Urgent Care :: Help Please - Thrashing!!!

[blaynemd]

Hello all...

So I need your help. I have a 9 year old RES and her name is Bob. So, Bob started laying eggs last year and things were fine. This year I had to take her to the vet and she got her first ex-ray, showing that she had six eggs and was in need of a bit of calcium. So, the doc gave her the necessary shots and she laid the eggs...BUT since then she has been a nightmare. She thrashes ALL the time and I feel bad but it is also the most annoying thing ever. She is eating and basking so I feel she is ok but the thrashing has to stop because there is no way I can deal with this for the next 20 years. What can I do that I'm not already? Her cage is warm, her water is conditioned, her lights are all brand new, her water is clean...HELP! It gets so bad that around 3am everyday I turn all her lights out just so she will calm down...I feel like I am punishing her but it has to stop. Then in the morning when the sun comes up the trashing begins again. What am I not doing? I can't afford to keep taking her to the vet I know that her egg laying is over so what is her problem?

Thank you!!

[dumbork14]

Hello. Do you have nesting area for her?

[ljapa]

Her egg laying probably isn't over. In the wild, they can lay multiple clutches a season.

I'd try a nesting box like dumbork said or take her outside some.

Sounds like there are more eggs.

[blaynemd]

thanks for the responses...btw bork I love your icon so cute. Yes she has a nesting area in a separate tank with organic dirt that I put her in everyday in hopes that something will help....but it doesn't seem to be. She was kind of ok all day today, but then tonight again with the relentless thrashing. I end up every night turning her heat lamps off but then I feel horrible cause the water gets cold cause out AC is on...this is making me so sad and I don't know what to do? I mean I'm sure I will have to take her to the vet again but that is another $350 for x-rays that I just can't swing all the time. Any more suggestions? She has a huge tank, basking area, no gravel, she eats, she nests....is she just an [---]?

[dumbork14]

Thanks.

Have you tried putting her in the nesting area at night?

[blaynemd]

true, good idea....how long should I leave her in there for ya think, usually I leave her in there for two to three hours a day? ok, so I'm thinking that I will swap the times from day to night tomorrow... but the thing is she is at her worst at 3am every night...geez I hope something works soon!

[dumbork14]

Is the nesting area near or beside the tank? Can you post a pic of your set-up?

Try to leave her at night (make sure that she cannot escape), then check her discreetly every 4 hours. Try not to spook her when you're checking her out.

If this does not work, try to bring her outside, ideally with land, grass or soft dirt.

[steve]

When she thrashes around, could it be some aggressive begging? Does she follow/fixate on you? Would she eat when she's acting like that? What happens if you take her out?

[blaynemd]

Aggressive begging? For food? Nope, she eats and is ok in that department, I pretty much feed her at the same time everyday and she eats all of it. I interact with her all the time, plus I have two roommates and she is in the kitchen so she sees people quite a bit, also she is nearish a window so she can look out. When I take her out and put her in the nesting area she digs for a bit, walks around and chills mostly then I put her back in her water cage and sometimes she is fine and others she starts again. Sometimes I let her walk around the apartment just cause I think maybe she want exercise but then she still thrashes. When she digs there aren't any eggs, plus when I had her x-ray there were only 6 eggs and she released all of them. This thrashing didn't go on this long last year, it was from maybe May-early July last year which is why I am concerned. How do I put pictures up? I can put both tanks up as soon as I figure that out. Her main tank is in the kitchen and her nesting is in the living room not near the other one. The nesting tank has about 8 inches of dirt in it so she can dig. I'm so confused.

[blaynemd]

So this is she water cage minus the gravel cause I recently found out that the gravel is bad....so the dirt cage (which I will take a picture of) is a bit narrower no water but about the same amount of dirt....how does the water cage look, right? Is there something I am missing?

[blaynemd]

this is bob

[steve]

How many pellets is she getting? I'd give her shell a cleaning too, as she might have some algae and fungus. Have you tried feeling for any eggs?

[blaynemd]

She had the x-ray and it showed she had six eggs which she already released. I doubt that there are more she usually is in the egg stage from May-July and now that it is almost mid august I think she is done. I now put her in her nesting cage twice a day and it still isn't helping. She's eating, probably 12ish pellets plus I give her brine shrimp and crickets too. I'm at a loss for what to do, guess I'll just have to take her to the vet again...this sucks, but thank you all for your help. If you have any other ideas I'm all ears=)

[vear]

Could you maybe post a video of what she's doing?

[steve]

Some females can have over active ovaries, so I wouldn't rule it out - especially if her behavior is the same.