My female may be impacted-not sure what to do

[Latlaw]

She ate a couple of big crickets last week and has not had a normal poop since. She has pooped a very small amount of white dry crumbly stuff a few times but no black. She will not eat now. I will take her to the vet but is there anything I can try at home first? I am very worried!

 

[Samantha]

i have heard of force feeding them veggie oil but im not sure sry

 

[robin]

i wouldnt suggest that. you might want to start of with a warm water soak. how long has it been since she has eaten, how old is she and do you know how to tell if she is ovulating?

 

[Latlaw]

i wouldnt suggest that. you might want to start of with a warm water soak. how long has it been since she has eaten, how old is she and do you know how to tell if she is ovulating?

She was hatched in July so too soon for ovulation? It has been a week since she has eaten and no normal poop since the cricket too. How warm should the water temp be and how high. She is pretty small.

 

[robin]

hmm if she was hatched in july she should be old enough to ovulate. how are you enclosure temps and what is the weather doing outside? how many times have you tried to feed her since last wek? have you noticed any significant weight loss?

the water should be a bit warmer than tap water, just warm water to the touch. it should be high enough to come up to her vent but not to go past her head or neck. fifteen minutes of soaking. watch her the entire time.

 

[Latlaw]

hmm if she was hatched in july she should be old enough to ovulate. how are you enclosure temps and what is the weather doing outside? how many times have you tried to feed her since last wek? have you noticed any significant weight loss?

the water should be a bit warmer than tap water, just warm water to the touch. it should be high enough to come up to her vent but not to go past her head or neck. fifteen minutes of soaking. watch her the entire time.

My temps have been steady, weather is getting colder, and I try to feed her every night. She had one or two BIG crickets last weekend (I feel terribly guilty if I caused this) Her tail does look thinner to me but I don't have a scale. She has not had a normal looking poop since the cricket feeding. I'm so worried. Do they just stop eating when they ovulate? For how long? She spent about 4 solid days in her moist but now has been back in her warm hide. She had already had a shed just prior to going in the moist hide.

 

[robin]

well the weather change can make a difference but it really shouldn't cause any significant weight loss. ovulation can cause females to stop or cut back feeding and can cause weight loss but it wouldn't be so noticeable in a week. even though she has not had a normal poop, she has only had 1-2 crickets (which is not a lot). this has me perplexed as to whether it is normal because of the weather or it is something that would warrant a vet visit.

getting her weight would be helpful.

you can go by wal-mart and pick up a small mail scale for about $20 (they are in the stationary section)

 

[Latlaw]

well the weather change can make a difference but it really shouldn't cause any significant weight loss. ovulation can cause females to stop or cut back feeding and can cause weight loss but it wouldn't be so noticeable in a week. even though she has not had a normal poop, she has only had 1-2 crickets (which is not a lot). this has me perplexed as to whether it is normal because of the weather or it is something that would warrant a vet visit.

getting her weight would be helpful.

you can go by wal-mart and pick up a small mail scale for about $20 (they are in the stationary section)

I need to order a scale anyway. I meant too before. Do you think I should give her a warm soak today or wait a day or so. It is hard because I have another female who was hatched on almost the same time and she is looking so much bigger/fatter. I'm going to get a pic and post it so you can see if she looks too small/thin. THANK YOU so much for helping me through this.

 

[robin]

pictures would be great. weights would be too

no problem, maybe we can figure out what is going on

 

[Latlaw]

pictures would be great. weights would be too

no problem, maybe we can figure out what is going on

I'll post some pics when I get home from work.

 

[Latlaw]

She looks kind of dry/grey but she just had a shed. I haven't done the soak yet--should I wait one more day?

 

[got spots?]

tbh when I even suspect my leo's are sick I seem to "notice" weight loss. I just get really fussy and imagine things. A warm soak will do her good. and really 1-2 big crickets isnt alot at all. I feed maybe 12 medium size ones. sometimes they dont poo for a day or too as well.
pic wise she looks fine. I heaard darker substrate makes them darker as well, along with cold temps. Your temp on warm side should be like 95

 

[Latlaw]

Well, I gave her a warm soak but not for very long. She wasn't very happy with it and I didn't want to stress her too much. No poop yet but I'm leaving her alone to settle and I'll try mealworms and wax worms again tonight.

 

[robin]

is she active and acting normal other than the eating and pooping thing?

 

[Latlaw]

She was until she spent 5 days straight in her moist hide. I thought she was cooling too much so I moved her humid hide more in the warm side. She still goes in there but goes to her warm hide too. How does her pics look to you Robin? She seems grayish and dull. After her soak, she really brightened up for a while.

 

[robin]

well since it is getting cool it is getting dryer (well normally) if you guys have the heat on at night or something that might be the reason why she is spending extra time in her humid hide. it may actually be a bit too dry. she does look dry but she looks fine as far as her weight (proportions etc). give her a few more days and lets see what happens.

 

[Latlaw]

ok, just filled the bowls again with mealies and 4 wax worms so HOPEFULLY. . . Also, I'm wondering if I could partially cover the screen with a towel to help with the ambient temps and maybe up the humidity a bit.