Trouble passing eggs?

[jdamazing]

My female Crestie is gravid and has been digging the past few days in her egg box. This morning I found her laying on her back/side in her box. I thought she was dead. After going in the box and flipping her over she is still alive. Is this normal? Is she having a hard time passing the eggs? Is there something I can do for her?

[Jaybee]

A crested being on its back is not normal. Can you describe your setup, how long you have had the female, what your basic care is like? It's hard to make a guess about why your gecko is acting this way unfortunately - can't tell if it is breeding related or not.

[jdamazing]

She's in a 36" x 12" x 18" terrarium. She's always kept with my male. They seem to get alone very well. I've had her for about 2 years now. I use a bark substrate and an automatic mister. The temp stays between 71-73 degrees f. The humidity is around 50-70 %. She gets CGD every other day and dusted crickets every other week or so. She gave me 3 clutches last year and one this year so far. She weights 41gs. Her calcium sacs are perfect and she's very active and curious. She has been eating well and staying hydrated. No changes in anything on my part. I haven't noticed any changes in her either. I haven't introduced new geckos to the cage or really messed with her recently because I knew she was gravid.

[Jaybee]

I am concerned about the bark substrate - I always advise against that because crested geckos are clumsy hunters and might impact themselves on a bit of that bark. How is she acting now that you flipped her over? Any pics of her currently, without messing with her too much?

[jdamazing]

She is still hanging out in her box. The male is still with her and acting fine. Should I separate them? What kind of substrate do you recommend? Unfortunately I don't have any pic of her right now. I might be able to take some in a little bit and post them.

[Jaybee]

Paper towel substrate - just paper towel laid flat - can help make it easier to find waste, which can be a kind of important thing if something is wrong with the gecko.

[jdamazing]

Just wanted to update on lil mamas status. She is doing well. She seemed to have been impacted. Im not changing her bedding right now since im waiting for her to lay
anyday. I dont want to cause too much stress. I did find some more recent pics of her though. She has a scar on her back that has never seemed to cause any trouble for her.
Thanks for your advice


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