Friday 24 May 2013

Say you're just yolking...

Well, the darling little pain in the backside HAS gone and converted all the tasty good stuff right into a new batch of eggs. I had been suspecting it for a few days as her belly got bigger but none of the rest of her did. I'm also a bit annoyed, because that's £20 of butterworms that are now yolk. (That's $30 to you guys in the US.) I can't be too cross I guess, it was only really a matter of time. (I also found this cute little clock that fits perfectly on her shelves!)

She quit eating a couple of days ago to focus on the last bit of eggerating - luckily, I had predicted this and have been supplementing her feeds with extra calcium, and I'm using Oxbow Carnivorous critical care mix to get some calories and nutrients into her via the power of lick.

I keep offering her the dig box, but she's not interested yet. Luckily again, she's a very blatant and quite predictable dragon - she'll go diggy mad for about two days before actually getting on with the job and laying the clutch. She hasn't got that far yet.

Vet isn't best pleased either, but has advised that she should be okay to lay these, and stop for the rest of the season after this clutch, being as it's her second. And was then surprised when I pointed out that, actually, no - this is her THIRD clutch of the season.

She's still booked for surgery on the 20th of June, but we may have to adjust this if she goes into yet another round of egg building after she lays these. We might need ANOTHER course of antibiotics too, as she _always_ gets an infection after laying eggs - though, as she's still on her current course, it will be interesting to see if she actually does develop one this time.

All I know is that she REALLY hates the taste of Baytril. She puts up one heck of a fight and pulls the most disgusted "BLARGH YUCKYUCK! Why would you DO that?!" faces afterwards.

Monday 20 May 2013

Sensible vet agrees...

My vet, Michael at Abbey Vets in Grimsby (UK) has advised to keep an eye on her when her order of Baytril runs out - just in case any follicles or fragments remain after her oxytocin treatment.

He has advised me that I have two options: I can either send Jam away to an exotic specialist in another area, or, alternatively he can have a go at it, locally, though he hasn't got much experience in the area. He's sat in on a beardie spaying procedure before, but hasn't had the opportunity to run the surgery himself.

It's a relatively straightforward procedure, surgically speaking.

I asked him a few careful questions - and he is well aware of the possible complications, the statistics, the recovery procedures, the specialist requirement of a breather for beardies under anaesthetics (they do fairly well, however the anaesthesia chemicals stops them breathing for themselves) - so, as he seems excited at the opportunity to further his experience with exotics, I have offered him the job.

I'll keep you updated. I'm just trying to get weight back on Jammy, both lost from her ordeal and to bolster her for her coming ordeal. It's given her a lot to think about...

Friday 17 May 2013

Oxytocin

Jam's grand now - as ever, she responded quickly to the first dose of Oxytocin and expelled what we believe was all the remains of the ruined eggs. Just a few hours after treatment, she was eating of her own accord and generally being her usual sunshiny self, handing out free licks and happy faces. We've got antibiotics and supplements as usual, and will be monitoring her closely over the next few days just to be sure the problem is done with.

My vet and I have also agreed to have her spayed in a couple of months to prevent future episodes, as she is such a recurrent problem layer. I would advise that any surgery is a big deal for a small animal, and should only be used as a last resort or life improver for the dragon, not you.

I have found this vet on youtube to be highly informative about bearded dragon surgeries - WARNING, GRAPHIC VIDEOS: Reptile Doctor's Videos

Particularly as he's filmed himself spaying a dragon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V4NYpeFivw

I will keep posting on her recovery and I will also post on her surgery when the time comes. It tickles me that Jam's licks are louder than her footsteps, as she wanders around...

Thursday 16 May 2013

Suspicion confirmed...

NOTE: If you suspect your female is egg bound - DON'T wait. Get her to the vet. An xray might be expensive, but a dead beardie is worse! 

My big female, Jam, is terrible at laying eggs. I don't breed with her (or any of them, actually) but she regularly lays infertile clutches and makes a bad job of it. Every time, she winds up with an infection, so I'm pretty used to her not being well afterwards. Our vet is pretty used to her too!!

This time however, she continued looking very unhappy on the second day. When I got home that evening, I gently felt her belly, and found a lumpy mass on the left hand side. Shortly after, she passed a bunch of mushed up shells with a large poop (as mentioned in the last post) - though I could still feel a solid chunk in the same area of her belly.

So we took her into the vets this afternoon. Bless her, she's been a real treasure - she didn't like the new vet man (his prodding hurt! Not deliberately, obviously, but it's very sore.) and ran to me for help. I don't know why she trusts me - I'm always mean, prodding her and feeding her medicines, but she settled down in my hands and let him have a good poke.

He agreed - he could feel something too - and the xray confirms there's something in there.

She's on her back in this picture (much to her extreme disgust!) - the black patches are gas bubbles, big one on top right when you look at the pic, and top mid left also, which are pretty normal for her when she is diagnosed with an infection. These will clear up with the antibiotics.

