Pregnant?? (or possibly impacted)

[StephSmith]

Hello,

I just got this female 9 days ago (5/5/13) and when I picked her up today (to moisten her humid hide) she seemed a little "rounder" so I checked her belly to see if anything looked wrong (she has been eating fine, and pooping fine with no signs of any problems). If anyone could let me know what they think I would appreciate it. I am NOT prepared for babies (but could NOT bring myself to just dispose of them if she does lay eggs), so if she IS pregnant, I need to get some help ASAP!

Thanks

 

[Charne]

how old is she? cause she looks a bit young to be gravid already.

 

[StephSmith]

I have no clue how old she is, I might be able to find out from the breeder, but he sold so many that day I doubt he would remember

 

[Charne]

I would estimate her at about 3-4 months old, so a little young to be gravid. So it might be a slight impaction. I am also a newbie at this so I am limited in knowledge compared to others but my female had the same problem a while ago. I gave her a luke warm bath twice a day followed by tummy rubs (firm but not hard). This solved the problem. So I would suggest you try that. Hope this helps. (is she pooping everyday?)

 

[StephSmith]

She was eating and pooping just fine, right up until I posted this (of course)! Se hasn't pooped in two nights and wouldn't eat last night (the night before she only had one cricket then lost interest). I am thinking maybe the crickets I was giving her were too big (because she has never been housed on sand, ever)

I did give her a warm bath last night, thought I am not sure she would let me rub her belly, she is a squirmy one, lol

She still seems active, she was out last night wandering around, and she kept going towards the food like she wanted it, but then would turn away

I got some waxworms today, so I am going to see if she will eat those since they are softer and hopefully the fat will make up for her not eating (and maybe help things move along)

Someone else told me that she might be ovulating, and that a lot of ovulating females stop eating :-/

I really hope she gets better soon for her sake, and mine (I really can't afford a trip to the vet)

 

[Charne]

Don't start worrying too much. When it happened to my female it went on for a week and a half. Because they are reptiles it isn't too worrying if they don't eat for a couple of days. Just continue with the warm baths and if she lets you, rub the tummy a little, it just helps things move along. another thing I did is I rubbed a bit of olive oil around her mouth and then she would lick it off, it help lubricate the system. lol. But if you are really worried about her eating I would suggest crushing some crickets into paste and mixing a little bit of calcium powder into it. Then you can just smear some of it around her mouth and she will lick it off. It sounds really gross (it is lol) but it really helped me. but once again, it takes them a while to pass it so don't worry if you do not see results in a day or two, it might take a week even. Could you possibly post a full length picture of her so I can just see her size please.

 

[StephSmith]

Thanks! Its so hard not to worry. I took this pic of her on a ruler to give an idea of how big she is (she was straight, but the shutter sound scared her) she is about 7 inches nose to tip of tail (which looks a little thin to me ), 5 inches body length. I tried giving her a waxworm, I even tried hand feeding it to her (well tweezer feeding) and she still kept turning away from it. I gave her another warm bath, and some olive oil on her nose...I really do hope she gets better soon :-/

 

[Charne]

she looks about 6-7 months old according to length, but you are right, her tail could definitely fatten up quite a bit. well they usually reach sexual maturity at 9 months and older so still nit really thinking its anything to do with eggs. I would suggest that you start with cricket mushing and rubbing it around her mouth so she can lick it off. you can even do it with the wax worms as they will help fatten her up. I know its hard not to worry, I also stressed out a lot when mine went through it. but what ended up happening is one day she just made a giant poop and then its been perfect ever since lol. but yes I would definitely try fatten her up a bit as they carry all their reserves in their tails. I will cross my fingers that she gets better soon

 

[Charne]

just posting this pic of a my big boy to show u what I mean about the tail. I know its difficult to fatten her up now that she is not eating but I had exactly the same issue with him and then he pooped, and has been GODZILLA ever since. Hence his fat tail lol

 

[StephSmith]

Yeah, my other leo has a pretty fat tail, but she has always been a bottomless pit when it comes to eating, lol. I wasn't sure if a juvie's tail was just thinner on it's own, or if I should be worried. I am going to give her one more bath tonight, and some olive oil, and if she doesn't poop overnight tonight I will try the mashed up waxwomrs...EW! (I don't want to give her anything with an exoskeleton if she is impacted). Thanks for all the help!!

