HELP WITH GRAVID FEMALE

[AHBD]

You're welcome, and do update with any new developments.

 

[petunia]

If she's eating and not interested in digging then just carry on as usual. She has the option of the area in her tank that you have set up with eco earth so she'll be fine. If she starts digging a lot you can put her in the laybox. If she doesn't dog for an hour then just put her back in her tank again. She'll be fine.

Ok I will try to calm down and just let her do her thing. Thank you so much for the advice <3

Ill keep you updated

Hey everyone, just posting an update. Petunia still has not shown any signs of digging in her tank or in the lay-box. She now sits more still in her cage (but walks around a bit when we take her out into the apartment). She is still eating little amounts but has stopped using the bathroom. I am worried because her tummy is very very large and no longer is squishy like before it has become kind of rigid.

Should I be worried?

Thanks!

 

[AHBD]

How long has she gone without a poo ? I don't think it's been long and they usually vary with their bowel movements as adults and also when gravid. Nothing sounds alarming, just watch that she doesn't get very lethargic , laying flat + looking sick , black beard at the same time possible. If she gets to that point you'd need a vet ASAP.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your girl doing today?
It is hard to know exactly when they are going to lay. It sounds like she is about ready to lay
though, but hard to know just when.
If her beard starts to turn dark then I would get concerned. She isn't really eating anything
either?
As AHBD suggested, keep an eye on her & monitor her as best you can. Hopefully she will
lay her eggs soon.

Tracie

 

[petunia]

Hello,

How is your girl doing today?
It is hard to know exactly when they are going to lay. It sounds like she is about ready to lay
though, but hard to know just when.
If her beard starts to turn dark then I would get concerned. She isn't really eating anything
either?
As AHBD suggested, keep an eye on her & monitor her as best you can. Hopefully she will
lay her eggs soon.

Tracie

Hey guys,

She has been eating still...around 6-10 roaches a day and 1/2 a bowl of greens. She did not use the bathroom since Friday (she's normally been everyday) but had a normal one this morning (kind of orange in the urinate tho). She has grown more still and doesn't run around or scratch at her cage, but does not seem lethargic / doesn't sit with her head down / no black beard yet. She still doesn't show any signs of digging though; I have been putting her in the lay box for 1-2 hours at a time (sometimes longer) but she just sits there.

Today I went in to check on her and she was very puffed up (like bigger than she even is with the eggs) and her tummy was kind of rigid. Does that mean she was trying to lay and couldnt?

Thanks!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

She is still eating a little bit right now? She must be just about ready to lay though, if her belly
is pretty firm. Does she act as though she may be in pain?
I hope she wont have trouble laying. Since she doesn't have any signs of distress or any
black beard hopefully she is just about ready.
Just how puffed up was she? Have you noticed if she has tried to lay or act like she is going
to the bathroom but nothing happened?

Tracie

 

[petunia]

Hello,

She is still eating a little bit right now? She must be just about ready to lay though, if her belly
is pretty firm. Does she act as though she may be in pain?
I hope she wont have trouble laying. Since she doesn't have any signs of distress or any
black beard hopefully she is just about ready.
Just how puffed up was she? Have you noticed if she has tried to lay or act like she is going
to the bathroom but nothing happened?

Tracie

Hey there,

Petunia is still eating...actually more instead of less. This morning she ate a full bowl of greens instead of 1/2.

She has been getting more sedentary every day...for example in the morning she usually runs around the apartment to look out the windows and be in the different sun-spots but today and yesterday she just went to one spot and hunkered down.

However, she still seems alert and is always sitting up and moves around a little bit. I do not think that she is in pain and she has shown no signs of distress (but what would be the signs that she is in pain besides black beard?). She was pretty puffed up during the time I mentioned before but puffed down pretty quickly and I have not seen her do that again so far. I have not noticed any signs of her trying to lay (she has gone to the bathroom the past 2 days with normal but smaller stools).

Do you think that I should just keep following the schedule I have been: greens in the morning under her heat lamp in the living room / bask for a while, at like 1130-12 in the lay-box (out if not digging after an hour), fed roaches and back into her cage (that also has a lay-area), back into lay-box at 4PM (out if not digging after an hour or sometimes longer), out at latest 6PM and fed again and back into cage? Also, I should not take her to the vet until I see signs of egg binding like lethargic and head down / black beard correct?

Sorry for the long writings I'm very stressed about little Petunia

 

[petunia]

Hello,

She is still eating a little bit right now? She must be just about ready to lay though, if her belly
is pretty firm. Does she act as though she may be in pain?
I hope she wont have trouble laying. Since she doesn't have any signs of distress or any
black beard hopefully she is just about ready.
Just how puffed up was she? Have you noticed if she has tried to lay or act like she is going
to the bathroom but nothing happened?

