Is this an egg in her belly? (eating problems) (pics)

[transcend11]

My 11 month old Lily has lost her appetite for a couple months now. Throughout the last 2 months she's maybe ate 20 mealworms total, but I did recently get her wax worms and she's eating about 4 total within the past 2 weeks. However, she doesn't seem to be losing weight and her tail isn't getting smaller.

I know that the ovulation time for female geckos is around November - March. I was able to snap some great pictures showing what I think may be an egg in her belly. If it is, is that the cause for her loss of desire for food? Or is this something else? The white mass isn't as apparent in the pictures as it is in person, but you can still definitely see something.

Thanks for any feedback!

Picture descriptions:
photo(4) - white mass is on left side of picture, to left of the central vein
photo(3) - same white mass is in center of picture
photo(5) - white mass is only half visible on left side of picture
photo(2) - "what are you doing, weirdo?"

 

[JordanAng420]

I would say yes, indeed there is at least one egg, IMO :main_yes:

 

[transcend11]

Great! So that's normal then? Will her body dissolve it if it stays unfertilized or could she actually lay it?

And that would explain her odd behavior and appetite? If so... wooohoo! Finally some reasoning behind all of this!

 

[JordanAng420]

It looks like she'll probbably lay it, although she might dissolve it, as it still looks a bit early to tell... it's up to her to decide I guess...yes it is normal for some geckos to go off food while they're ovulating and/or gravid. I have one that's doing the same thing right now.

Odd behavior...like in the pictures where she's climbing the walls and stuff...oh yea, they do that when they're "ready" in my personal experiance If you are concerned about her weight, just keep a daily, or even a few times a week record of what she weighs and make sure she's maintaining.

 

[Saphira]

interesting.....

my leo was climbing the walls the other day..

 

[JordanAng420]

interesting.....

my leo was climbing the walls the other day..

I should clarify what I meant when I said that...I didn't mean that climbing = ovulation. Climbing the walls can be seen just as often in males as it is in females, although it is one of MANY behaviors my females exhibit when they're ovulating...I think it's just the one I notice the most. They become very active, moreso in the day than they usually are, and tend to eat much less. When I handle them during this time I notice they're less inclined to jump, and would much rather lie down and be sweet. I also find that they spend less time in the moist hide when ovulating, and more time on the hot side of the tank.

 

[Saphira]

That really has me thinking.... she has eye issue's at the moment.. see my post however..what you just described fits her other "symptoms"....

 

[Spots]

wow, thanks so much for posting pictures. People need to do this more IMO...lol My girl is climbing walls and not eating and I wrote a thread about it cause I was freaking out since I couldn't find any information online, but after seeing your photos (of the belly and her climbing the wall), it looks exactly like my girl So what a relief.

However, there's this blackish patch near the one egg on my gecko not yours. Normal?

And how long can they go without eating during this phase? And how much should they weigh if they are going to "give birth" properly? I just want to make sure she will be okay

 

[JordanAng420]

wow, thanks so much for posting pictures. People need to do this more IMO...lol My girl is climbing walls and not eating and I wrote a thread about it cause I was freaking out since I couldn't find any information online, but after seeing your photos (of the belly and her climbing the wall), it looks exactly like my girl So what a relief.

However, there's this blackish patch near the one egg on my gecko not yours. Normal?

And how long can they go without eating during this phase? And how much should they weigh if they are going to "give birth" properly? I just want to make sure she will be okay

The blackish patch is most likely liver or gallbladder. Nothing to worry about.

I have one female that goes without eating the entire duration of her "pregnancy" (gravid), which usually lasts between 3-5 weeks. They're pretty tough little creatures, they can go for quite a while without eating....which doesn't mean they SHOULD, i'm just sayin...The usual standard is 50 g, however I usually get my girls to around 55 or 60 grams, just to have that extra "cushion"

 

[ajveachster]

If you have one that does lay don't freak out too much if the weight right after laying is about 5-10 grams lower. She will probably start eating again, and put that weight right back on along with her next round of eggs in about 2 weeks. Good Luck!

 

[Spots]

if she won't eat actual food, should I give her like...babyfood or this slurry thing that I keep reading baout on these forums? or just let her do things on her own?

 

[Saphira]

How long hasn't she eaten? Is she drinking?

I would probably try the slurry.