Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi again everyone, I've been running around like a headless chicken lately to get things ready for my other pair of chucks I'll be collecting soon lol, I'm nearly there now though, the viv is built, it just needs the runners and the glass. Any how getting back to the pair I have, well mable looks to be getting smaller and going back to the size she was when I first collected her but NO SIGHN OF ANY EGGS!. What the heck could be happening? it just doesn't make sence, I did read something on a forum (can't remember if it was this forum or another) about re-absorbing eggs, could this be what is happening?. The only other thing I can think of is that, after I first got her I became more and more concerned as 6 days had passed and she hadn't had a poo, so I contacted the previous owner and asked if this was normal for her, and she said yes they can go for up to a week sometimes without going to the loo. I'm not saying anything wrong about the previous owner as she seems really nice and looks after her reptiles really well but that didn't sound quite right to me and I felt she should be more regular than that, any how she now seems to be going pretty much every day now (I think that is due to the tortoise food having fibre in it and the fact that you soak it in a little water). So I'm wondeirng if she looks smaller because she is pooing more, I mean (sorry if this is too much info but I think it will give you some clues lol)yesterday there was some poo in there, I can't be sure if it was from Trevor or Mable but it was the size of my little finger!. So as I say could she still have the eggs I could see, but they aren't as visable and she looks smaller due to passing poo that may have been bloked up a bit. Sorry for such a longpost and sorry if there was too much info at times lol, but the more info I give you the more you will be able to advice me. Any thoughts you have and actual excperiances similar to what I've described would be great and then I won't be sitting her scratching my head as to what is going on lol.
Thank you
Martin

Here are some pics, the first 2 pics were taken today, and the last one I can't quite remember but it was a week or 2 ago. You can clearly see she looks smaller and the wrinkles are now more obviouse and she doesn't look as lumpy, don't you agree? what do you think?

I don't see the egg lumps in your photo. She very well could have reabsorbed. One of my females just did the same thing.

Hi, Thanks for your reply, sounds like that is what has happened then. What a dissapointment, all that worrying for nothing, any how the main thing is that she is ok and I'd rather that then her become egg bound, and I guess it was like a dress rehersal lol. It was good practice acctually, as one day I was really worried as she went in her burrow for a few hours which isn't normal for her, she is normally out all the time, and I though oh my god she's laying them in the burrow. Any how whilst she was in there I was thinking how the heck am I going to get them out of there, any how I took the basking rock out and the burrow collapsed whilst doing that, there were no eggs to be seen but it did just show me if she had of layed there how difficult it would have been to get the eggs out so I've now set the viv up differntly so I have easy access to any eggs, if I ever get any lol. So you live and learn lol. Any way, so do you know what the reason for them re-absorbing is or could be? is it perhaps because the eggs wernt fertile or something? I know it's hard to say but I'm interested in any theories you might have. I'll attach a pic of the egg lumps she had.
Thanks again, better luck next time I guess lol.
Martin

A "week or two" seems like a short time for a female to
reabsorb. Especially with the egg bulge shown being that
large which means they were/are pretty far along. It's not
as common for large/late term eggs to be re absorbed.

Yes, dud eggs are more often re absorbed.

Either she did a really quick reabsorption or the eggs are
still in her ... just not as noticeable as they tend to move
the egg positioning around so the bulges are not seen one
day but seem to reappear the next. The fallopian tubes are
long and flexible and can easily move from one side to
the middle of her torso with little effort on her part.

If it were me, I would check every nook and cranny in her
tank. I have been surprised by well hidden egg clusters
in unsuspected corners.

A good way to stop much of the guess work is to keep a
weight check on her. Main land chuck eggs tend to average
from 8-12 grams and a decent size clutch would be from
8-10 eggs (give or take a couple). Also the water lost during
deposition would add to the lizards sudden weight loss.

You can also palpate for eggs by gently massaging her lower
torso. Often you can feel the eggs you can't see.

I would be a little concerned if no fecal elimination occurred
as long as a week apart. Mine tend to shoot from both ends
and often. They sneeze 'snalt' on the glass and poop regularly
(mostly on a daily basis). On the other hand, a gravid female
close to the end of her gestation period would eat less as
there's less room with the eggs and water build up so less
fecal matter of course.

Lastly, it is not in her best interest to set a rock on top of
the substrate for fear of her digging under it and possibly
causing the substrate to undermine ... hence, causing the
heavy rock to hurt or crush her as it sinks.

John

Hi, Thanks for such an interesting and informative reply. You've given me a lot of food for thought, I did check every where in the viv for any eggs and I still can't find any any where. Also this morning she does seem to look bigger again, so as you said the eggs may still be inside her as I thought I could see some slight bulges, so I have switched the incubator back on as at the moment I'm really unsure as to if she is still gravid or not. You mentioned no fecal elimination for up to a week, but this was only from when I first got her, and now she does go pretty much every day so that is great and I'm sure I can keep it that way, which brings me back to my theorie that she may have been showing more because there was some feacal build up inside her and that may have made her look bigger and the eggs more pronounced, and now she is deficating every day she could have passed any build up and that may be why she appears smaller and the eggs far less pronounced. You also mentioned about putting a rock on the substrate, well it is supported by a smaller rock under ither end to suport it, and I always make sure that any rocks or anything are actually touching the floor of the viv and that the substrate is placed around this to make sure they can't collapse. Any how thanks again, all what you said does give me hope that she may still lay some eggs, so I'll let you know what happens, fingers crossed lol.
Cheers
Martin