General Care Discussion :: RES behaviour after laying eggs?

[mantequia]

Hello everyone.

I have two 22 years old females and both of them had eggs three days ago (had to take them to the Vet to apply oxytocin to expell eggs in a designed tank).
However, they are still swimming frantically, trying to escape their enclosures and trying to digg with their back paws.

I know all eggs were expelled (I've seen the RTG before and counted expelled eggs in each tank after.)

Does anybody know why they behave like this?
Could it be because their eggs were not expelled "naturally" and their bodies are confused?
Could they be hurt?

This is the first time I see them like this after oxytocin application and we are doing it almost every year around spring time. (sometimes one of them will accept nesting box and lay naturally, but sometimes they just refuse to use it)

Thank you!

[steve]

I have not heard of oxytocin effecting them after laying eggs, how long has it been going on? It is possible that they could be gravid again, even if they had recently expelled them.

[mantequia]

Hi,

it has been going on ever since they expell their eggs in tank. That was last Friday, now we have Monday and they are still frantic.
They just keep going as if they have more eggs, but I am pretty sure they dont.
What I've seen on RTG is what I found in a tank...well some of them were half eaten, because that's what they do.

Is it possible that some eggs were not fully calcified and were not visible on RTG?

I may have to visit Vet again if they wont calm down in next few days I think.

[steve]

Have you ever taken them out to naturally lay their eggs? Do you know how to feel for them?

[mantequia]

I have not, the place where I live is cold at this time of the year and I live in apartment complex in the city.
My only options are oxytocin and nesting box (80% of the time rejected even though I tried all sizes, types of soil mixtures, temperature and so on)
When I try to feel for the eggs (soft pillow area behind their back paw) I can't feel anything anymore.

as a side note they had eggs couple of times in past two months.
RES1: 4 eggs (oxytocin), 8 eggs two weeks later (layed by herself in nesting box), 5 more eggs, last Friday (oxytocin)
RES2: 4 eggs (oxytocin), 8 eggs month month later, last Friday

Last year they had two clutches each (6+7 and 8+5) with two weeks pause between each clutch.
Our new Vet recommended to take them to specialist and have their ovaries removed if dont want to experience this every year and that he has seen female RES that just kept producing and producing more eggs.

Not sure what else I can do
I tried to feed them today and they ate couple of feeder fish after which they usually go sleep for few hours, but they still swim frantically, splashing around their tank trying to escape, digging around their basking area.
Water is clean, temperature is OK.

[steve]

Hopefully they will settle down, but it does sound like they are gravid. Surgery is always risky with reptiles, IMO it would be a last-resort situation.