Egg laying question ...

[PrincessSpaz]

Spazzy is working on her 3rd clutch ... her behavior this go round is bothering me.
Christmas morning I go to do her morning routine (spray, turn lights on, feed, clean) and she's scratching in her bin. Immediately vacated the room .... she lives in my oldest daughter's bedroom, oldest has been gone with friends/her dad's family since winter break started so there's been zero activity except for morning/bedtime regular routine. Bedroom door has been closed to keep the other 5 pets out so their playing doesn't disturb her.
On to her weird behavior ... 1st clutch, we never knew she had laid (laid in the pothos pot near the top of her cage)
2nd clutch, normal behavior for a female veiled... digging tunnel for about 6 hours, laid her clutch, took another 6 hours to cover then slowly made her way back to her favorite basking spot, ready to eat. Total time she was doing her thing, roughly 28 hours
3rd clutch, she goes down to her bin and digs for a while then she's back at the top for the rest of the day. Next day, she's back in her bin ... then same thing. She leaves her bin and goes back to her favorite basking spot
This has been going on for a week now. She was at it again this morning.
Am I just making myself nervous for no reason or does this sound like she's in trouble? (Eggbound, sick, some other reason for her behavior)
She has blackout curtains around her enclosure so she wouldn't be able to see anyone in the bedroom (they're hanging on garment racks several inches away from her enclosure so as not to interfere with her airflow) IF anyone did go into my daughter's room (no one has been here while I'm at work so she's had total silence and solitude for nearly 2 weeks)

 

[MissSkittles]

That is odd. Is she digging at the same spot each time, or starting a new hole? How many eggs did she lay each time previously? How long ago did she last lay? Do you monitor her weights? Is it the same lay bin? In the same spot? Can you post a pic of her?

 

[PrincessSpaz]

That is odd. Is she digging at the same spot each time, or starting a new hole? How many eggs did she lay each time previously? How long ago did she last lay? Do you monitor her weights? Is it the same lay bin? In the same spot? Can you post a pic of her?

Same bin (clean sand)
Seems to be digging in the same spot (I've been too afraid of disturbing her to get a really good look at her bin)
Bin is in the same spot in her enclosure BUT I did have to move the entire enclosure the week before Christmas. Her enclosure had been near a window and when I heard the temps were to drop far more than normal, I moved her entire environment away from the window
I also recently replaced her lights (replace every 4-6 months depending on UV reading on meter)
Last clutch, my daughter had sprained her ankle (it was really bad, still hasn't healed fully) and was laid up in her bed when Spaz laid her eggs. Bed was about 4 feet from Spaz (daughter was afraid to even go to the bathroom for fear of disturbing her) ... that was in July (Christmas day would have been day 152 after 2nd clutch)
Spaz has only let anyone touch her twice in that 152 days so I haven't actually measured her weight

 

[PrincessSpaz]

@MissSkittles This is probably most recent photo I have of her ... 2 weeks before Christmas and she had decided to go hide out in her old enclosure that I'd been using as a greenhouse for her newest plants

 

[MissSkittles]

….….…..
What are your ambient temps? Heat = energy for reptiles. Maybe she’s getting too chilled while digging and needs to bask to warm up?

 

[PrincessSpaz]

….….…..
What are your ambient temps? Heat = energy for reptiles. Maybe she’s getting too chilled while digging and needs to bask to warm up?

82 at the very top, 78 at her basking spot, 73-74 midway down and 72 at her bin (room temp is 70)
I think I may have figured it out though ... she climbed out onto her hibiscus tree (she typically only climbs out once or twice every few months and even then it's usually only when she sees I have buggies) ... she ate a few dubias and I was able to get a photo of her bin. It looks like she's making a long tunnel (much different than before when she started in the middle and dug to the edge) from edge to edge ... which would make sense why she's digging a little at a time because her bin is pretty big
She still has a good appetite, no buggy refusal and even graced my pinky with her foot while she ate

 

[MissSkittles]

Just keep a close eye on her and for any signs that she may be in distress...eyes closed, lethargy, etc. Hopefully she’ll have a different but still uneventful laying.

 

[PrincessSpaz]

My baby knows how worried I am about Spaz since she still hasn't laid her clutch. So she drew this picture of Spaz (Spaz always tilts her head like this when she's trying to ignore me but I have food lol) to make me feel better
Spazzy is still interested in eating and has been doing her normal morning and evening routines ... no eggs that I'm aware of yet though

 

[PrincessSpaz]

Just keep a close eye on her and for any signs that she may be in distress...eyes closed, lethargy, etc. Hopefully she’ll have a different but still uneventful laying.

