# bearded dragon gone rapidally downhill after laying eggs



## andrea_1973

hi im a newbie on here and could say reality new to beardies . we aquired 2 beardies that were in desperate need of a loving caring home and my girls fell in love with them and home with us they came . this was about 8 months ago maybe a bit longer and we have never had any problems with them and we found all the information about what heat/food and other bits we needed to keep them heathly and safe, they both came in a viv and lived quiet happy together and last saturday the female seemed a bit of colour and very very tired and not her usual livley playful self . i kept a check on her and noticed a few eggs in the sand and promplty rung the reptile shop in the town where i live he told me what to do with them and how to keep a check on the female
. over night the female became very unresponsive and i got her straight to the vets and they were concerned and gave her a streroid jab antibiotics and multi vits and asked me to bring her back in 48 hours if she was still with us . 48 hours later she was still with us but still going very downhill so i took her back and again another steroid multi vit and the oxy something to release any eggs that were left . she released another 5 eggs but continues to look very worn out and very very sick her weight has fallen off her and im so worried were going to loose what has become a very special member of the family . ive booked her into a specialist reptile vet in the morning but wondered if any other member has experianced the same or simler to what were going trough at the min . i would like to add a very helpfull member of this forum has been a godsend in assisting me in every way he can and introduced me to here i dont know his user name but he knows who he is so thank you darren for the help you have gave so far .


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## alex_p

All I would say until you've seen a specialist is lots of calcium, and try some big gut loaded adult locusts as much as she'll eat.

Another possible problem is stress. Most likely caused by her wanting to lay eggs but there's a male around all the time and nowhere ideal to lay. If they don't find somewhere suitable to lay they can retain eggs as you described which can eventually kill them. Well done for getting to the vets, that oxytocin injection may well be the difference between life and death. Just keep a good basking spot temp of around 40C, all the food and UV light you can get in there. 

Hopefully she'll pull through, and when she does I advise getting a second vivarium set up to separate them as otherwise it may well happen again.

Alex


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## andrea_1973

hi and thanksfor the reply i split them up and they both have seperate vivs with all the heat lamps uv lamps basking spots ect i got help sorting that and i went and got some big locust tonight and piled the calcium powder on and she has eaten four and the vet last night recomended dyoralyte rehydration solution that you give kids when there unwell ive gave her a few ml via a syringe a bit of a struggle but got her to take a bit . just hope we get her sorted and back to good health i could sit and cry for her xx


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## Diamondback

alex_p said:


> All I would say until you've seen a specialist is lots of calcium, and try some big gut loaded adult locusts as much as she'll will eat


Firstly hi Andrea it's Darran I have sent you a private message so you have my profile. 

Alex is right keep her feeding whilst she will eat and dust everything with calcium the egg laying and constant hassle from the male have stressed her out big time. I know you have now separated them so that's a good start.

If your estimates of her age are correct she is around half the weight she should be having weighed her last night and certainly under weight for egg laying so this will have worn her out and depleted her calcium reserves.

Hopefully the specialist you going to see can ensure that this is all that's wrong with her and help you further. If you need anything else or want to discuss anything you know how to get hold of me. I have everything crossed for this little fighter and I am sure others on here will have good advice for you. 

:welcome:


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## Debbie1962

Keep her hydrated too, this is very important as they dehydrate quickly when ill. Maybe mix a little water with the med she's getting and syringe that into her. Or a little bathing session if it doesn't stress her too much.

Sounds like you done everything you can so good luck with her.


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## andrea_1973

hiya all just back from the reptile vets and hes great he thinks due to the stress of being stuck with the male and egg bound she became calcium defecient . hes given her another injection and all the eggs have come away he also gave her oral calcium and some more antibiotics she is eating again already bless her she still very exhusted but didnt stop the little fighter getting out her box in the car and racing across to me lol not good when your trying to drive . but fingers crossed shes holding in there . thanks for all the advice i think this forum is great xxx


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## Debbie1962

Awwww that sounds promising. Keep us updated.


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## Diamondback

andrea_1973 said:


> hiya all just back from the reptile vets and hes great he thinks due to the stress of being stuck with the male and egg bound she became calcium defecient . hes given her another injection and all the eggs have come away he also gave her oral calcium and some more antibiotics she is eating again already bless her she still very exhusted but didnt stop the little fighter getting out her box in the car and racing across to me lol not good when your trying to drive . but fingers crossed shes holding in there . thanks for all the advice i think this forum is great xxx


Yes the stress of producing and laying those eggs takes a lot out of them and uses a lot of the calcium they obtain from food etc. these are rescued animals and you don't know if she was getting enough with her food before you got them.

