When should I take her to the vet?

[Tr@cey]

Matilda's last clutch was back in April and she has been acting gravid for some time now. In the last three weeks she has been digging with front paws a lot looking for a nesting site. She has made several attempts in unsuitable places i.e. too stoney or hard packed despite there being plenty of good places for her to lay.

The garden is 180ft long and is all sloped. We have set up a few nesting sites for her including an indoor one with sand/soil mix. And we think there are plenty of natural options for her.

We have tried everything!

She is looking uncomfortable now and a little desperate. She is bright eyed and healthy otherwise.

Should I take her to the vet now or am I being impatient.

[Helen M]

I'd give her more time. I usually have to set my female up in an indoor nesting box with a basking light over it to get her to lay. Just keep tweaking her lay sites by adding water to the soil if necessary.

Helen xx

[Tr@cey]

Originally Posted by Helen M

I'd give her more time. I usually have to set my female up in an indoor nesting box with a basking light over it to get her to lay. Just keep tweaking her lay sites by adding water to the soil if necessary.

Helen xx

Thanks for your reply Helen.

She had an indoor nesting box with basking light and was absolutely not interested in it. Today I just put the sand/soil mix in a pile in the corner of the shed with a basking light over it. She seemed very interested, I went away and came back and she was tryint to dig on the concrete. I left her to it and when I went back she was trying to get out of the shed.

I've let her out...But it's going to rain.

I really am getting frustrated now.

[Xero]

Aww, I hope she lays soon

[Helen M]

How is her appetite? If she's still eating she may not be quite ready. Make sure to give her plenty of limeston flour for the eggs and her muscles.

Helen xx

[Tr@cey]

She's eating but nothing compared to normal. We try to tempt her with her favourites so that she will take some limestone or Nutrobal.

When she laid last year, we didn't even realise she was gravid...She came out of the shed as normal one morning and to our astonishment started digging and then laid fertile eggs (1st Clutch). It was our other girls who we were more focussed on, at the time, as they were displaying classic characteristics of gravid females.

[Tr@cey]

Originally Posted by Xero

Aww, I hope she lays soon

Thanks Xero.

Sorry to hear about Speedy, must have been a difficult time for you.

[Helen M]

Have you been keeping an eye on her weight too? My female has gained a lot but is still more interested in eating than nesting.. beginning to wonder if she'll ever lay anything this year. The weather has been very confusing for them all summer though.

Helen xx

[Tr@cey]

She was gaining even though she was off her food, since she's been digging for the last week she has started loosing weight, but only a few grammes at a time.

[Helen M]

I would just wait a bit longer. Sometimes they decide to lay at the most unlikely times when you wouldn't expect it. I would only take her to the vets if she's visably straining to lay

Helen xx