Ovulating, unfertilized eggs, or gravid eggs??

[tb144050]

When a gecko is about to lay eggs (like 3-5 days before), her organs will be pushed to the front of her belly (making her belly all dark) and you will be able to see dark red veins on the eggs (see pic that I'll put at the bottom).

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I can see the red veins tonight, so she is due within "3-5 days." DrCarrotTail also provided a similar example. Thanks for the great pics and info, everyone!!!




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Here's a ....picture I took on Monday night (March 3, 2014). ..... layed two eggs last night (Thursday, March 6, 2014; 3 nights later, not counting "picture night: Monday")

^^Actual wording of Dinosaur's and DrCarrotTail's original posts are edited to paraphrase, highlight, and add details to the information I am referring to here.

 

[tb144050]

Day 15 (March 17, 2014), posted at 9:30pm.

I am planning no more belly-pictures or weigh-in's for Ruby until after she lays. I don't want to stress her out.


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^^pic taken March 17, 2014 @ 8am (Day 15)
Observations
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She was digging on Day 13.
I never saw her leave the warmhide on Day 14.
So far tonight on Day 15, she:

-went to the laybox for 2 minutes @ 6:30pm..no digging...went back to warmhide.
-wandered cage at 9:00pm. Pulled on repticarpet in a few places.
-went on to go into the cool dry hide at 9:05pm.
-occasionally pokes her head out and goes back in cool dry hide.
-Seems to be mostly STANDING & AWAKE inside the cool dry hide.
-came out of cool dry hide at 11:35pm, drank water for 4 minutes, and went to the warm hide...
.........

will update to add more observations

 

[tb144050]

Day 16 (March 18, 2014)
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I woke up today @ 7:00am to find Ruby in a Laybox WITH Slinky... This is odd because these 2 always shared hides BEFORE Ruby mated, but they have avoided each other during the entire 16 Days so far. (usually Slinky sleeps in a laybox while Ruby sleeps in the warmhide.)


Ruby and Slinky have been in the same laybox together for over 1.5hours (so far) and still there together at the time of this post. It looks like Slinky (back) is trying to comfort Ruby (front).

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Updates: (This isn't worth a new post, but I am posting notes to track/monitor behavior prior to laying eggs.)

-Ruby went back to the warm hide at 10am, after more than 3 hours in the Laybox.
-To coldhide @ 11am.
-Found back in the warm hide @ 12pm.
-Back to the laybox (with Slinky) @ 12:45pm.
...(Slinky again has her head on Ruby's neck while she sleeps).
-Back to warmhide @ 1:30, so I scooped her up for a "mid-stroll photo shoot" (see pics in next post). Then she went into the warmhide and I went into my recliner for a nap.

 

[tb144050]

Day 16 (March 18, 2014, @ 1:30pm)
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Caught her during her restless strolling from hide-to-hide (every hour or so) and took her out for a photoshoot (since she seems to be awake or stressed anyway).

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[Samantha12]

Ready to pop any day now!

 

[tb144050]

Day 17 (March 19, 2014, posted @ 5:34pm)
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-Ruby continued her "restlessness" (from yesterday).
-In most places (including the laybox, cold hide, and warm floor), she STANDS.
-I noticed that she seems to NOT enter the warmhide...Instead (oddly), she lays on the open floor BEHIND the warm hide and finally slept there.
-I watched until about 4am as she routinely left each hide after 30-45minutes.

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-Today, she continued the same wandering, not-laying-down much, restless behavior after 7am.
-After I napped from 10am-2pm, , I found her lying down in a laybox, with her rear legs in a fresh hole.
-I left from 2:30-3:30pm and returned to find her standing in the other laybox (with Slinky sleeping), and I see a very small amount of dirt on the floor...(kicked once or tracked out repeatedly??)
-And she's been standing/sleeping/standing/sleeping in there with Slinky for 3 hours now......

 

[tb144050]

Day 18 (March 20, 2014, posts starting at 3am)
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-Ruby slept in the laybox with Slinky until Slinky came out at 8pm for feeding time. Slinky went to sleep in the warmhide afterwards.
-Ruby woke up @ 2am, circled the tank, and returned to the same laybox after 4 minutes.
-2 minutes after returning Ruby started to: dig, sleep, dig, sleep.....and now she's just sleeping...grrrrrrrrr!!!! lol

Now to top it off, Rosie (who I suspect will have a "fast first-clutch") is in her laybox again, which is unusual for her... They are teasing me!! It would be such a great experience if a first-time breeder got 4eggs in the first night....

