2y old beardie developing follicles

Took my girl Charlie for her check up recently; she got a gold star for health this go around except for one notation from my vet: the vet said she felt that she is developing some follicles

Charlie's behaviour otherwise is fairly normal. She has a good appetite for her veggies and her BSFL. I only occasionally give her roaches or crickets. She will eat literally anything I give her though. She basks late morning into the evening and is alert/curious.

I did make a dig box for her with play sand and soil as my vet suggested this in case she wants to lay.. but being there is no male present my vet said it's likely she will just reabsorb the follicles.

She did warn of a chance that follicular stasis is a risk and wants me to check back in November to see the status of her follicles. She also weighed 441g which shocked me.. but it has been a year since I weighed her and she was about 400 then. The vet said girl beardies are at risk and I may need to consider spaying if the follicles don't resolve.

I guess I just wanted to ask if anyone else has had any experience with this? Girl beardies in general and their laying habits when infertile? Is it normal for them to reabsorb? Any advice would be appreciated

Cuttlefishh said:

Took my girl Charlie for her check up recently; she got a gold star for health this go around except for one notation from my vet: the vet said she felt that she is developing some follicles

Charlie's behaviour otherwise is fairly normal. She has a good appetite for her veggies and her BSFL. I only occasionally give her roaches or crickets. She will eat literally anything I give her though. She basks late morning into the evening and is alert/curious.

I did make a dig box for her with play sand and soil as my vet suggested this in case she wants to lay.. but being there is no male present my vet said it's likely she will just reabsorb the follicles.

She did warn of a chance that follicular stasis is a risk and wants me to check back in November to see the status of her follicles. She also weighed 441g which shocked me.. but it has been a year since I weighed her and she was about 400 then. The vet said girl beardies are at risk and I may need to consider spaying if the follicles don't resolve.

I guess I just wanted to ask if anyone else has had any experience with this? Girl beardies in general and their laying habits when infertile? Is it normal for them to reabsorb? Any advice would be appreciated

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I would read up on this website. It is very accurate about the follicles. Try hard to stay away from surgery. Remember they have to be on their backs during surgery and the potential of them passing away is a great risk. I am sure you have heard that you should never lay them on their backs or position them that way as their lungs will start to suffocate.

DallasStorm said:

I would read up on this website. It is very accurate about the follicles. Try hard to stay away from surgery. Remember they have to be on their backs during surgery and the potential of them passing away is a great risk. I am sure you have heard that you should never lay them on their backs or position them that way as their lungs will start to suffocate.

Reproductive disease in Bearded Dragons • Dr Amber Lee

So today I wanted to take some time to talk about reproductive disease in bearded dragons. There are a few conditions which can occur including cloacal prolapse, dystocia (egg binding) and pre-ovulatory follicular stasis. Pre-ovulatory follicular stasis is the one that I want to talk about today...

dramberlee.com

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Thank you so much, I will read this

My vet wants to see her in Nov, I'm worried she might suggest spaying which I want to avoid. I had another beardie who had abdominal surgery to remove an abscess and she ended up passing away a month later. I've avoided de-wormers and only had to medicate Charlie once as a baby for a short period for coccidia.

Should I hold off on vet revisit in November and just observe her? My vet did reassure that it's likely she will reabsorb but she still wants to run diagnostics anyway in Nov to monitor.. I wonder if it's too much to be honest as Charlie will develop follicles through her life anyway I would imagine..

My first beardie was 3 and a half when she passed. (A drunk guest hurt her after we went to bed) she never laid. My second female passed when she was just over 3, the vet said something in her reproductive system ruptured, she was gravid with her first clutch. My third female is a rescue, she was neglected very severely. She is undersized (smaller than most 8 month olds) she has a bit of mbd, and she was paralyzed at the beginning of her rehab. We have her walking and running again but she will never be full size. She is 3 and a half. She has laid 2 clutchs in the last 3 months and i think she may be gravid again. Nothing is ever a guarantee with them. My third one should have been the least likely to lay but she has done so successfully twice now. I was going to have her spayed because i thought she couldn't survive it, now I'm glad i didn't.
My advice is learn the signs of being gravid and keep an eye on her, avoid unnecessary surgery. Surgery should be a last resort in my opinion.

Thank you for this insight. I'm sorry to hear of your first to beardies =(

Charlie seems really healthy and hearty (which may or may not matter much in this case) She is 41 grams up in the last year, despite that I've significantly cut her insects down and increased salads (now she eats all her salad daily) but I think my fear is if the vet tries to push for spay when she's not showing any signs of being unwell.

Judging by the responses here, I should just observe her and watch for any signs she is starting to become unwell before i even consider the spay. Here are some recent pics of her. She's in 4x2x2. I put a pot back there for her in case she wants to lay (finding a good size box was hard )

Cuttlefishh said:

Thank you so much, I will read this

My vet wants to see her in Nov, I'm worried she might suggest spaying which I want to avoid. I had another beardie who had abdominal surgery to remove an abscess and she ended up passing away a month later. I've avoided de-wormers and only had to medicate Charlie once as a baby for a short period for coccidia.

