Egg stuck outside of females rectum

[PChams]

My 1.5yr old female panther chameleon laid eggs on Monday. Tuesday when I got home she had an egg still partially in her cloaca. As of this morning the egg had come out more but the very top has yet to. Now the egg is hanging by mucus like stuff and want to know if I should let her deal with it or should I intervene.

 

[jannb]

How many eggs did she lay? What did the other eggs look like? Has she been mated?

It looks like an unshelled egg to me. Let's see what other experienced keepers think.

 

[PChams]

31 eggs this time. The other eggs looked normal compared to her three previous clutches, which have each been infertile.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Does she have any eggs left inside? Have you gently palpated her? Does she act as if she is finished laying--eating, drinking and just getting on with her normal life?

If there is any doubt that she has eggs left, I would take her to the vet for an xray and probably oxytocin.

If it is just stuck on dried fluids, you could try just misting the area. If that doesn't do it, apply KY jelly around the area and keep it moist. The inside of the cloaca is delicate so you do not want to be pulling anything that is stuck to it. My 21 year-old son has never forgiven me for sending him to the drugstore for KY jelly for an eggbound chicken!

 

[jannb]

31 eggs this time. The other eggs looked normal compared to her three previous clutches, which have each been infertile.

31 eggs for a panther is allot of eggs and 4 clutches by a year and a half is ALLOT of clutches. I recommend cutting back on her food and lowering her temps a bit to see if you can stop or atleast cut back on the egg laying. For right now I recommend just leaving it along. I'll PM one of of vets here on the forums and see if I can get them to look at it. I wouldn't want you to do anything that might be or even cause a prolaps.

 

[PChams]

I have palpated her but I have never done it before. I will do it again to make sure. Not eating much, but she is drinking and has stayed near the lay bin I have in there all day, that is where she drinks.

 

[PChams]

Thank you, jannb. I will cut back on food for her, I worded it wrong she only has had three clutches total not four. This is the most she has had in one clutch the others have been low twenties.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I have palpated her but I have never done it before. I will do it again to make sure. Not eating much, but she is drinking and has stayed near the lay bin I have in there all day, that is where she drinks.

I wonder if there are eggs still inside her. She shouldn't be near the laying bin. She should be up and eating A LOT, and the fact she isn't is worrisome especially since it has been so long. I would have her in to the vet for xrays just to be sure. If there are retained eggs, she will die and it won't be a very nice death. If she still has eggs, she will need oxytocin, fluids and definitely calcium. I once took a female in something like four times for xrays because of the abnormal way she was laying eggs. Neither the vet nor I could palpate and feel the eggs. Even the xrays inconclusive because it was a poorly calcified infertile clutch. If the eggs are properly calcified, they'll show up a lot better, and fertile eggs are better calcified than infertile eggs. Chameleons don't have a diaphragm, so there is no separation of the coelemic cavity into the thoracic cavity and abdominal cavity so the eggs can be very high up and you can't palpate them. As I mentioned, sometimes xrays are inconclusive.

 

[JGuinan007]

I would just give her a shower and everything will be fine