Weight loss while gravid - Update, we got a few eggs!

[JenFid]

Hi everyone, quick question:

My youngest girl Scully has recently started the digging/restless phase of getting ready to lay eggs. I'd say it's been exactly one week. She even laid a single egg on Sunday. This is her first clutch, she just turned a year old a month ago.

My question is this: she has always been a hefty girl, weighing in at 678g last month. I noticed lately she's lost some weight, so when I weighed her just a few minutes ago she's lost a startling 78g and weighs exactly 600g! Is this due to the exercise she's been getting from running around so much? Or is she diverting some of her stored fat to egg making? Or just a combination of everything? I was under the impression that she wouldn't lose weight until after she laid her eggs.

 

[kcarello]

How has she been acting otherwise?? Is she behaving normally? Rapid weight loss is a sign of egg binding..also lethargic....

 

[JenFid]

Besides the usual running around/digging non stop she seems fine. Alert, inquisitive, no lethargy at all. When she takes a moment to bask she does her usual pancake and has her head up. The only other difference is she has 0 appetite. The weight-loss has probably been happening over the past few weeks. When my other female was gravid last year I was able to feel the eggs in her belly, while I can't seem to feel any in Scully. I think it took Daedalus a couple weeks of this behavior before she actually laid.

Are there any other signs I should be looking for that there might be a problem?

 

[kcarello]

If she is otherwise acting normal,,I wouldnt worry too much about her at this point. What worries me is that she laid one....are you giving her extra calcium??

 

[JenFid]

She's been getting her usual dusting with her feeders, none in the past few days since she won't eat - I'll see if she'll try something when i get home, but she's been too preoccupied with running around and digging to do more than give her supers a cursory lick. Should I pick up some liquid calcium?

What would the single egg be indicative of? Could she have more but is somehow unable to lay? My husband is home today and said she's dug a big hole in her dig box but no more eggs yet.

 

[taniya91]

what does her dig box look like? my female lost 20 grams both times she laid within about 5 days of laying her eggs....now of course 20 isnt compared to your 78g but just in my experience they do lose a little before laying ....mine also stopped eating for about 4 days before laying.... my dig box is a 18 gallon rubbermaid from walmart with a heat pad on the bottom and a lamp clamped on the side....my female REFUSED to lay in anything smaller...maybe thats your girls problem?

 

[JenFid]

I have a 58 quart sterilite...which translates to about 15 gallons. My other girl had no problems laying in it but of course Scully might need bigger. It's got some nice damp play sand in there for digging/tunneling. According to my hubby, last time she was in there she dug on both sides of the tub, and after she had stopped for awhile he put her back in her viv to bask which she's been doing for the last few hours - probably the longest she's sat still besides when she's sleeping since she's become gravid. Still no interest in food.

Next time she wants out I'll probably put her in there with her basking light, same as we did for my other girl. Course I've been reading articles on egg binding and it's freaked me out :shock: but she seems fine so I'm trying not to worry.

 

[taniya91]

how long do you leave her in there? i left my girl in there for about 8-10 hours the first time (had a lamp) and the second time she was only in there for about 2 hours before laying ....it was my girls first time every laying so i dont think she really knew what to do, so i left her there and she figured it out

 

[taniya91]

oh also how deep is the sand? ...mine is about 12 inches deep and thats how Letty (my female) likes it, she is picky she likes her dig box big and filled a foot high with digging material

 

[JenFid]

The longest she's been in there is a couple hours today when she did most of her digging. That is where she laid her first egg too which was on Sunday. Before she'd dig for about 30 minutes before she climbed out.

I'm not sure what to do...my husband and I both work during the day, we just happened to luck out that he worked from home today so was able to let her out and put her in the box, but we'll both be gone tomorrow. Should I put something in her tank with her? It's a 40g. I could also take some of the sand out of the sterilite bin so she can't climb out - her basking light has a dimmer so I could make sure she wouldn't get overheated...ugh this is so frustrating! My other girl laid on a Sunday so we didn't have to worry about having her stuck in her tank :/

I've been gently feeling her belly as well and don't feel or see any eggs, which is also unlike my last girl.

 

[JenFid]

oh also how deep is the sand? ...mine is about 12 inches deep and thats how Letty (my female) likes it, she is picky she likes her dig box big and filled a foot high with digging material

It's about 6 inches deep - basically one 50lb bag worth. Any higher and she could basically just walk out of the tub, heh.

 

[taniya91]

id recommend leaving her in there for several hours like i did my girl ...about 8 hours possibly... just a couple probably isnt going to be good enough her first time.
if you could figure out a way to leave her in the lay box while your at work that would probably be your best bet....sorry i cant help more....i had a similar experience with my female and i was ready to call the vet first thing in the morning, a more experienced breeder talked me out of it and told me to just leave her in the box, dont bother her, and give her the time she needs.... the next day at i had my eggs ....i can see why you are worried though because i was scared sh!tless....it got to the point i could care less how the eggs got out or if they were fertile i just wanted them out so id know my beardie was ok....turns out she was just trying to figure out what to do

 

[JenFid]

Thanks for the advice! Not much I can do tonight since she's pretty much conked out, but I can get her lay box situated so that I can put her in there tomorrow morning. If she hasn't laid by Friday should I get her in to the vet on Saturday, just to be sure?

 

[taniya91]

yeah i would....i think giving her until friday is a reasonable amount of time....after that id say a vet visit is a good idea

 

[JenFid]

Well after more reading and research I felt safe letting Scully stay in her tank today. When hubby got home from work he put her in the lay box and she immediately got to digging. She dug herself into a corner and about an hour later I saw her butt wiggling, but her head was still in the hole and her butt in the air! So I gently turned her around. She's laid 3 eggs so far, each one seems pretty tough for her. She's doing a lot of belly and hip waggling, and each time she's pushed out an egg I can literally hear her groaning! Definitely not going as easily for her first clutch as my other female.

I'm getting the CHE set up to keep her warm and sit by her and keep a close eye on her. She doesn't seem to mind me being near her at all, so that's encouraging.