Please help with possibly gravid ackie!
 

Hi. I am breeding my yellow ackie monitors for the first time this year. I have not found loads of info on the subject, so I am feeling a little unsure of myself. I have witnessed mating several times about a month ago. Over the last 2 weeks the female has begun the appear quite round. I cannot feel individual eggs in her belly like I can with my dragons, so I am unsure if she is gravid or if she has just gotten really fat. The last 3 days her appetite (which is usually revenous) has completely gone away. I moved her to a seperate lay-box, which is filled with a moist sand/dirt mixture, and it is about 12" deep. One side has a basking temp of about 130*F, and the cooler end is about 85*F. She seems completely uninterested in digging, refuses to eat, and just lays around. She looks like she is going to pop. I am starting to worry. Can an ackie become egg-bound? Is there anything I need to do differently in the lay-box to encourage digging and laying? Both of my ackies tunneled in the old enclosure that they shared. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Also - what temperature should I incubate the eggs at?

Jamie

Does she seem alert to you? If you gently feel her body does it seem tight or does she seem bloated full of air? If she is that gravid she should have tought skin and feel stretched out. If she has another health issue she would be bloated full of air instead and feel that way. Any animal can become egg bound but monitors are pretty good about laying eggs. You may want to just keep her in her normal cage and put a lay box in it. That is much less stressful than moving her to a new environment. The eggs are very easy to incubate at 84-85 degrees. I know people have gone hotter. I stayed in that range and had a 100% hatch rate with my reds for a couple years. If you need more info or have more questions email me at evansnakes@aol.com