At least she has responded well to the treatment and seems to be heading in the right direction.

I did some research after we spoke the other night and it appears that in the future she may produce more eggs even if she is not been with a male. These will obviously be infertile. It's not likely to be soon so don't worry about this she will build up her strength rapidly now she is getting calcium and scoffing the crickets / veg. 

In the future if she does start to show signs of producing eggs it is easy enough to ensure she is getting the vitamins and calcium she needs so she does not get in this state again and avoid the worry etc you have had over the past few weeks.

One things for sure she's a tough little beardie and she certainly has someone looking after her now.


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## soul_girl

My female laid eggs even through she is never allowed near my male and I didnt realise she would so it was a bit of a shock. She lost alot of weight after laying them and within 2 months she laid some again. 

I switched to feeding her dubia roaches, increased the amount of food live & fresh, some days she would eat 4 bowls of salad. I increased the amount of vitamins she was getting, and gave her plenty of baths and exercise.

Since she laid the last batch of eggs her weight has gone up by 100g to what it previously was and so shes now 495g. She laid one lot of eggs back in February and the other in April, so I'm going to keep any eye on her around those periods in time and make sure I increase what she eats around that time.


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## andrea_1973

the vet weighed her and she is so underweight she was 226 when you weighed her daz and yesterday she had gone up to 250 so at least shes putting a bit on but its a slow pace but we will percivere with her . shes been at the front of the viv banging to come out and had a run round and pooped all over the floor so thats another good step . were back at vets tomrrow night so fingers crossed . what are those roaches soul can i get them from any reputable reptile supplies . the vet recons she will pull trew tho . can you actually get/give a liquid calcium like he gave her to suppliment the calci dust or not and where can you buy this . thanks for all the helpful advice guys its really taking some of the stress away finally . id never give up with the little guy as she really has made such a impact on our lives and even more after nearly losing her xx


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## Debbie1962

> can you actually get/give a liquid calcium like he gave her to suppliment the calci dust or not and where can you buy this


Most decent reptile shops or online shops will sell this liquid calcium.

Keep up the good work, sounds like is on the up.


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## andrea_1973

thanks for that debbie will invest in some she will let you feed her so think she will take it can you give to much and does it harm them if you do xx


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## Debbie1962

You can give too much but you would seriously have to overdose the stuff. It tells you on the packet how much to give. Try livefoods.co.uk I know they usually have some in and if you order before 3.00 Mon-Thurs you will get it the next day depending on your postal service of course.


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## andrea_1973

just back from vets again and its not looking good she has took yet another bad turn and vet is concerned her mouth looked very yellow so hes thinking a problem with her liver , also she has not woke up at all today apart from when the vet tried taking some blood and she is that weak and flat her blood was vertually nill but he managed to get a small amount , will get results hopefully weds or thurs , this is really upseting as i just dont know where ive gone wrong or what has caused this as even tho im a newbie to these i did find out what they needed to eat and thought we was doing ok .this has happened so sudden and is such a shock and distressing even the male can tell something isnt right . its heartbreaking to see her so so sick and i just worry im going to go to the viv and she has given up . wish i knew what to do to make her better im doing all i can at min :-(


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## Diamondback

andrea_1973 said:


> just back from vets again and its not looking good she has took yet another bad turn and vet is concerned her mouth looked very yellow so hes thinking a problem with her liver , also she has not woke up at all today apart from when the vet tried taking some blood and she is that weak and flat her blood was vertually nill but he managed to get a small amount , will get results hopefully weds or thurs , this is really upseting as i just dont know where ive gone wrong or what has caused this as even tho im a newbie to these i did find out what they needed to eat and thought we was doing ok .this has happened so sudden and is such a shock and distressing even the male can tell something isnt right . its heartbreaking to see her so so sick and i just worry im going to go to the viv and she has given up . wish i knew what to do to make her better im doing all i can at min :-(


Oh dear fingers crossed for some better news with the tests. There is nothing more you can do for her, your giving her All the help you can get for her.


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## soul_girl

Dont blame yourself for the dragon being ill, you have tried your best by getting her to the vet. Some people wouldnt even bother to do that and just let the dragons die. I rescued one who was in such a bad way he only weighed 187g and it took my 18 months to get his weight up to 450g, I spent so much money getting him up to a decent weight trying different foods with him and still now he doesnt like veg and I have to bath him several times a week so he gets water inside him. Its a long hard drawn out process, all you can do is what you are going, warm baths and offer veg and live food.