Should I hold off on vet revisit in November and just observe her? My vet did reassure that it's likely she will reabsorb but she still wants to run diagnostics anyway in Nov to monitor.. I wonder if it's too much to be honest as Charlie will develop follicles through her life anyway I would imagine..

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How is she doing right now? If, you wanted to hold off for another month, you can do that. However, if you feel more comfortable going to the vet I would ask a ton of questions and don't let them just talk you into a spay unless it is NO OTHER CHOICE! They don't need to make money with such high risks like death. It is super costly, could be $1000.00 or more and if your repti-baby passes away I know that you will be devastated and mad. I would be. Is she eating and going potty fine?

I would be devastated you're right she means the world to me. The next appt is mid November but I might just see how she goes. She's quite normal honestly- she eats well, basks and poops regularly, and her colour is bright. I can't feel or tell if she has anything in her abdomen .. to me she just seems normal =)

Cuttlefishh said:

I would be devastated you're right she means the world to me. The next appt is mid November but I might just see how she goes. She's quite normal honestly- she eats well, basks and poops regularly, and her colour is bright. I can't feel or tell if she has anything in her abdomen .. to me she just seems normal =)

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Here is another good link that will tell you all things to look for and other related stuff about Egg Bound.

Right up till Ruby laid we could never feel them, I think if they are infertile it's harder to tell. It seems like i rememder Drache613 mention that in another thread.
Your girl is gorgeous btw, she looks like she knows it to lol!!

xp29 said:

Right up till Ruby laid we could never feel them, I think if they are infertile it's harder to tell. It seems like i rememder Drache613 mention that in another thread.
Your girl is gorgeous btw, she looks like she knows it to lol!!

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I've been trying to feel but yeah, I can't tell. Her abdomen isn't bigger or anything either. I might push the vet visit to December instead for the check up if she continues to act normal
Aw Charlie says thanks she does know it, she's not a single bit shy!

This is a post that we want to end happily....please take heed to everyone's advice. I know you want the best for Charlie. I hear a lot of vet stories and it's scary.
Beardies don't like being on their back, I don't even know how they do it. If I lean with Rocky attached to me anywhere in the position like he's going to lay down on his back and he is flipping upright.

If you aren't journaling her behavior, any inconsistencies, etc- perhaps that may help. Wishing you the best. Good luck Charlie!

@xp29 You know that I am crying.

Rocky2022 said:

This is a post that we want to end happily....please take heed to everyone's advice. I know you want the best for Charlie. I hear a lot of vet stories and it's scary.
Beardies don't like being on their back, I don't even know how they do it. If I lean with Rocky attached to me anywhere in the position like he's going to lay down on his back and he is flipping upright.

If you aren't journaling her behavior, any inconsistencies, etc- perhaps that may help. Wishing you the best. Good luck Charlie!

@xp29 You know that I am crying.

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It's just not that they don't like it, it will literally kill them. It suffocates them. Charlie is a gorgeous beardie and I am sure she will do fine. Charlie's owner is doing a great job. I do agree, she should write down stuff with Charlie if things change.

Thank you so much for the encouraging replies and supportive comments

These are great suggestions- I think I will keep a diary by her enclosure and start to monitor behaviour. Today she hid a little first thing (not unusual for her she doesnt like to be up early) but had a huge appetite as usual. I'll keep tabs for anything unusual and update if anything changes =)

Hi! Glad to hear she’s doing well
I just wanted to add from my experiences with this,hopefully it helps.
I have 4 beardies,2 boys and 2 girls.Both of mine have had follicles/eggs,both of my girls are rescues and have health issues due to their past so it may have been the reason we had some issues and doesn’t mean it’ll be the same with your girl!

My first girl bee started showing signs in mid April,she started eating more and gaining weight(looked very round/bloated) she then began glass surfing and digging which was unusual for her.She was running around in her tank a lot more and seemed restless most of the time.After about a week and a half of this she began to show concerning symptoms, her beard and tail tip was always black,she would occasionally Bob and she stopped eating (this is common for beardies to stop eating a week or so before laying).She was still showing all the signs from before along with these new ones.Monday I took her to her vets,was given some meds for her stomach as the vet said she was bloated and got sent home.The next day bee was worse,so I took her back and asked for an ultrasound after the vet couldn’t feel eggs.Once she has the ultrasound we could see she was holding around 30 big eggs,she was given a shot to induce labour( I’m not 100% sure but I think the eggs need to be in a certain position to be allowed the shot) She stayed in all day and I picked her up that evening,the next morning she was still the same so I took her back again.I left her with the vet and they preformed another ultrasound which showed no changed with the eggs.She called me and said she suggested an emergency spay as bee wasn’t doing too well,she was struggling to breathe and was too restless.I agreed and they did the spay 5 minutes after we got off the phone.I picked her up the same evening,she looked extremely rough like a lot worse than I imagined.I was scared to check on her the next morning but was very relieved to see her little eyes open and giving me stink eye! Recovery was 1-6 months,she didn’t walk for over a week after surgery but she is now back to her normal self,surgery was £500 but will vary in vet and practice.During surgery 1 egg burst,vet removed 30 huge eggs if we hadn’t of removed them bee would’ve died from septic shock or an egg bursting inside of her.This isn’t common but I wanted to mention about it because I agree spaying is a last option but it’s sometimes the only option.