Underneath the biggest gas bubble, in the lower quarter of the flank, there's a white smudge with a dark patch in it - actually, two mushed together, if you look closely. We're pretty sure those are the failed eggs.

She's still in the vets as I type - she'll be having a dose of oxytocin to force her uterus to contract - this should force the remaining ruined eggs out. If two doses doesn't work, it will be likely that the shells have bonded to the flesh inside. If this is the case, she'll be going in for surgery to remove the ovaries and uterus entirely.

This will effectively "spay" her, and will prevent any future problems with eggs - she won't be able to have any more eggs! Frankly, this is no great loss to me. As mentioned, I'm not intending to breed, and she has such a hard time with it - and so frequently! I'd not send her in for surgery if it wasn't necessary, but I certainly won't be sad if she has to. It will save her a lot of trouble in the future.

I'll keep you updated as to how she's doing along the way. She should be in the middle of her first round of oxytocin treatment now...

Tuesday 14 May 2013

In a pickle. Well - in a Jam.

Okay, I apologise I have been a bit quiet the last couple of days; Jam went back into egg mode again, and Jam in egg mode is always quite stressful, let alone two batches so close together.



The poor girl currently looks a train wreck, but she did drop another batch today. She's currently got bad head hollows, sunken eyes, tight little mouth, skinny tail and thighs. I'm a little worried because she is keeping her belly very bloated. I'm keeping her fluid intake up via syringe lick and bath and regularly providing Oxbow critical care herbivore mix with a little VetArk protein mix occasionally.

I'm also concerned at the feel of her bloaty belly - I'm not sure if she has a large poop working up (firmness probably due to a good dose of compost - she's a terrible licker) or if she's having another binding problem as, apparently, her belly is a bit sore. She's pooping regularly and sharted out a pile of egg shells this morning. She's not impressed at having to have lots of syringe dinners, but doesn't feel up to eating for herself.

As suspected, Jam appears to have a couple of failed eggs stuck in her system, and an infection, again.

Luckily, I know she responds well to antibiotics, however the bits of egg are going to pose a more interesting problem - they're going to give her meds to force artificial labour conditions and hope that does the trick. If it doesn't, and the eggs have bound against the uterus as I suspect, they will perform surgery.

If they do the surgery, they have agreed to remove both egg sacs - which will effectively spay her and mean she has no egg problems again. The health risk of surgery is fair when the health risk of future eggs is high - and proven consistent. I feel it would be worth it for her.

Mocha, now, she chugs out eggs like a machine. She isn't bothered in the least, despite her diminutive size and small appetite. Poor Jam has an awful time of it, every time. Even the lizard with penises didn't cause so much hassle laying eggs!

Tsam, Mocha and Sandy nommed the discarded infertile eggs - and Sandy discovered she LOVES yolk. Eggs pop when you get them in your back teeth, and any that is spilled is thoroughly entertaining to lick up.

Sunday 5 May 2013

Dragonball J

Aha! At last, Tsam is vanquished! The mighty orb of invulnerability attacks! I have never seen a lizard take to the dragon ball as quickly as Jac has.

Jacques is great to watch when he's in there, rumbling round in there like a gladiator in a ball cage - he's totally at home in there. White belly, white beard, no stress marks, ballsy attitude - gave Tsam some serious thinking time. Tsammy didn't know what to do about his least favourite, smallest rival suddenly developing the power to mow him down like a steamroller. He ran right up the other end of the room with little Jac chasing him, and cowered!

He's also figured out that it grants him the power of invincibility. And you can smush an enemy twice your size.

Sandy has worked out that giving the ball a firm rap will annoy Jac - and Jac can't do anything about it. So he did what any angry dragon does when disgusted at another dragon. He pooped at Sandy.

Unfortunately, this backfires somewhat, when you are in a globe.

He was glad to be let out.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Splish Splash Dragon Bath


They are being remarkably well behaved - only Hyphen has had a few warning splashes and, let's face it, he never remembers that he is supposed to behave at bath time.

Mocha had a huge drink and then went round testing if the water tasted different near each dragon.

Nice and clean and rehydrated. Once Tsam is done in his bath, we will give the tanks a quick go-over too.

When I opened the basket for carrying lizards in bulk, somehow Hyphen had managed to get himself pinned down by Mocha, Sandy and Jam. I don't know how or why, but he looked pretty happy about it.

Well, the one eye that was the only body part not under a dragon looked pretty happy about it. Bless him. He doesn't know his own name, but he's a lovely little brick for brains.

Also, in other news, despite not having actually done it in this house, Tsam has remembered how to do stairs in general on his own.

He has walked all the way from our bedroom, across the landing, down the stairs, through the hall and into the living room... and up the slope into his own house.

He is a very smart dragon.

This is why I trust him to be out on his own - he can manage.

When you find a mess like this, you know there's only one possible living being in the world that could be responsible... Yeah.

That mess would be Mocha finding the calcium.

I don't know what it is about Mocha and calcium - but she can't resist it. She gets plenty, and multivitamins... But if she spots the tub, she goes after it.

Lesson learned: don't leave the tub on the ledge. She can get into it.