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12:00pm update:

-Ruby slept in the Laybox last night and hasn't left it. She looks quite comfortable in the hole she dug yesterday.
-Slinky slept all night in the warmhide, ate a few crickets for snacktime, stayed in the warmhide for another hour, and then barged into the Laybox with Ruby at 11:00am. They are now snuggled up sleeping in the Laybox. It still looks like Slinky is comforting Ruby as Slinky gently lays her chin on Ruby's head & back. (I will post pics later today)

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edit: Here's the pic I promised:
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(naptime for me. I am sleeping 3hours/night & 3hours/day so I can observe&record behavior and patterns......and because I am so anxious to have my first breeder-females deliver their first eggs!! I will be up to check on them in a few hours.)

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7pm update:

-When I woke up at 5pm (overslept) my wife said Ruby had been digging in the Laybox for about an hour. I left at 5:30pm to run an errand.
-When I returned at 6pm, Ruby was sleeping in the Laybox with Slinky. So I don't know if she stopped willingly or if Slinky interrupted.

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10pm update:

-At 8pm, I saw that Ruby had moved to the empty Laybox and was digging/stopping/digging, and finally positioned her "rear" over a hole after about 45 minutes. She stayed "in position" for about 30 minutes, lying there with a her tail down...before she finally got up.
-Went to other Laybox (where Slinky is) and rested there.
-Went to cool dry hide at 10pm.

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[tb144050]

Day 19 (March 21, 2014, posts starting @ 4:20am)

Ruby is still sleeping in the Laybox...I'm about to get some sleep too. I have to get up at 7am, so I will check on her again then.

I did get some pics of her belly while she was awake. I just edited my last post to put in the picture of "Slinky comforting Ruby" and I will post the new belly pics now.

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(yeah, I got her out...When I put her back, she looked in the warm hide, went in the cool hide for 5 minutes, then snuuuuck back into the laybox and went back to sleep.)

10am update
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-Ruby still sleeping in the Laybox...lazy. lol jk

 

[staceyleigh]

She definitely looks close. Mine had the red veins showing just a day before they laid eggs. Both of mine dug for 3-4 days before laying. Unfortunately neither of mine actually laid the eggs in the lay box, but on the tile? Both also laid the eggs by 2am in the morning.

 

[tb144050]

She definitely looks close. Mine had the red veins showing just a day before they laid eggs. Both of mine dug for 3-4 days before laying. Unfortunately neither of mine actually laid the eggs in the lay box, but on the tile? Both also laid the eggs by 2am in the morning.

Thanks and I sooo hope so...I need a good night sleep!! lol Ruby started showing the red veins a few days ago, but last night you can definitely see how prominate they have become, especially in the darker photos (that reflect less of the "interfering white light").

Can you please participate this season in the poll I start yesterday?
http://geckoforums.net/f131-leopard-gecko-breeding/99423.htm

 

[tb144050]

Day 19 (March 21, 2014, @ 9:00pm)

UPDATE:

-Ruby is in the far Laybox (toward the cooler end...not the Laybox that Ruby & Slinky often sleep in).....and she is DDIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGIIIIIIINGGGG!!!
-Been digging for almost an hour....she keeps digging a complete 2" x 2" x 2" hole COMPLETELY CLEAN. Then she circles around (spilling dirt)...comes back and recleans the hole, and digging it bigger each time.

Could this be it??!! The moment I have been waiting for?? My first eggs??

10:10pm.
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-Ruby finish digging about 5 minutes ago (@10:05pm), circled around and placed herself on the angled pile of coco with her REAR facing the hole......

10:30pm.
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-came out @ 10:15pm, went poopy, and has sat on the floor in the middle of the tank, circling around from area to area....

10:55pm.
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-after ALOT of circling near & staring at the Laybox, Ruby finally went back in the Laybox and cleaning up her hole again

11:55pm.
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-She has spent the last hour digging that hole. Then she rested on the coco, turned a little and started digging another hole. C'mon, WOMAN!! hehe

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[LIZARDLOVER]

I HOPE SO!!!

 

[tb144050]

Day 20 (March 22, 2014, 12:15am)
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-Ruby finished digging the new hole at 12:05am, sat on the mound for 10minutes and just left the Laybox at 12:15am...now where is she going?? lol
-inside warmhide for 30seconds, outside Laybox looking around for 35minutes.

