Laying trouble

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X-ray image of a tortoise with laying distress

Egg fever is a disease that occurs in female birds and reptiles . The egg that is formed is stuck in the ovary or cloaca . If left untreated, egg failure can lead to the death of the animal.

causes

A common cause of egg failure is changes in the eggshell such as crab eggs, broken eggs or rough eggs. In addition, atony of the ovaries - for example due to a vitamin E deficiency , a selenium deficiency or disorders in the calcium metabolism - can be a trigger. Finally, fallopian tube infections can be responsible. In the case of turtles, too low ambient temperatures, stress, lack of egg-laying places, harassment by conspecifics, bladder stones, constipation and liver disease are possible triggers.

Signs

A female bird that is affected by laying distress can initially be recognized by unsuccessful laying attempts. It tries to excrete the egg by pressing hard. Relatively large and thin balls of feces are excreted, which are often mixed with blood. Affected females appear nervous and restless, they often change seats, sit with widely spread legs on perches or see their tails rocking. Pressure on nerve plexuses can lead to paralysis .

At a later stage, affected females sit on the floor, completely exhausted. A slight bulge can often be seen when touching the abdomen.

If not responded, the female will go into shock and die. Under certain circumstances, the strong pressing can lead to a cloacal prolapse .

treatment

In the initial stage, an increase in the air humidity and heat radiation help. You can also try to loosen the egg with the help of castor oil (or something similar) that is trickled into the cloaca. An abdominal massage (should only be used with larger birds, however, as the egg in the cloaca can break in small birds) in connection with the female's attempts to press can help. If no success is achieved after a maximum of two hours, a veterinarian must be informed immediately. He can try to manually push the egg out of the cloaca. If this fails, the hormone oxytocin can be administered.

Surgical removal of the eggs may be necessary in turtles.

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