Leopard gecko "miscarriage"

[pandoras box]

Hi everyone. Sorry to make my first post here a serious issue (to me), I have lurked for a while but this happened all of a sudden and I need answers and I'm hoping you will have them. I'm not sure if this should go in breeding or health but I'm more concerned about her health so I will go with that.

I first noticed that one of my females, Athena, was gravid in May and she laid her first clutch, an infertile one on June 15th. 17 days later, on July 2 she laid her 2nd clutch which so far appears to be good. At 32 days on the 4th of August, I thought she was acting like she was going to lay but she didn't. Then, last night when I was getting my male out to feed them I noticed an unusual stool on their poop paper towel (picture 1). I recognized it from when I cut open one of her first eggs after it fell in and molded - it definitely looks like the contents of an egg. Then last night she laid the other egg and a glob of shell goo for the other. The surviving egg feels sticky and hasn't hardened in the 5 hours since I've found it. It candled completely yellow but I still have it incubating, I use a upside down plastic container for her humid hide and just swapped the lids and put a deli container over the egg hoping it would harden, just in case.

Is there a name for what happened? Has anyone else experienced this? Is there any treatment required? I want her to have as little stress as possible. I've googled the crap out of this but I'm having trouble finding information. Thanks!

Warning, the first pic is kind of really gross looking
The picture of her belly is after I found the goo-poo and before she laid the egg and a half
The picture of the 2 leopard geckos is Athena, left, and Poseidon, right... in happier times. Don't worry, the moss is from their hot hide.

 

[pandoras box]

Just noticed more egg goo in the poop corner. And the egg she laid is still gooey too.

I guess in my rush I forgot to fill this out:

About your leo:
- Sex - female
- Age & Weight - unknown, at least 2 years. don't have a pre-gravid weight, but 8/4 she was 53 grams, today she was 47 grams
- How long have you owned your leo - 6 months
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend) - rescued from a kid in apartment complex who couldn't adequately care from her, who got her from someone else who got bored of her, who I believe got at a pet store.

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo - every other day
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now. - tired from the egg activity
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. - no
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) - see above post...
- When was the last time he/she went
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size 20 gallon long
- Type (ex. glass tank) glass tank
- Type of substrate slate tile
- Hides, how many, what kind 1 cool, 1 hot, 1 humid, and 1 big log thing in the middle that is kind of a more open hide
B) Heating
- Heat source - undertank heater and light
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side) - 95, 75
- Method of regulating heat source - checking regularly
- What are you using to measure your temps - temp gun
- Do you have any lights (describe) - CFL
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) - 1.1
- Describe health, or previous problems - none

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much) - crickets, mealworms, working on a superworm breeding project, working on a dubia breeding project not feeding out of yet, as much as they will eat every other day
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, etc) - crickets in a sterlite feeding arena, mealworms dropped in front of in enclosure
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands) - calcium, repti-aid, for gravid female every offering, others 1x a week.
- What are you gut loading food with - oats, carrots, small amounts of pet food, misc grain and veggies/fruits

 

[acpart]

It can happen that an egg doesn't get a shell with good calcium or the egg somehow breaks. The important thing is that there isn't more stuff left inside the gecko. Keep an eye on her and if she seems lethargic or otherwise ill take her to the vet.

Aliza

 

[pandoras box]

She's still acting fine so far (or was last night anyway, it is her sleepy time now) but to be safe she has a vet appointment for Friday morning. Thanks for the response, Aliza, it seems like I've stumped everyone else completely. I'll update Friday with any info that I get nevertheless for the record for anyone who stumbles upon this in the future.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Aliza is right. An infertile egg ruptured and passed. If the leaking yolk stays in the oviducts and comes out through the cloaca, there shouldn't be a problem. If yolk leaks out into the abdominal cavity, peritonitis can develop. Watch for signs of lethargy and lack of interest in food, as this would indicate a trip to the vet for antibiotics.

 

[pandoras box]

The vet is sick and had to cancel for today. But they are calling back later today. She still hasn't ate :/

 

[pandoras box]

I got her in... she got a calcium injection and is now prescribed to liquid calcium and an antibiotic and looking more alert.