With regards to the dubia roaches i got my online but I now breed them for my 2 dragons, I tend to give them 2-3 every other day in the winter and 2-3 every day in summer, but it all depends on what mood they are in. I found they are very easy to keep I just feed them weebabix and butter squash. I keep mine in a large black storeage crate with small mental grill on top for air. 

There are various places on line that sell them the link below has 30 medium onces for £5.00. Give them a go because anyway to get extra food inside her is worth it. 

Medium 30x Dubia Roaches

I hope she does make a recovery x


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## Debbie1962

I'm really sorry to hear this.

Please don't blame yourself though as it sounds like she may have been unwell to start with and the egg problem has just brought it to the surface. You don't suddenly develop a liver problem overnight if that's what it is.


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## rey619

Sorry to hear about everything your family and your Dragon has went through, but I hope she will still pull through this.

xx


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## andrea_1973

this is so crazy i had made the dession to have her put to sleep tonight after a bad 2 days where she has not moved or even opened her eyes . i really felt it was the kindest thing to do as i have already spent 300 odd pound at the vets and she has got no better . she had just lay virchally flat on the log in her viv and not moved but must have as there was 4 more eggs in the sand . i have been syringe feeding her a critical care liquid from the vets and she hasnt even had the stregnth to fight me like she had been doing . i got home with a heavy heart ready to call the vets and went to the viv and she was lay in her place on the log . i called her name and she opened her eys and i carried on speaking to her and she lifted her head . i thought right lets just try see if she will eat a locust and lo and behold she scoffed 8 of them staight off and then went back to sleep . im just baffled with her and unsure if she had just had a lease of life or is holding on . she is 1 stuborn little fighter but im i just pining my hopes here x


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## rey619

She sure is fighting ! good sign that she is eating.


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## kay-leighann

I hope she picks up! Good luck and keep us posted  x


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## andrea_1973

ive posted some piks of charlie and rocco so you can see i have done everything right as far as i can see


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## Debbie1962

First of all can I just ask if the vet your seeing is a reptile specialist?



> she had just lay virchally flat on the log in her viv and not moved but must have as there was 4 more eggs in the sand


If they were laid recently I thought she wasn't supposed to have any more eggs left? Did they do an x-ray to see if there were eggs left?

She will not improve if she has eggs still stuck inside her.

Some vets say they have a knowledge of reptiles but really they can only cope with the simpler things.


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## andrea_1973

hiya yes hes a rep vet him and another vet at the practice are rep specialised . they didnt x ray her tho . were back there 2moras . she has eaten again today but still sleeping a great deal . shold get the results of her blood tests aswell . still pretty stressing tho all round x


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## Debbie1962

Okay, so she is getting the best help she can then.



> they didnt x ray her tho


I would say that if the bloods don't show up anything that it may be worth an x-ray to check for more eggs.

Chin up hun, it's hard I know as I've been there many times in my 10-11 years of keeping reptiles, I've got my fingers crossed for you both.


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## andrea_1973

just hope they can tell us whats wrong its so sad to see her just lying there she will get up and look around every now and again . its like she will suddenly hear you she looks about for a bit then drifts back of to sleep . il ask the vet to xray her if nothing comes back and il keep you posted cheers again all nice to see so many pple care xx


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## obicat

She sounds like a fighter. Fingers crossed for her!


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## Debbie1962

> il ask the vet to xray her if nothing comes back


Good idea to do so. It will show up if there are any more eggs. Any eggs left can burst and cause peratanitis (sp?) and this will obviously make her very unwell.


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## andrea_1973

well results are back she dont have liver damage or a calcium defect it is a burst egg the caused toxins that also led to a kidney infection but she is just fine just a little weak and tired but she really did shock me this morning i came down to syringe feed her medicine and the little bugger was wide awake and tapping the glass to come out . i could have cried and first thing i did was take a photo and send to darren the chappie who has been my rock while this has all been going on as i didnt think anyone would believe the diffence in her lol . the vet also weighed her for me and she has put on 10 gramms so thats also a good sign , she had her last shot of antibiotics so all the toxins should be cleared. tonight she is wide awake and sat on her log watching us go about our daily life . im just so happy for her that she will make a slow but full recovery even tho i was panicking all the money i was spending to get her sorted but she is worth it she has been a fighter . thank you for all the support from you all as its really helped and gave me and i hope other newbies who may end up in this situation understand things a bit more clearer xxx:2thumb:


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## andrea_1973




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## Debbie1962

Awwww I'm really pleased to hear the news Andrea. I suspected a burst egg and it can really make thm ill.

