Not Kimberley, but........

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Posted by Craig Loose on April 04, 2001 at 18:51:33:

In Reply to: Question about Zoe posted by Diana on April 04, 2001 at 11:35:28:

The developing to laying eggs is generally an eight week process. Food intake becomes noticably less around week 4, meaning she might still have another 4 weeks to go.

If you have concerns about the stage of development, an x-ray is invaluable. You can tell right away if the eggs have calcified yet, or not. The majority of egg binding cases are from the iguana not having the calcium in her system to be able to process a shell around the eggs. No shell = no laying.

Some iguanas for no apparant reason will reabsorb the eggs, prior to shell calcifying. A lot of owners never even know that their ig was gravid.

They do lose a tremendous amount of weight during the process (you try not eating for 4 weeks), and hips become prominent.

As long as she is still active, drinking, and displaying normal coloration, I would not worry. If she becomes lethargic or telltale color changes happen, then there might be a problem, and hormones or spaying may be neccesary.

Here's a pic of an x-ray done on my female a couple years ago, showing eggs before they developed shells...they are pretty transparent

Calcified eggs will obviously be solid looking.

Here's how skinny she was after laying that year:

Females go through this every year, and if they are healthy, should not have a problem. Try not to be too worried (easier said then done), but do keep a close eye on her, and be prepared to take her to a vet if need be. Additional calcium before and during the early stages should be given. They go through it at roughly the same time every year (maybe a couple of weeks off) so you should mark your calendar to remember every year what and when to expect it.

Good luck

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: The developing to laying eggs is generally an eight week process. Food intake becomes noticably less around week 4, meaning she might still have another 4 weeks to go. : If you have concerns about the stage of development, an x-ray is invaluable. You can tell right away if the eggs have calcified yet, or not. The majority of egg binding cases are from the iguana not having the calcium in her system to be able to process a shell around the eggs. No shell = no laying. : Some iguanas for no apparant reason will reabsorb the eggs, prior to shell calcifying. A lot of owners never even know that their ig was gravid. : They do lose a tremendous amount of weight during the process (you try not eating for 4 weeks), and hips become prominent. : As long as she is still active, drinking, and displaying normal coloration, I would not worry. If she becomes lethargic or telltale color changes happen, then there might be a problem, and hormones or spaying may be neccesary. : Here's a pic of an x-ray done on my female a couple years ago, showing eggs before they developed shells...they are pretty transparent : <center> : <img src="http://members.aol.com/~petiguana1/xray2.JPG"></center> : Calcified eggs will obviously be solid looking. : Here's how skinny she was after laying that year: : <center><img src="http://members.aol.com/~petiguana1/pha_egging.jpg"></center> : Females go through this every year, and if they are healthy, should not have a problem. Try not to be too worried (easier said then done), but do keep a close eye on her, and be prepared to take her to a vet if need be. Additional calcium before and during the early stages should be given. They go through it at roughly the same time every year (maybe a couple of weeks off) so you should mark your calendar to remember every year what and when to expect it. : Good luck

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