Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys, I'm posting because my 2 year old ig, Bella, has stopped eating entirely, about 2-3 weeks ago. I noticed eggs becoming enlarged in her belly around 8 weeks ago, and provided her with a laying box.

About 3-4 weeks ago, I did notice that the swelling of the eggs in her had gone down, and they were no longer visible on her sides. Furthermore, I cannot feel any roundness when I press on her belly anymore. Her belly is still round, but I feel no eggs. I have checked her laying box and haven't found any eggs.

I'm concerned that she may have dystocia, but if she does have her eggs still in here, wouldn't I still be able to feel and see them? Or is it possible they have shrunk some but are still in her belly somewhere?

I've now become convinced that she may have reabsorbed her eggs, but I am not sure how common this is. Would this also cause her to stop eating?

I don't have a lot of money so I would like to be sure she has dystocia before I take her to the vet. At this time she is still very active, and shows no signs of laziness and she is not really skinny.

Any advice you guys could give would be great! I'm so worried about my baby dinosaur!

Iguanas have been known to reabsorb their eggs. The only
way to know for sure that everything is OK is to have a qualified
vet check and possibly xray her. What you need to be very
careful of is the eggs breaking inside her.

Be very careful! My rescued ig Beanie became egg bound shortly
after I got her. She, like yours, stopped eating. Finally,
the vet had to do surgery to remove the eggs and spay her.
I syringe fed her for a year before she starting eating on her
own. She went through a lot but I am happy to say she has
been with me 5 years now and is doing OK. The vet can't believe
she is still here.

Linda

>I don't have a lot of money so I would like to be sure she has dystocia before I take her to the vet. At this time she is still very active, and shows no signs of laziness and she is not really skinny.
>>
>>Any advice you guys could give would be great! I'm so worried about my baby dinosaur!

I dont post much here, but I really really have to suggest x-rays.

Having lost several female iguanids to egging issues (the most troubling was my caymenensis hybrid) I would not hesitate at this point for a second opinion.

Even after laying, they can retain eggs. All it can take is 1 retained egg. Also the animals that are lost to egging issues, be it burst or retained, go from being healthy in the morning with no issues, to dead in the afternoon. It is a very fast process and a very troubling one.

That being said, re-absorption of eggs is a reasonably common thing. Some iguanas are more prone to it. Our one female did it for 3 years and then stopped laying.

While I understand money can be tight this is one major issue that you really need a second opinion. And it is also the reason I will only own male iguanids.

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Cindy
PHFaust

Email Cindy

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