Tracie

Hey there,

Petunia is still eating...actually more instead of less. This morning she ate a full bowl of greens instead of 1/2.

She has been getting more sedentary every day...for example in the morning she usually runs around the apartment to look out the windows and be in the different sun-spots but today and yesterday she just went to one spot and hunkered down.

However, she still seems alert and is always sitting up and moves around a little bit. I do not think that she is in pain and she has shown no signs of distress (but what would be the signs that she is in pain besides black beard?). She was pretty puffed up during the time I mentioned before but puffed down pretty quickly and I have not seen her do that again so far. I have not noticed any signs of her trying to lay (she has gone to the bathroom the past 2 days with normal but smaller stools).

Do you think that I should just keep following the schedule I have been: greens in the morning under her heat lamp in the living room / bask for a while, at like 1130-12 in the lay-box (out if not digging after an hour), fed roaches and back into her cage (that also has a lay-area), back into lay-box at 4PM (out if not digging after an hour or sometimes longer), out at latest 6PM and fed again and back into cage? Also, I should not take her to the vet until I see signs of egg binding like lethargic and head down / black beard correct?

Sorry for the long writings I'm very stressed about little Petunia

I notice there is something hard in her tummy when I gave her a bath earlier. I thought it might be an egg but it was around 2 fingertip-widths long. Could it be bound eggs? She also seems more lethargic but no Blackbeard or visible straining yet.

Thanks

 

[AHBD]

Can you post new pics of her ? Nothing sounds alarming but it might give you peace of mind to have her examined. But it does not seem there's anything out of the ordinary. I would skip the long sessions in the laybox altogether. That may be stressing her out right now. That in itself might get her feeling better.

 

[petunia]

Can you post new pics of her ? Nothing sounds alarming but it might give you peace of mind to have her examined. But it does not seem there's anything out of the ordinary. I would skip the long sessions in the laybox altogether. That may be stressing her out right now. That in itself might get her feeling better.

Thank you for the reply! Petunia had a normal bowel movement this morning and is still just sitting and not moving much...but no Blackbeard or signs of stress BESIDES she did puff up again this morning for a moment. I will cut down the sessions in the lay box to 30mins if she doesn't dig. Here are some pictures of her.

If she doesn't show any signs of stress but continues to not lay and keeps eating more....should I do something? I do not want to take her to the vet now because at the moment I can barely afford a single visit...I know that's bad but I want to save that visit for if anything really goes wrong.

Thanks!

 

[AHBD]

She looks normal sized, not huge or anything. Again, it doesn't sound like she's having trouble but you will have to make the vet decision. Do you happen to have the xray pics of when the vet said she was full of eggs ?

 

[petunia]

Hey,

I do not have the x-ray unfortunately, but I clearly remember that the eggs were all up in around her rib cage and not yet visible at her sides...that was a little over 1 week ago.

I have been communicating with the vet, and when I said that Petunia has been puffing up and not digging yet, he said that I should come in so that he can "see if her cervix is open". I have not heard about that being done for gravid dragons.

She is still eating (30 roaches yesterday!) and going to the bathroom normally so I don't want to jump the gun on a vet visit. Have you guys heard of dragons getting a cervix exam...is this vet maybe not where I should be going? Does that seem like something that will actually help?

Thanks so much you guys are the best!

 

[AHBD]

Wow, she is eating a lot ! As for a female beardie's reproductive tract, they have an oviduct that is the channel that the eggs would be laid through. I think your vet means that he wants to check to see if the eggs are now in the oviduct. If they are in a position to be laid already then some reptiles need a shot of oxytocin to produce the contractions for egg laying. Vets usually use those terms [ oviduct, leading out of the cloaca ] but I can see why he said cervix once I dug more in to anatomy of reptiles.

But anyway, her large appetite is not what you would see with a dragon that is egg bound [ dystocia ]

 

[petunia]

Wow, she is eating a lot ! As for a female beardie's reproductive tract, they have an oviduct that is the channel that the eggs would be laid through. I think your vet means that he wants to check to see if the eggs are now in the oviduct. If they are in a position to be laid already then some reptiles need a shot of oxytocin to produce the contractions for egg laying. I'm not sure why he used the other term [ cervix ] Hopefully he knows what he's doing. Her large appetite is not what you would see with a dragon that is egg bound [ dystocia ]

Thanks for your reply I always have much less anxiety after hearing from you. I think I will take her in just for the vet to see...and if he says her eggs are in the oviduct and ready to be laid should I request she get the shot?

 

[AHBD]

The vet would make that determination so he should be able to tell what to do.