thanks.

 

[platinumtreasure]

Our look-a-likes must be kindred souls because Venus is going through a whole body shed too right now. She is very moody! Eating good as long as it's her proteins. She eats some of her greens too but doesn't want me to know :roll: . If she sees me looking she won't but if I hide out of site she will go eat some :lol: . Her head and beard have mostly shedded. I saw her rub the last of it off against her water bowl earlier. Now her body is all gray.

 

[StaceysBuddy]

They must be related, Buddy does the same thing with her greens. Someone eats them but I never see them get eaten! Haha!

I keep thinking "today will be the day she sheds.." but no, she just keeps getting whiter and whiter, see thru... anyday now!

I did some research on the "big urate/yellow-ish" but I don't think it's doing any good. Said that she might be dehydrated... but I give Buddy baths almost everyday, or every other day. The urates aren't always yellow-ish.. but they just seem so big lately. Maybe it's nothing to worry about, just getting bigger because she is getting bigger.

 

[platinumtreasure]

Venus has a good size urate as well. And maybe the large urates are a GOOD sign. Maybe it says that she IS being hydrated really well versus a bad thing. At least lets hope so. Could the yellow tinge possibly be a result of something eaten or maybe even hormonal?

 

[StaceysBuddy]

Well her diet is mostly superworms. I know its not the BEST but crickets are too fast! I live with my bf's parents and they would freak if crickets got out into the house. I did crickets twice while living here and I'm sure some got away.. whoops. I sneak in some waxworms because she just loves those. I always have greens for her, but she doesn't always eat them.

Today, just this morning, she had superworms and collard greens mixed with cliantro. She actually ate some of the greens, not all of it. I leave it in there though. Maybe when I get home from work it will be gone.
It might be hormonal.. but it's happened before.. So.. It might just be normal? She already got her bath this morning and pooped, but I did see the urate, went straight for the drain because she was still kicking trying to get out when she pooped, haha.

Side note: I don't think she is in brumation at all. She's basking by herself today, right now as I type this. She's eating, pooping regularly... she just seems to be sleeping more than usual. I'm not worried, I think it's the shed. It's been awhile since she has shed this much at once. When I take her out she even roams around for awhile... then finds a place to sleep.. but still roaming around first!

You have pictures of Venus' shed? I love seeing the before/after pictures because the colors are so vibrant right after the shed. I am going to take pics of Buddy today when I get back home, cause the sheds are really noticeable now. I will post more after the shed.

 

[platinumtreasure]

Too late to get the head shots of shedding (well she may a few spots left to shed). But I will take pictures today and as she continues to shed her body skin.

 

[platinumtreasure]

This is Venus before this shedding began..

Here are some pics I took this evening of Venus waiting to go through her full body shedding...

I will post more once she actually starts the shed and then once she has finished with hopefully brighter more beautiful colors.

 

[StaceysBuddy]

You're not kidding, that's a full body shed!

It's hard to see in this picture, the light in my house must suck, everywhere I went to take a photo came out hard to see.

She's shedding her head, legs, the right side *in the picture* and right side of her tail, and most of her belly. And when I say legs, 3/4 is the whole legs and one is just the "knees".

Her head is the whitest, then her legs. It's hard to see her side, it's like a quarter of her back.. the back right side lol

 

[platinumtreasure]

I've gotten so use to what it looks like that even in the lighting I can see where Buddy is shedding :lol:! Venus always sheds her head and beard first, then her wholeeeeee body, then her legs and last her tail. Always in that order.

 

[StaceysBuddy]

That's cool she sheds in order. Buddy's seems to be at random, I haven't noticed a pattern. It's wierd her front legs are shedding again because they did already about a few weeks ago. She's been eating a lot of protein so she's growing!

Does Venus sleep more when shedding, or get moody?

 

[platinumtreasure]

Yes Venus does sleep more and is extra moody when shedding. This morning before I left home she was super duper white! Not the transparent white so that means she is going to start peeling very soon. It's so cool to see. It normally comes off in one whole body piece.

 

[platinumtreasure]

Venus today. Close to shedding time. She has turned white and less transparent now.

 

[StaceysBuddy]

So close!
I'm so ready for Buddy's head to shed. She just keeps sleeping though. I keep checking her to see if she's peeling yet.
Lots of baths until then.

Can't wait to see the "before and after" pictures

 

[platinumtreasure]

I hate to see her when she is like this. I feel so bad for her. I imagine it has to make her skin tender and itchy. I haven't been able to mist her and bath her as much as I would like because of work but tomorrow is Saturday....hoorah! I have all day tomorrow and Sunday to mist her off and on and soak her a few times to help her out.

 

[StaceysBuddy]

I know how you feel. I've been working basically every day and I always mean to give her a bath but it doesn't always happen. It's been about every other day. I misted her a couple times this week when she didn't get a bath.
When I feed her I always take out her cave hideaway so she basks, but it sucks when I'm working, so I don't always take it out. She wants to eat then go to sleep... skip the basking lol
She hasn't really been eating the greens, one day it's all she wants, then the next day she wants nothing to do with them. Always wants the superworms! I even got waxworms for a treat, she turned them down and ate superworms instead!
I want her to slow down on the worms because her poop is mainly the skins of them but she won't eat much besides those. She doesn't care for crickets much. If I buy some, they end up dying before she eats them all. I got the cricket food but they still die, and I'm not a fan of crickets.
Her urate is still pretty big, it's mainly white, then at the end it's yellow, then the poop. But the white is white, not yellowish. She seems fine and it's "impossible" for her to be dehydrated! I'm over it though, just wish they weren't so big.

Buddy is still not shedding/peeling! But the ghostly white is turning clearish... comeon comeon! It can't be comfortable, your head outgrowing your skin.

 

[StaceysBuddy]

Yay!! Her head finally shedded off completely today. Her feet are still in progress, her toes are basically done but not her legs. Her tail/stomach is still a no go.

Pictures!
<timeline>

I took a bunch of pictures of this shed, like 20. I'm not sure why, haha. I won't post ALL of them, I'm sure we all know what a shed looks like. :wink:

The last picture is my favorite. No editing done, my phone camera rocks.