12:40am.
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-back to the Laybox...more digging...

****Guess I will clean tanks and feed some Leo's...I have been distracted and I am 2hours behind..
*edit: Added video: Short tour of my setup/collection" (no hating allowed)
VIDEO: [video]http://s268.photobucket.com/user/s13_240_rb20/media/geckos_random_stuff/VID00001_geckotour.mp4.html[/video]


-finally sat on her mound again for 5 minutes before coming out to wander again @ 1:15am.

1:55am.
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-back to the Laybox after warming her belly on the warm floor to 10 minutes....even more digging...

2:55am.
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-stopped digging...went for another walk/warm-up on the warmfloor...

3:40am.
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-went to the cold dry hide

4:50am.
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-went to warmside, warmed up 10minutes, back to cold dry hide...

5:25am.
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-finally woke up and went back to work (digging in the Laybox)..lol

7:15am.
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-Still digging, sleeping, wandering, digging, sleeping, digging, wandering.

***I want some sleep too, ya know!! I won't sleep until my wife wakes up (late because its Saturday morning). She will take over watching her for me so I can get some sleep sometime today.

9:00am. - 6pm.
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-Mostly sleeping in the laybox,...occasionally digging. Sleeping at the moment.

-Watched her just sitting there awake for about 30minutes, so I got her out for pics. Put her back on the warmside and she went back to the Laybox.


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[tb144050]

Day 21 (March 23, 2014, 12:15am)
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-Ruby has been sleeping in the Laybox since yesterday afternoon..no digging.
-She just woke up...now to see what she does tonight..starting to wander out now...

12:35am.
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-After restlessly (slowly) wandering the warmside, including a "squatted" position in the poopy-corner, she finally wandered back into the Laybox. I checked the "corner" and there was nothing damp, but there was a fecal that I believe is Slinky's because it is dry and Ruby has slept all afternoon that I know of.

2:15am.
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-Ruby finally started digging again after Slinky entered the Laybox and woke her up..haha.

4:00am.
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-Slinky....not such a good thing. She kept getting in the way, Ruby had to dig around her. When Slinky started climbing on Ruby repetitively, I went in and pulled Slinky out for the night.
-Also, I put in a 6qt tub for a larger Laybox. Ruby is checking it out now.
-Took some pics of Ruby's belly since she was already interupted by Slinky. (pics posted soon)..

*edit: Added pics*
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7:30pm.
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**Video card on my desktop computer went out last night. So I am using the laptop and will probably update a little less often.
-Ruby wandered and dug until around 8am this morning, then went to sleep in the cold dry hide.
-Ruby's next confirmed visit to the Laybox is at 4pm, and she has been sitting with her rear in a hole since 7:00pm....not the "flat" position I have seen in youtube "egg laying" videos.
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[staceyleigh]

Wow, she has to lay them soon!

 

[tb144050]

Day 22 (March 24, 2014)
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1:00am.
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-I woke up Ruby when I took Slinky out of the tank again. Slinky seems to be stressing & crowding Ruby.
-Once Slinky was out, Ruby started digging again.
**edit: the digging only lasted 5 minutes **

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7:30am
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-Ruby spent the night sleeping: 1hour Laybox, 1hour warmside, repeat repeat....

8:30am
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-Ruby came out of the Laybox, so I took the opportunity to re-moisten the Laybox. She went back in to check it out after I finished.
**I'm going to sleep**

NOTE: by the way, I have caught her licking her vent about 20 times over the last 3 days....any meaning? Guess I will post this question if my "search" doesn't find an answer...
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11:59pm.
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-Ruby spent the whole day sleeping..no digging.
-Ruby is still "off food" as far as I can tell.

 

[tb144050]

Day 23 (March 25, 2014 @ 3:00am)
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-Ruby finally started digging around 1:00am (after what seems like a YEAR..lol) but Slinky interupted.
-Ruby has been sleeping/digging/sleeping/digging in the Laybox.
-For the last 1.5hours, Ruby sleep, wanders in the Laybox, digs, wanders back to her favorite sleep-spot in the Laybox......Then she does some back-leg dig-kicking!! (Like what you see in the Youtube egg-laying videos). But then she sleeps/wanders/digs/wanders-back/back-kicks again....