My other girl honey started acting off in July,she started glass surfing,digging,eating like a piggy,put on a lot of weight and started having smaller than usual but more frequent poos.About a week before laying she stopped eating,she was offered a laybox but chose to lay her eggs in the corner of her viv in a little nest she made from her blanket.Came back from work to a shock,this all happened again exactly the same the next month.She laid in august then again in September,luckily that was it.
These are the things I would say I’ve noticed from both of my girls when laying:

Normal:digging,glass surfing,eating more then usually stops eating a week before laying,seems restless,bloated/weight gain and more frequent and smaller than usual poos (this was a big sign that honey had eggs and usually the first!)

Concerning:black beard or tail tip,bobbing,no poo at all,no eating at all,suddenly stops showing the signs above and becomes lethargic,laboured breathing.

I’m sorry for the length of this reply a lot has happened!
I don’t think you’ll have any problems with your girl,just make sure you provide a lay box and keep up with her calc and supplements.Honeys time frame for laying eggs would be over 4 weeks and would lay on the 4 week! Hope this helps and your girls is doing good

Jessss said:

Hi! Glad to hear she’s doing well
I just wanted to add from my experiences with this,hopefully it helps.
I have 4 beardies,2 boys and 2 girls.Both of mine have had follicles/eggs,both of my girls are rescues and have health issues due to their past so it may have been the reason we had some issues and doesn’t mean it’ll be the same with your girl!

My first girl bee started showing signs in mid April,she started eating more and gaining weight(looked very round/bloated) she then began glass surfing and digging which was unusual for her.She was running around in her tank a lot more and seemed restless most of the time.After about a week and a half of this she began to show concerning symptoms, her beard and tail tip was always black,she would occasionally Bob and she stopped eating (this is common for beardies to stop eating a week or so before laying).She was still showing all the signs from before along with these new ones.Monday I took her to her vets,was given some meds for her stomach as the vet said she was bloated and got sent home.The next day bee was worse,so I took her back and asked for an ultrasound after the vet couldn’t feel eggs.Once she has the ultrasound we could see she was holding around 30 big eggs,she was given a shot to induce labour( I’m not 100% sure but I think the eggs need to be in a certain position to be allowed the shot) She stayed in all day and I picked her up that evening,the next morning she was still the same so I took her back again.I left her with the vet and they preformed another ultrasound which showed no changed with the eggs.She called me and said she suggested an emergency spay as bee wasn’t doing too well,she was struggling to breathe and was too restless.I agreed and they did the spay 5 minutes after we got off the phone.I picked her up the same evening,she looked extremely rough like a lot worse than I imagined.I was scared to check on her the next morning but was very relieved to see her little eyes open and giving me stink eye! Recovery was 1-6 months,she didn’t walk for over a week after surgery but she is now back to her normal self,surgery was £500 but will vary in vet and practice.During surgery 1 egg burst,vet removed 30 huge eggs if we hadn’t of removed them bee would’ve died from septic shock or an egg bursting inside of her.This isn’t common but I wanted to mention about it because I agree spaying is a last option but it’s sometimes the only option.

My other girl honey started acting off in July,she started glass surfing,digging,eating like a piggy,put on a lot of weight and started having smaller than usual but more frequent poos.About a week before laying she stopped eating,she was offered a laybox but chose to lay her eggs in the corner of her viv in a little nest she made from her blanket.Came back from work to a shock,this all happened again exactly the same the next month.She laid in august then again in September,luckily that was it.
These are the things I would say I’ve noticed from both of my girls when laying:

Normal:digging,glass surfing,eating more then usually stops eating a week before laying,seems restless,bloated/weight gain and more frequent and smaller than usual poos (this was a big sign that honey had eggs and usually the first!)

Concerning:black beard or tail tip,bobbing,no poo at all,no eating at all,suddenly stops showing the signs above and becomes lethargic,laboured breathing.

I’m sorry for the length of this reply a lot has happened!
I don’t think you’ll have any problems with your girl,just make sure you provide a lay box and keep up with her calc and supplements.Honeys time frame for laying eggs would be over 4 weeks and would lay on the 4 week! Hope this helps and your girls is doing good

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Oh my gosh thanks for sharing! Hope all your babies are doing well now

This is very helpful information, I will keep these notes in mind. She went to vet in sep almost a month ago and doesn't look that bloated or showing any unusual signs, maybe just grumpy that I cut her insects down a bit. I gave her roaches on Friday for a change but she will be back on BSFL tomorrow (tuesday) which is her main feeder. Otherwise it's heaps of salad daily with a bit of multivitamin or calcium w/o d3 definitely no dip in appetite as of yet really but occasional small bouts of digging around. I think she's only glass surfed once in the last three weeks if that. Not sure what to expect from her but she seems healthy really maybe a little lazier than usual but not anything too worrying