Something wrong with my beardie?

My girl is 2 years old, almost 3- only recently found out she was a girl when she laid eggs. She only laid 11 and she’d been irritable and grumpy beforehand, but perked up afterwards. There was no lay box prepared for her beforehand as I thought she was a boy.

That was 3 ish days ago, and she’s been somewhat lethargic ever since. I was told she would be tired and to give her extra calcium and food, which I did. She wouldn’t take a drink or eat her veggies but she constantly perked up at the sight of bugs. She still doesn’t seem back to her usual self- she sleeps a lot and is still quite irritable. Over the past few days she’s eaten LOADS of bugs, but she hasn’t pooped in a little over a week. Her beard isn’t black, just slightly darker around the edges which happens every so often with her. Today I’ve noticed she’s puffing out her beard and licking her lips a lot, sometimes it looks like she’s about to throw up. She keeps shifting around as well, like she can’t get comfy. I’ve checked her stomach and can’t feel any extra eggs- I ordered some play sand for a lay box because I couldn’t find anything suitable in the shops near me- it was supposed to be next day delivery but it hasn’t arrived yet. She’s got a vet’s appointment tomorrow but I’m concerned she’s not doing well. I’ve attached pictures of her just in case, I don’t know what else to do.

Note: she slimmed down LOADS after she had her eggs, but after everything she’s eaten these past few days her belly’s a little bigger. Aside from her slightly odd behaviour, she doesn’t seem sick- as I say, her beard isn’t really black. I also know that her substrate isn’t suitable for her- I was advised to use it by a ‘reptile shop’ but I’ve recently learned that they give ****ty advice, so I’m looking to switch it for reptile carpet. She eats from a bowl though, so it’s unlikely she’s ingested any of it.

I’m gonna stick her in the tub now and see if a warm bath helps with her pooping- I’m beginning to think she might be constipated.

She doesn't look distressed based on the photos and it's a good sign she is eating. She may still just be exhausted or may have another round of eggs to get rid of. An x-ray would help show any remaining shelled eggs. An ultrasound would help show eggs that aren't yet developed. I would keep offering her plenty of food and water as long as she appears to be hungry. Hopefully she'll start to bounce back soon. Please let us know what the vet has to say during the visit.

CooperDragon":1uj326ck said:

She doesn't look distressed based on the photos and it's a good sign she is eating. She may still just be exhausted or may have another round of eggs to get rid of. An x-ray would help show any remaining shelled eggs. An ultrasound would help show eggs that aren't yet developed. I would keep offering her plenty of food and water as long as she appears to be hungry. Hopefully she'll start to bounce back soon. Please let us know what the vet has to say during the visit.

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I thought she might be trying to lay some more eggs because she keeps shifting but she’s not digging at all. I’m concerned that means she’s refusing to lay them because she doesn’t have a lay box. I’m going to bath her now and update you on how she is afterwards!

Just in case you might to have a laybox here is some info on that if you need it
LAYBOX
potting soil that doesn't have any type of
chemicals or fertilizers in it, mixed with sand, etc. Be sure it is at least 10-12 inches deep & that the mix is damp enough to where it will hold up to her making a burrow but not sopping wet to
have standing water.
Karrie

UPDATE: I just gave her a warm bath for about 5 minutes- she doesn’t like being in there any longer. She was very sleepy afterwards and let herself be wrapped up in the towel, and even let me hold her for cuddles which she hasn’t been doing lately. I put her back into her viv and turned her temp up a bit to help her warm up, and most of the black beard has gone now- she’s mostly orange again. I think maybe she did have tummy ache and the bath has helped somewhat. I’ll keep you posted on the vet appointment tomorrow anyway, and if there’s any changes- but here’s hoping she stays like this and poops soon!

CooperDragon":1grpuu4n said:

She doesn't look distressed based on the photos and it's a good sign she is eating. She may still just be exhausted or may have another round of eggs to get rid of. An x-ray would help show any remaining shelled eggs. An ultrasound would help show eggs that aren't yet developed. I would keep offering her plenty of food and water as long as she appears to be hungry. Hopefully she'll start to bounce back soon. Please let us know what the vet has to say during the visit.

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I just returned from the vet. He said he can’t feel any eggs in her stomach and that he could do an ultrasound but he doesn’t think it’s necessary. He believes her being out of character could be due to her being sore after laying her eggs, so he prescribed a 7 day course of painkillers (exotic Tramadol) to ease her discomfort, and to call him back in a few days after the medication is complete to see how she’s doing. He also gave me a pot to collect a poop sample, which I’ve paid for but she still hasn’t been yet, so I’ll send that off whenever she goes. She was a bit happier today, and he cleared my setup too, which was some added peace of mind.

He also confirmed her toe issue she’s been having- he said she may have broken it because their toe bones are so tiny, but there’s nothing really that can be done for it, and then told me that it will take a while for swelling to go down because their inflammatory responses are very slow.