3:45am
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-Ruby dug around the back corner of the Laybox about 1" from her favorite rest/sleep spot.
-Now she has her rear end backed up to that corner with her tail propped awkwardly up the corner-wall.....such a tease....lol Stayed this way for about 5minutes

4:25am
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-After the last 35minutes of repeatedly pointing her rear at her favorite dig-hole... Ruby went into the warmhide. I guess she needed to recharge?? lol I am guessing if she is going to do any serious digging she needs to warm up. Till now, her "digs" (tonight) are just 45seconds of mild pawing and sticking her nose in the hole (except the back-leg-kicks I mentioned earlier).

5:00am
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-Ruby has her nose poking out of the warmhide again, but her eyes are closed so she isn't quite ready to return to the Laybox.
***speaking of sleep, I am at my deadline. I have to sleep @ 5:00am and get up at 8:00am for a family function. I'll put my 1hour digital video camera on her just in case she lays in the next 1 hour.

5:01am.
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Nowwwww....she wakes up and goes back to the Laybox..I'll watch for a minute before I go to sleep.

9:20am
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-Ruby made 3 more "2minute attempts" to "paw at her favorite dighole & squat in it", according to the 1.5hour video on my digital video recorder from 5am-6:30am.
-Last seen on the video at 6:30am, she was leaving again, probably to go to the warmhide.
-As of right now, she is just leaving the warmhide and I believe she is "en route" to the Laybox, but I have to leave.....I will set up the camera again for another 1.5hours.

9:20am - 10:00am
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-Ruby did a marathon of digging different small holes and occasional 2minutes rests over the holes...
-Most common digging is in the same "favorite corner"...it is now completely bare in a 1" x 3" area (her body size).
**VIDEO: [video]http://s268.photobucket.com/user/s13_240_rb20/media/geckos_2014/Jan2014_g3/2014-03-25031350_trimmed_8min.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0#/user/s13_240_rb20/media/geckos_2014/Jan2014_g3/2014-03-25031350_trimmed_8min.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0&_suid=13 9583131239009965996262145562[/video]

-At 10:00am, Ruby (on camera) left the Laybox and I assume she went back to the warm hide (where I found her at 11:00am.)

 

[Josh P.]

Those eggs got really huge. Shouldn't she be laying them already? I have been following your thread here and this is going on for a while.

 

[tb144050]

She is a first-time/first-clutch breeder so I hope all goes well with her. Last night is the first time I have caught her seriously "in position" to lay. All the digging she did more than 2 days was just energetic & exploratory "lets throw some dirt around" type of digging. lol

It was the last day or so that she finally started digging smaller areas, less excitedly, and started "resting" over the holes. I just woke up from a 4hour power nap. I left the digital video recorder on, so I have video from probably 3:30pm -> about 5:00pm. I will review it and try to get a look at her to see if she layed before I mess with the Laybox because I don't want her stressed that I tampered with the Laybox.


12:30pm - 3:30pm
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-Ruby stayed in the warmhide

3:35pm - 3:40pm
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-She went to the warmside

4:40pm - 4:50pm
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-Went into the Laybox but just wandered a couple times and closed her eyes.

7:30pm
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-Ruby laying in the warmhide (after my power-nap).


8:00pm
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-Woke Ruby up (on the warm floor outside hide, standing up..lol) to get pics
-Ruby went to Laybox when I put her back on the warmside.

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[tb144050]

Day 24 (March 26, 2014)
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2:00am.
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-Ruby started digging in the laybox again, but alot SLOWER. She barely used her front legs before she squatted on the hole and spent the next 45 minutes using her back legs. She was not shy or elusive tonight. Normally, I have to sneak peeks at her or she will stop and/or run away and/or come stare at me. Tonight, she stayed in that spot and didn't care if the world watched. I began thinking again...Is this it?

2:45am.
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-Ruby stopped digging and was generally just laying there for 15 minutes, occasionally repositioning her back legs. I knew it was time.

3:00am.
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-Out popped 2x 4.2gram eggs, 5 minutes apart!!!! . She absolutely didn't show any intent on running when I moved closer for pics.

4:45am.
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-Ruby is back in the Laybox, over the hole she layed her eggs in, and she is GLARING AT ME....she looks ^&(&(ED!!

4:47am.
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-Now Ruby is digging and pawing at the side of the Laybox excitedly (probably frantically). I guess this is very tramatic for them to have their eggs taken away.

6:00am.
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-Just as I have been told (and expected), Ruby is chasing crickets and making up for missed meals.
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*Link to a new "Incubation" thread: http://geckoforums.net/f132-egg-incubation/99489.htm*

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