My leo has a green spot on her belly and has recently laid an egg... Please help

[Deano]

Hi guys, I'm new here and I'm just a bit worried about my gecko as I can't see any threads here where people have had the same problem. I have had my leo for 3 years now (bought her as a baby) and this is the first time that she has started to act out of character. She has a nice 2 foot tank and lives on her own, she has a humid hide, calcium dish, UTH etc. She is kept in really good conditions. For the last 2 weeks or so though she hasn't been eating, but she was really fat and had a nice healthy-shaped tail, so when she stopped eating (I feed her mealworms and crickets), I just assumed she was full. After she stopped eating, she started losing weight from her tail, and her faeces started to get increasingly more like diarrhea, up to the point where she was just pretty much releasing green liquid. Then one morning I woke up and I was absolutely shocked when I looked into her tank and seen that she had laid an egg! I didn't know geckos laid eggs even when they haven't been with males, so I was beyond suprised! It's been 5 days since she laid that egg and I think she has got another one in there as I can see a bulge at the side of her, and sometimes she puts her legs up like she does when she poos but nothing comes out (I assume she is trying to squeeze another egg out). Now, a green area has appeared on her abdomen which must contain the liquid that she is releasing when she is trying to push an egg out. Has anyone come across any cases like this and do you have any advice on how I can get her to eat, or to help her release her second egg? Thank you very much, sorry if I've wrote too much

 

[roger]

Hi guys, I'm new here and I'm just a bit worried about my gecko as I can't see any threads here where people have had the same problem. I have had my leo for 3 years now (bought her as a baby) and this is the first time that she has started to act out of character. She has a nice 2 foot tank and lives on her own, she has a humid hide, calcium dish, UTH etc. She is kept in really good conditions. For the last 2 weeks or so though she hasn't been eating, but she was really fat and had a nice healthy-shaped tail, so when she stopped eating (I feed her mealworms and crickets), I just assumed she was full. After she stopped eating, she started losing weight from her tail, and her faeces started to get increasingly more like diarrhea, up to the point where she was just pretty much releasing green liquid. Then one morning I woke up and I was absolutely shocked when I looked into her tank and seen that she had laid an egg! I didn't know geckos laid eggs even when they haven't been with males, so I was beyond suprised! It's been 5 days since she laid that egg and I think she has got another one in there as I can see a bulge at the side of her, and sometimes she puts her legs up like she does when she poos but nothing comes out (I assume she is trying to squeeze another egg out). Now, a green area has appeared on her abdomen which must contain the liquid that she is releasing when she is trying to push an egg out. Has anyone come across any cases like this and do you have any advice on how I can get her to eat, or to help her release her second egg? Thank you very much, sorry if I've wrote too much

Gravid females go off food until they lay,at least mine do.You can try giving warm baths for 20 min.Put water up until their belly

 

[Deano]

Gravid females go off food until they lay,at least mine do.You can try giving warm baths for 20 min.Put water up until their belly

Ok thanks I'll try doing that. Is it normal for the egg-laying procedure to take more than a week? Personally I thought they would lay all their eggs in one day

 

[roger]

Ok thanks I'll try doing that. Is it normal for the egg-laying procedure to take more than a week? Personally I thought they would lay all their eggs in one day

In an ideal leo world they lay 2 eggs at a time every 2-3 weeks.What some of mine do is lay 1 egg and then drop the other egg 2 weeks later.Keep her calcium intake up though

 

[Deano]

In an ideal leo world they lay 2 eggs at a time every 2-3 weeks.What some of mine do is lay 1 egg and then drop the other egg 2 weeks later.Keep her calcium intake up though

Cool, thanks. Sorry for all the questions, but can I just ask what is the longest period your leo has went without eating? And what is her faeces like inbetween laying eggs? Bit worried about this green liquid she is releasing

 

[M_surinamensis]

I'd suggest taking her to a vet.

Descriptions of conditions are so subjective that they can rarely be used to help figure out what's going on. Even a photo is rarely appropriate for someone to try to remotely identify a potential medical condition. Firsthand observation and analysis by a qualified veterinarian who specializes in reptiles is something for which there is no substitute.

I suggest the vet trip because there are some conditions which can cause green discoloration of the abdomen, which are of significant medical concern. Two of the more severe possibilities are an enlarged/ruptured pancreas where the green color is bile (can also explain green feces) or internal bleeding pooling against the abdominal wall and the blue/black color of the blood is seen through the yellow pigmented skin resulting in a green spot.

I am not saying either of those IS what you are observing, I am merely saying that there exists a possibility that the symptom you're describing might indicate a serious medical condition and that it should be checked out. If you're lucky, it's nothing more serious than a bit of upset as organ systems are pushed around by the first time egg development. If it's something more serious then it's best to get it diagnosed early.

You should also be sure to tell the vet about the duration of time between the eggs becoming visible, one being laid and the other remaining visible inside her. Over a week between egg-laying when the pair was visible at the same time is definitely a cause for concern. Unfertilized eggs can be a bit funky though, it's possible that one was expelled early and the other is on time, or it's possible that she's having an egg binding issue. Either way, the vet can help you determine what the case is and the best way to address the issue.

Good luck.

 

[robin]

how big is the green spot? i have had females in the past that when gravid had an egg rupture inside of them and damage internal organs. it had a green look to it. if she is straining she could be egg bound. i am not saying that this is it but with the green coloring and everything that has transpire over the last couple of weeks i agree with seamus and say a vet visit is in order.

 

[Deano]

Yea vets aren't open at the weekend around here so I'm going to have to wait until Monday, hopefully there will be no problems until then. Thanks M. Robin, the green spot is pretty small, about half an inch. Hard to describe. What happened to your leo that had the damaged organs?

 

[robin]

Yea vets aren't open at the weekend around here so I'm going to have to wait until Monday, hopefully there will be no problems until then. Thanks M. Robin, the green spot is pretty small, about half an inch. Hard to describe. What happened to your leo that had the damaged organs?

it died before i could get it to the vet.