HELP!!Desperate, laying eggs for 10 days and still has some.

I am at a complete loss as to what to do with her. She is an 11 month old female ambilobe panther that i originally thought was dehydrated even though i had bred her on Jan 13. On Jan 30ish she started looking dehydrated and stopped eating. I started giving her extra water and even constructed a hydration chamber for her. Long story short she has been laying eggs, totalling 27 now for about 10 days. She has been to the vets office 4 times, but i don't think he is too knowledgeable about them, but he is all i've got. In the beginning he gave her fluids and calcium injections. She started passing 8 eggs that night, then the next day 2-3 more. After 2 more days i brought her back and he gave her another injection of fluids and calcium, again she laid more eggs, but not all of them. 2 days later i brought her back and he did the same thing and again so didn't she. But just when we think we have them all, we find out she has more. He has even done ultrasounds on her but it seems she is hiding the eggs. Again of Friday i told him he has to do something else that this is not working. She has lost 1/2 her body weight and hasn't eaten anything in over 1 week. The only thing she has eaten is a bug juice formula that i have been feeding her through a eye dropper. On Friday he said she had 3 more eggs and gave her oxycoxtin or something like that and kept ther there. At about 4 he told me she was all set so i went to pick her up. When i did he said he found more eggs and gave her another shot of oxycoxtin and sent her home with me. She has only laid 1 more egg since then and my husband says he feels at least 3 more. She is so weak now she just lays in her dirt bucket most of the day with her eyes closed. If she makes it till tomorrow am what can i ask the vet to do. I don't think she will live through this, but yet i never thought she would live through all she has been through. Please, any suggestions will help, at this point everytime i check on her i expect to find she has passed.

Thanks,
Debby

I went through this with one of my ambanja females. I can't say this this is the cause for sure but I know that when my ambanja did that same thing she was completely stressed out. When a female is ready to lay I have read and heard from many others that they like to be left alone. I went as far as to block in her entire cage so that she could not see anyone or anything. I would go back and check on her from the top. She sounds too exhausted to dig and the vet trips might be taking it out of her even more. I would monitor her and have the vet trip be a last option. Make her feel as safe as possible and hopefully she will lay the last eggs and pull through. The entire process is very hard on the females as we all know. I wish I could help you more. Try all you can to keep her hydrated.

i do leave her alone most of the time. I have her cage completely blocked off and she is too exhausted to dig. She will go into her little box that i put in her cage and she does dig a little and then she might just drop an egg or two. I only take her out 2-3 times a day, which i know sounds like a lot, but considering she doesn't eat or drink on her own, i kinda have to. So you don't think i should take her to the vets tomorrow? When yours did it, do you know why? Did she pull through?

i would wait on the vet visit for now and i would also try to stop handeling her all together, i know you say you need to but if these animals where in the wild there would be no one to take care of them. i know that sound's ruff but it is probably stressing her out even more everytime you stick your hand in her cage. what i would do is duble up on the water and put food in there so it is always there if she dicides to eat. my vield went on a hunger strike for almost a month and got realy week but i left her alone and she made it thrue. it sound like you are doing right by keeping her blocked off from being able to see anything outside of her cage. but try not to pick her up i know you want to but DONT at least for a few days and see what happens. hold off on the vet like i said at least for a week or two unless she gets a whole lot worse. i feel for you anytime i think there might be somthing wrong with one of my chames all i want to do is sit in the room and keep a eye on them but i know that can freek them out so i do my best to keep away from them and just make sure they have all they need and then some. and i check on them every few hours. i hope this helps


matt

one more thing have you tryed to start a nesting hole for her she might be to tierd to dig but if you get one started for her she might use it. please keep us updated on whats goin on.

Yes tried that and it has worked to a certain extent, like i said we have gotten 27 eggs. but sheis so weak, she just lays there . Sometimes she does move her hands in an attempt to dig, but it is more motion than anything else. She is trying so hard to hold on, i just don't know what else i can do to help. She has no energy because of lack of food.

if you havint already try puting some of her favorit food in front of her then check back about an hour or two later to see if she has eatin any.

Tried that but she hasn't willingly eaten in about 7 days. Only my bug juice and the injedtions that the vet has given her. He did say one day that he gave her an injection of vitamin b that was suppose to help with her appetite, but nothing.

When my ambanja was going through it she was acting the same exact way. As hard as it was I had to just leave her alone so that she could try to battle through it on her own. I was too late in doing so and because of it she never got to lay her eggs. I dug a hole for her which she made a last effort to lay in but she passed away that night. It was horrible for me as she was my first female to get pregnant. I extracted the eggs but they too didn't make it from the event and they were not calcified one hundred percent. Your cham obviously isn't egg bound like mine was but her body is under an immense amount of stress. She most likely feels as though she can't lay all her eggs at once because it is not safe. I don't want to tell you what to do but if it were me I would completely stay away and see if she completes her egg laying in the next day or two.

considering that seems to be the consensus, that is what i will do. I am just so use to everyone saying bring them to the vets, i thought that was the best thing. But i will completely leave her alone for the next 2 days and see if she can do it on her own. I will make sure she has food and water and warmth and pray for the best. But if she makes it until Wednesday and still has not laid the eggs, i will agian bring her to the vet to do a multitude of shots of oxycoxtin to try to help her. I don't think it is a matter of being safe though, i really think she can't lay them. But i will give her 2 more days completely alone. thanks everyone.
Debby

Chamlover:

I just wanted to see how everything is going with the female.