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Egg Bound or Just on Her Own Timeline?

D

daisy

Snow! Snow!
Greetings,
I'm sure this has been addressed before, but I'm not having the best luck finding it. My 5 year old female is giving me a run for my money. I'm hoping the experienced breeders will know what she's all about.
She was bred in early March - they spent a few days together, so I can't nail down the date for sure, but I can say it was somewhere in the second week. She has refused food since soon after that. She's a relatively finicky eater - it's quite common for her to refuse a meal, but rarely two in a row. She shed way back on April 27. I moved her just before this to a seperate box, with a lay box.
I was expecting eggs a few weeks ago and nothing. She looked chubby, but since nothing was happening, I assumed she was just 'husky'. I've continued to keep her with a lay box, mostly because she looks fat, and is behaving differently (tail rattling, jumpiness). I fed her on Friday, and she readily took the meal. I was going to give her a few days to lay low and digest, then return her to normal.
What happens this morning? One little egg in the middle of her viv. Just one. I'm not holding out much hope for it - it's been sitting out in the open and looks a little sunken, but I've put it in the incubator just in case.
She most definately has more eggs in there. I can see the next one, a few inches from her vent. It's been 12 hours.
At what point does one become concerned about egg binding? Clearly, she likes to take her sweet time gestationally - is it possible that she just takes a long time to lay eggs too? If she is egg bound, do I need to do anything beyond trying a massage? Will it eventually clear itself?
Last year she threw slugs while I was away from home. I wasn't expecting any eggs. I have nothing to compare to.
Any advice on what may be happening, and what I should do would be greatly appreciated :)
 
Sometimes, a female will throw a slug or two randomly just to get it out of the way before the rest of the eggs. Other than that, I really don't know anything about egg binding, and I'll get out of the way so the pro's can help out.
 
I'm far from calling my self a pro, but I have had plenty of females lay eggs. Some girls are just odd. Half of my girls took about 8-9 weeks after breeding to lay their eggs. I did wind up with one that became egg bound. At this point my advice would be to leave her alone and give her a few days to see how she does. If she laid the egg outside the laybox, she might not like the box. Maybe it's not damp enough or too damp or not private enough. There's a number of reasons she may not like it. Try to only peek in on her once a day, but do it slowly as to not let her know you are looking. Many people believe in letting nature take it course and what happens happens. I'm not one of those people. I belive nature can take its turn but if it's not working then I step in. Let us know how it goes.

Oh--the egg she laid can still be saved even if its dented, unless it's a slug. Put a damp paper towel over it and leave it. If the egg is good it will plump back up in a day or two.
 
Thanks for the advice so far...apparently, she's far from normal to begin with :) Robbie - it's good to know that she's not the only one who likes to wait!
I've changed out the lay box (new, clean material), and have warmed her up a touch to see if that helps. I did give her a bit of a warm bath last night - she had overturned her water bowl. I've been peeking in the side as quietly as possible, and the mass does appear to have moved closer to her vent. It could just be wishful thinking - I haven't picked her up yet to look closer.
It's hard to say if the egg is viable. It's tucked safely in the incubator just in case.
I suppose I'll just have to wait her out :)
 
Yeah, definitely too early to get worried. Some will lay a couple of eggs a few days before laying the rest. I would give her a couple more days before getting worried.
 
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