First ovulation?

Hello! To make a long story shortish: I have a female leo who has not eaten in a month. Her weight has bounced around a little, but has remained between 44-47 g. I don't think she's pooped in about a week. I'm not totally sure if her abdomen is getting larger or if I'm just seeing things based on what I've read here, but it's possible that she looks plumper. I don't have any males, and she's been with me about a year and a half (she only recently hit breeding size; got her from a big box store and unfortunately was misinformed for the first few months of ownership). She seems somewhat restless, and has been climbing on her warm hide during the day which is new. She also seems to be keeping her eyes closed a lot, which I read could be a sign of pain/straining? I'm taking her to the vet, but wanted some opinions while I'm waiting. Also intend to make a lay box as a just in case. Thanks!

I tried taking a photo but it didn't turn out like at all haha, but maybe someone with a discerning eye can see something.

About your leo:
- Sex: female
- Age & Weight: approx. 2 yrs, 45 g
- How long have you owned your leo: a year and a half
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): big box pet store chain

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: very rarely
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.: somewhat, seems to be climbing more, or sitting with eyes shut.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.: none
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): normal, feces with white urate
- When was the last time he/she went: at least a week ago, possibly longer
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: Refusing food, has not eaten in a month

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 10 gal (I know it's too small working on getting a 20 long soon)
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass tank
- Type of substrate: coco coir until today, switched to paper towels to better moniter feces
- Hides, how many, what kind: two, one on hot side, one on cool side that doubles as a humid hide while shedding
B) Heating
- Heat source: UTH regulated with thermostat
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): hot side 93, cool 74-79
- Method of regulating heat source: thermostat
- What are you using to measure your temps: infrared gun
- Do you have any lights (describe): none
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): none
- Describe health, or previous problems:none

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): Dubia roaches, 6-8 every two days
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): hand fed with tongs to avoid impaction
B) Supplements (describe how often): repashy calcium plus with every feeding, plain calcium left in tank
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): repashy calcium plus
- What are you gut loading food with: repashy bug burger

Welcome to GF! It's hard to tell whether there are eggs or not. In 14 years of owning leos I've only had 1 female lay eggs without benefit from a male. I have stopped worrying about whether my (many) geckos are eating or not as long as they're not visibly losing weight. I wish I could have felt the same way about my kids when they were little, but that's no longer an issue.

Aliza

Ovulation can be tough to spot and the container you have her in for that picture is not clear enough to say for sure. Those pink bodies are the sides of her belly do look suspiciously like eggs, but it's hard to say for sure. Fat bodies can look like eggs. If they are eggs, she might lay them or just reabsorb them.

I'm willing to bet it's ovulation, though. Your set up sounds good so I don't think it's a husbandry issue. Basically all my females are ovulating now and most of them won't eat anything and a few have dropped considerable weight. It's just what happens at this time of year.

She may or may not produce infertile eggs. I haven't had any that haven't been bred produce eggs, but it's possible.

Thank you for the reassurance!
I took her to the vet yesterday. After doing an ultrasound the vet determined she does have two eggs! I went ahead and made a nice deep lay box for her, the vet said she'll likely lay within a week, though it's still possible she'll reabsorb them. I'm hoping they pass soon, but for now I'm just relieved to have an answer.

moonie said:

Thank you for the reassurance!
I took her to the vet yesterday. After doing an ultrasound the vet determined she does have two eggs! I went ahead and made a nice deep lay box for her, the vet said she'll likely lay within a week, though it's still possible she'll reabsorb them. I'm hoping they pass soon, but for now I'm just relieved to have an answer.

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You're such a good parent! I'm also experiencing this with my female. She's my first reptile so I've been very anxious about her. She stopped eating 3 weeks ago but all my husbandry is correct and I saw the tell tale red spot on her belly right before she stopped eating. Hopefully she'll reabsorb them soon and start eating again.

Cool that you got an ultrasound! This is my first year with females that are old enough to ovulate, and it's driving me nuts that they aren't eating. Trying to be patient... *sighs*