Concerned about gravid baby

[ZaberEmily93]

My baby Saphira is 9 months old and gravid with infertile eggs. Has been for about a month... heck maybe longer.. we took her to the vet they done an x-ray(Jan 30), gave us antibacterial shots to give her just in case, and treated her for parasites even though she didn't have any ?(but whatever helps her). We have set her up a lay box she will dig around occasionally but no eggs... she poops every 4 to 5 days looks healthy... she will eat staple protein every two to three days up to 15 or 16 superworms or wax worms.... other than that we give her reti-boost w/calcium and pedialite. She's still alert and active for the most part.. she has her days where she's tired and lazy. I'm just at a loss on what to do. Any advice?

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is a great quality x-ray, you can really see the eggs.
Some do develop eggs at a young age such as this.
Her bones look good, did the vet say anything about the bone density?
Sometimes they can take 4-6 weeks for full development of eggs & then to lay them.
Did he give a calcium booster at all? Do you have a good UVB light for her too? If her
beard is not dark as it would be if she were in distress, I would give her a bit more time.
Hopefully she will just lay them without having to get a hormone shot. If needed, when
the eggs drop they can give a shot of oxytocin to help induce at that time. Since she is
still eating, she isn't quite ready yet.

Let us know how Saphira is doing.
Tracie

 

[ZaberEmily93]

Thank you for the reply, the x-ray looked good but I didn't like the vet himself. Just for the simple fact he treated her for things unnecessary such as parasites and infection. Also, nothing was said about her bone density, just that the eggs didn't look hardened yet. We know that it's been 4 weeks since the x-ray but we're not sure of when she became gravid. We have calcium supplement, repti-boost, multivitamins, and 36" UVB bar with correct husbandry. She has not been black bearded since this has started. We have just been playing a waiting game to see if they drop.

-Zaber

 

[ZaberEmily93]

Also, I forgot to add that the eggs aren't visible to site or touch.

-Zaber

 

[Drache613]

Hello Zaber,

If the eggs are not completely calcified then it will probably be another couple of weeks.
Once her appetite starts to decrease, that is an initial sign she is getting ready to lay. Just
keep an eye on her to be sure that she doesn't seem to be in distress, because they can
crash quickly!
I would recommend giving a few extra doses of calcium to be sure her stores are good. Let
us know how she is doing.

Tracie