It can be expensive treating them but we all do it as we care so much for them.


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## andrea_1973

thanks debbie she is all up and back to her nosey self, feeding like she is starved bless its going to take a bit of time to get her weight ect back up but at least she is out of danger . i felt like a huge weight had been lifted as i drove away from the vets last night and even tho its been a huge expense i couldnt see any animal suffer , im just so glad she opened her eyes tuesday evening or it could have been such a differnt story  . at least ive learned a lot more about how these little guys need caring for and what they can and cant have ect and its a eye opener when you have to see such a helpless little creature like these suffering xxx


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## andrea_1973

*update on charlie*

well its been a few months since ive posted on how charlie is progressing . well the other week she again was took ill her head was tilting to the right and her front leg was bent under likeit was useless , so again another trip to the vets with a emergencey call out fee :bash: we thought it was a stroke but it turned out she had a ear infection . she was put on antibiotics and picked up . she has been really loving and wanted out the viv at every oppertunity and took to following me about lol . today as per she was going nuts to come out and she did and when we put her back we could hear her making a right racket chucking the bark ect about . i went to check on her and she has laid another load of eggs :gasp: i was shocked as she has been seperated away from the male since the last issue of eggs .fingers crossed we dont have the problem we did before as she is a lot more stronger and healthier


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## Diamondback

andrea_1973 said:


> well its been a few months since ive posted on how charlie is progressing . well the other week she again was took ill her head was tilting to the right and her front leg was bent under likeit was useless , so again another trip to the vets with a emergencey call out fee :bash: we thought it was a stroke but it turned out she had a ear infection . she was put on antibiotics and picked up . she has been really loving and wanted out the viv at every oppertunity and took to following me about lol . today as per she was going nuts to come out and she did and when we put her back we could hear her making a right racket chucking the bark ect about . i went to check on her and she has laid another load of eggs :gasp: i was shocked as she has been seperated away from the male since the last issue of eggs .fingers crossed we dont have the problem we did before as she is a lot more stronger and healthier


Hi Andrea 

I did say she may lay more, I read on here that they can lay even if they have never been near a male. At least you know what to do this time, no need really for the vets as long as you keep the food going in and plenty of dusting of the crickets and veg.

If you need anything let me know.


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## andrea_1973

*update*

its crazy she was going nuts and i find her pushing the bark about and saw the eggs 21 in total so far lol . now she bashing the glass to come out again . this beardie never ceases to amaze me or shock us bless her . hows your new additions getting on darren hope they have settled in :2thumb:


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## Diamondback

andrea_1973 said:


> its crazy she was going nuts and i find her pushing the bark about and saw the eggs 21 in total so far lol . now she bashing the glass to come out again . this beardie never ceases to amaze me or shock us bless her . hows your new additions getting on darren hope they have settled in :2thumb:



Yes the GTP is doing well. Had my first ever snake bite last week and it wasn't the GTP it was the amazon tree boa little git.

At least you now know what to do with her etc. should save you trips to the vet etc. as youve been through this before.


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## Debbie1962

Yes they can multi clutch even when separated from the male. Hopefully she will cope better this time, she has been through it hasn't she poor thing.


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## andrea_1973

yes lol thanks deb a nightmare past few months but she looks fine tonight and its eating ect so a good sign fingers crossed . dont think i could bear the thought of another egg issue . they all came away pretty fast and altogether this time instead of odd ones here and there like before . lol daz bet that made you jump a bit , i know when charlie caught me i had the fright of my life . ur dad was chatting about your snakes i recon he secretly wants one himself lol


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## Diamondback

andrea_1973 said:


> yes lol thanks deb a nightmare past few months but she looks fine tonight and its eating ect so a good sign fingers crossed . dont think i could bear the thought of another egg issue . they all came away pretty fast and altogether this time instead of odd ones here and there like before . lol daz bet that made you jump a bit , i know when charlie caught me i had the fright of my life . ur dad was chatting about your snakes i recon he secretly wants one himself lol


I think he thought my finger was a mouse he was in my hand at the time as I was spot cleaning his tank and he comes flying out as soon as I open the glass door. Should have known he was waiting for the right moment to bite me. He is a devil after all.

I don't think my dad would cope with the speed of the amazon tree boa it would have bitten him before he knew what was coming :lol2:


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## Debbie1962

> they all came away pretty fast and altogether this time instead of odd ones here and there like before


That sounds much better than last time.


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