 

[StephSmith]

I took some new pics tonight when I took her out for a warm bath. She looks so skinny

She still isn't eating, another breeder told me that she has a few females who don't eat when they are ovulating, and it does look like she might be, but it also looks like the follicles are creating a blockage.

I did a spot clean of her tank while she was taking her bath, and I noticed, in the corner where she used to defecate, that there are a few really small urate deposits, they were quite small, but that would seem like a good sign as far as hydration right?

 

[StephSmith]

SHE POOPED! Only on a forum about lizards (and maybe newborns, lol) can I be so excited about poop and other people will understand! Sometime today while I was out she defecated (half the length of her abdomen!) I am hoping this till be the upswing and she will start eating again and gaining some weight. I am going to try some TINY crickets in her tank tonight, but other than that I think I will leave her alone for a few days to let her settle! Thank you all SO much for all the advice, I think the warm baths and olive oil helped

 

[cricket4u]

SHE POOPED! Only on a forum about lizards (and maybe newborns, lol) can I be so excited about poop and other people will understand! Sometime today while I was out she defecated (half the length of her abdomen!) I am hoping this till be the upswing and she will start eating again and gaining some weight. I am going to try some TINY crickets in her tank tonight, but other than that I think I will leave her alone for a few days to let her settle! Thank you all SO much for all the advice, I think the warm baths and olive oil helped

Hi,

Don't you think it's important to at least try to find out what caused the problem? You really shouldn't have to soak and oil a gecko in order for them to defecate. Something must be wrong, perhaps diet or housing conditions. If the problem is not corrected, chances are the problem will continue and can lead to serious other conditions. It may be best to start a thread in the LG- health and diseases section and fill out this questionnaire.

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...68527-helping-your-sick-gecko-read-first.html

 

[StephSmith]

Hi,

Don't you think it's important to at least try to find out what caused the problem? You really shouldn't have to soak and oil a gecko in order for them to defecate. Something must be wrong, perhaps diet or housing conditions. If the problem is not corrected, chances are the problem will continue and can lead to serious other conditions. It may be best to start a thread in the LG- health and diseases section and fill out this questionnaire.

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...68527-helping-your-sick-gecko-read-first.html

There are a number of reasons why she hasn't been eating or defecating. #1 - I just got her and she is stressed. #2 - She is ovulating.

I have been speaking with a breeder about her issues and sending her pics and updates. I greatly appreciate your concern, but not so much the implication that I don't know what I am doing. I have an adult leo who I have been caring for for years who has never once been sick, she is a healthy, active, brightly colored, fat-tailed leopard gecko. So thank you for your concern for my new little girl, but I AM still actively watching her and plan to keep a very close eye on her diet and her conditions.

Please keep in mind, that just because someone is a newbie on these boards, doesn't mean they are a newbie with leos. I came here because, like I said, my adult leo has never been sick, so this was something I had never encountered before. I care greatly for my leos and I would never haphazardly care for them.

 

[cricket4u]

There are a number of reasons why she hasn't been eating or defecating. #1 - I just got her and she is stressed. #2 - She is ovulating.

I have been speaking with a breeder about her issues and sending her pics and updates. I greatly appreciate your concern, but not so much the implication that I don't know what I am doing. I have an adult leo who I have been caring for for years who has never once been sick, she is a healthy, active, brightly colored, fat-tailed leopard gecko. So thank you for your concern for my new little girl, but I AM still actively watching her and plan to keep a very close eye on her diet and her conditions.

Please keep in mind, that just because someone is a newbie on these boards, doesn't mean they are a newbie with leos. I came here because, like I said, my adult leo has never been sick, so this was something I had never encountered before. I care greatly for my leos and I would never haphazardly care for them.

I'm very well aware that you have another gecko and never assumed you were a newbie to leos. I make sure to read carefully everything you have stated. Please understand that even breeders who have been breeding for many years have been wrong. Not eating due to stress or ovulation is possible, however not defecating is not. I offered another set of eyes in the best interest of your gecko. If you're not interested, fine, no problem I understand.

 

[Charne]

Hi Steph!!! Im really happy she pooped! had the exact same issue and as soon as my leo pooped (huge poop) all went perfectly eer since. I understand what you mean about the joy a person finds in poop lol. The day mine did I was running through the houseyelling "theres poop!"lol