Re: I speak from experience - 1 of my girls is spayed

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Posted by RJ Mello on December 17, 2001 at 14:41:15:

In Reply to: pregnant ig posted by chris on December 15, 2001 at 13:53:09:

Christie: I've got 4 adult Ig's (3 females and a male). I got them as adults & sub adults and have had them for 5 or 6 years now. The females have laid eggs every spring. I've taken a few to my vet (for his Savannah monitor to eat), but none have ever hatched out because I haven't even attempted to incubate them. Like like most herp eggs, to every hatch, Ig eggs require specific temperature/ humidity conditions for quite a long period of time. Believe me. . .you'll have to go to quite a lot of trouble before you ever have to worry about finding homes for the babies.
While it's true that female Ig's sometimes have problems w/egg laying, it's also true that most (assuming both good diet & UVB exposure) come through the process w/out missing a beat.
Recently, the oldest of my girls (we estimate she's at least 10) had problems and became "eggbound". Out of necessity, I agreed to a hysterectomy (spaying). This was back in August. The doctor was experienced and did a good job. She's okay now...however, the recovery period is a full 6 weeks (herps heal 3 times slower)!! This is major surgery after all.
What I would recommend, since you know she's mated (by the way. . .they can lay eggs whether they've mated or not. . .fertile vs. infertile eggs) is that you start reading up on what you can expect to see if (IF) she is gravid. . . and what you need to do to help her safely through the process. There�s a wealth of on-line info to be found. Because the formation of eggs uses up so very much of the body�s calcium reserves, it�s now more important than ever that she gets the proper UVB exposure to metabolize the calcium from both her whole foods and supplements.
If she is gravid from that mating, you can expect eggs in approximately 90 days. Once laying begins, it shouldn�t take more than 12 hours and, over the years, our clutches have ranged from 12 to 42 (an that was my vet�s record) eggs.
All that said. . .I�m considering have a 2nd of my girls spayed as soon as she lays this clutch (non-emergency spaying should be done when the Ig is not gravid because enlargement of the blood vessels during egg production increases bleeding risk). Like my first spayed Ig, this one�s no youngster either. Combined w/the fact her spring clutch was irregularly shaped and laid over a period of 2 wks. I have no plans to have my 3rd girl spayed at this time. She was a sub-adult when I got her and all her previous clutches have been healthy. I just don�t want to go there (and don�t recommend anyone else does either) unless the risk of egglaying (which is a natural function, remember?) outweighs the risk of general anesthetic (which, along w/pain mgmt drugs post-op, any competent vet will use for a/spay) & surgery.
Let us know what you decide.
Rebecca (& the Ig's)

: Hi I witnessed my two adult igs mating yestereday.Don't get me wrong I love igs and I wish I could keep all the babies but I can't. I was wondering where I could give them to when they are mature enough to leave my home. I do not want to give them to a pet store, I want them to go to a loving and knowledgable home. Thanks for any help.

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: Christie: I've got 4 adult Ig's (3 females and a male). I got them as adults & sub adults and have had them for 5 or 6 years now. The females have laid eggs every spring. I've taken a few to my vet (for his Savannah monitor to eat), but none have ever hatched out because I haven't even attempted to incubate them. Like like most herp eggs, to every hatch, Ig eggs require specific temperature/ humidity conditions for quite a long period of time. Believe me. . .you'll have to go to quite a lot of trouble before you ever have to worry about finding homes for the babies. : While it's true that female Ig's sometimes have problems w/egg laying, it's also true that most (assuming both good diet & UVB exposure) come through the process w/out missing a beat. : Recently, the oldest of my girls (we estimate she's at least 10) had problems and became "eggbound". Out of necessity, I agreed to a hysterectomy (spaying). This was back in August. The doctor was experienced and did a good job. She's okay now...however, the recovery period is a full 6 weeks (herps heal 3 times slower)!! This is major surgery after all. : What I would recommend, since you know she's mated (by the way. . .they can lay eggs whether they've mated or not. . .fertile vs. infertile eggs) is that you start reading up on what you can expect to see if (IF) she is gravid. . . and what you need to do to help her safely through the process. There�s a wealth of on-line info to be found. Because the formation of eggs uses up so very much of the body�s calcium reserves, it�s now more important than ever that she gets the proper UVB exposure to metabolize the calcium from both her whole foods and supplements. : If she is gravid from that mating, you can expect eggs in approximately 90 days. Once laying begins, it shouldn�t take more than 12 hours and, over the years, our clutches have ranged from 12 to 42 (an that was my vet�s record) eggs. : All that said. . .I�m considering have a 2nd of my girls spayed as soon as she lays this clutch (non-emergency spaying should be done when the Ig is not gravid because enlargement of the blood vessels during egg production increases bleeding risk). Like my first spayed Ig, this one�s no youngster either. Combined w/the fact her spring clutch was irregularly shaped and laid over a period of 2 wks. I have no plans to have my 3rd girl spayed at this time. She was a sub-adult when I got her and all her previous clutches have been healthy. I just don�t want to go there (and don�t recommend anyone else does either) unless the risk of egglaying (which is a natural function, remember?) outweighs the risk of general anesthetic (which, along w/pain mgmt drugs post-op, any competent vet will use for a/spay) & surgery. : Let us know what you decide. : Rebecca (& the Ig's) : : : Hi I witnessed my two adult igs mating yestereday.Don't get me wrong I love igs and I wish I could keep all the babies but I can't. I was wondering where I could give them to when they are mature enough to leave my home. I do not want to give them to a pet store, I want them to go to a loving and knowledgable home. Thanks for any help.

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