Yes, Mark, she did. And she spent at least 30-40 hours a week outside with access to real sunlight. Her bone density and blood calcium levels were excellent. Last year she didn't shell her eggs and had an oviduct infection. She was treated with antibiotics and saw three different vets -- we had even driven her across country to see Dr. Jarchow in Arizona. Her last ultrasound and bloodwork were perfect last year.

This year she seemed fine, appeared to be gravid and then looked like she had maybe laid eggs. She didn't use the nest box and I was actually worried that she had laid eggs in the yard somewhere. Her x-ray was completely clear and she appeared to be a healthy non-gravid female. There was a very small amount of blood in her stool, but she had become receptive to the male again so we thought it was from that. The vet did find some bacteria so he put her back on antibiotics. Six days after that she started to hemorrhage. There were two eggs, almost completely shelled stuck in the oviduct. I am not sure if the oviduct ruptured or now, but I am guessing it did because there was yolk in the abdominal cavity. We rushed her to the vet and he tried surgery. She did wake up from the surgery but died later that night.

My heart is literally broken. It all happened so fast... She was more than just an iggy to us -- she was a real family member.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Hide Replies ]