Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can anyone tell me why my ig has been so antsy? I believe she is a girl from her small pores and her small head size/spikes but ofcourse this is not a definate. This is her first winter with me,prior to this I got her as a juvenile and she has grown at a very rapid rate with no health issues but has since stopped eating and seems to contsantly be looking to get out of her enclosure. She has not become aggressive but I know when she is not in the mood to be pet as she will use her claw to scratch at the place i am petting and shakes her head as if she is flicking off some pesty flies and I take that as a cue that she does not feel like socializing. When she was not acting strangely she ususally only did this toward evening when she would be sleepy but now it is most of the time. Is this a normal response to breeding season or should I be concerned with her lack of eating? My vet says they can sometimes develop eggs without having been exposed to a male and this can require surgery! Is there anyway to avoid that? Despite her not eating she does not seem to have lost alot of body mass and seems well hydrated. I keep supplying her with food bvut day after day it goes untouched. I tried keeping her in a more humid,warmer room but the behavior continued. Anyone have any ideas whats going on?

You need to take her to a reptile vet. It sounds like she
may be eggbound. I have a female that I went through with
this and she had to have surgery to remove the eggs. I had
to syringe feed her for a year before she started eating
on her own. She had multiple other problems though so all
of this really was too much for her.

Hope this helps
Linda

Not necessarily egg bound, but definately a possibility, and most likely is gravid at any rate. Igabelle did this her with her first clutch, and even with the large enclosure, ended up nose rubbing so bad looking for "the place" to lay, that she has permanent damage to her nose. I would recommend increasing calcium supplement as the eggs take so much to form, and even though they are already formed at this point, she will need to rebuild her levels over the next few weeks even after laying. (Assuming she does lay) I would still recommend a vet visit for at least the first gravid season for a few reasons. Xrays will give an approximate idea of how many eggs to expect, and will show if they are moving down (getting close to laying day) Also may need follow up xrays to make sure they will be laid and not becoming egg bound. Egg binding in females requires surgery or will result in death. I don't take Igabelle to the vet any more when she's gravid as long as everything goes the way it has the past few years. Not to say I wouldnt bring her in a heartbeat if something out of the norm was going on. She may wish to use a nesting box to bury them in, but also may totally ignore it and lay where ever she wishes. Igabelle laid hers on my husbands dresser one year. Lovely. Best of wishes to you both.