I just went in my daughter's room to put away some laundry (Spazzy has been digging all day after she ate a good breakfast) and she's backed up in her tunnel! All I can see is her sweet little nose ... hopefully I'll see her in her favorite spot in the morning and she's good and hungry like last time

 

[MissSkittles]

I just went in my daughter's room to put away some laundry (Spazzy has been digging all day after she ate a good breakfast) and she's backed up in her tunnel! All I can see is her sweet little nose ... hopefully I'll see her in her favorite spot in the morning and she's good and hungry like last time

Yay! They do keep us on our toes! Do keep us posted!

 

[PrincessSpaz]

Yay! They do keep us on our toes! Do keep us posted!

As of 0300 EST ... she was in her bedtime spot and tunnel covered. She looks about the same as last clutch ... tired, hungry and thirsty.
I've got to leave for work in a few minutes but my 16 year old is going to see if she can get Spazzy to eat and frequently check on her to make sure she has plenty of water and rest.
I'll probably wait a couple days before counting her eggs so I don't stress her out (she hates human hands inside her space ... unless there's food )

 

[PrincessSpaz]

@MissSkittles egg counting this morning... 66 is what I counted. Clutch in July was 65 but 1st clutch was 33 (it's entirely possible I missed quite a few as she had laid in her pothos plant the 1st time)
I honestly thought she would have laid fewer this time given her diet changes (per vets, yes plural) and my schedule changes at work (no longer about to feed Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday ... she's been eating Sunday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday depending on the week and only eating 2 crickets or 3 dubia and one hornworm) except for the day before yesterday she has not had a single waxworm in nearly a year. Her temps have been a little on the lower side since she's been in a much larger house since August
Is around 60-65 her normal or is there anything else I can do to reduce her number? I know such a large number takes a tremendous toll on my princess

 

[MissSkittles]

Wow! That’s a lot! So you’re feeding her only 2 or 3 feeders on three days of the week? No one else is sneaking food to her? Is she in a bioactive set up where she could eat her fill of isopods? Is she eating her plants down to the stems? I don’t think plant eating really counts for egg production, but I’ve gotta ask/consider it. I can’t think/don’t know of anything else that can be done. While the regimen usually works well for most lady veileds, there are some that it just doesn’t do much for. I know that for some, it can take a couple of cycles to kick in. I’m going to say to stick with it. Hopefully it’ll start helping your sweet lady to cut down on her egg production. The big concern with large clutches is that there will be difficulty in passing so many eggs. The risks for becoming eggbound increase, so you’ll need to be vigilant when she’s laying. You already know her routine and time frames. Any significant deviation from that or signs of distress, you’ll be better aware of and able to get help early enough. You may want to invest in a small cham cam to monitor her better. Wish I could be of more help.

 

[PrincessSpaz]

Wow! That’s a lot! So you’re feeding her only 2 or 3 feeders on three days of the week? No one else is sneaking food to her? Is she in a bioactive set up where she could eat her fill of isopods? Is she eating her plants down to the stems? I don’t think plant eating really counts for egg production, but I’ve gotta ask/consider it. I can’t think/don’t know of anything else that can be done. While the regimen usually works well for most lady veileds, there are some that it just doesn’t do much for. I know that for some, it can take a couple of cycles to kick in. I’m going to say to stick with it. Hopefully it’ll start helping your sweet lady to cut down on her egg production. The big concern with large clutches is that there will be difficulty in passing so many eggs. The risks for becoming eggbound increase, so you’ll need to be vigilant when she’s laying. You already know her routine and time frames. Any significant deviation from that or signs of distress, you’ll be better aware of and able to get help early enough. You may want to invest in a small cham cam to monitor her better. Wish I could be of more help.

I have a camera with microphone on her so I can check on her/record the activity in my oldest daughter's bedroom as I also foster (children and pets) ... most of my foster children have been very respectful of Spazzy and stayed away from her but I have had a couple that were too intrigued (which is why I built her a new house with hidden doors to make it virtually impossible to get to her) ... some kiddos can't understand she's a living masterpiece, a beautiful work of living art to be admired from the opposite side of the room and not a pet like a cat or dog to be played with. I get alerts if there's movement and can check on her. She doesn't have "typical" gravid behavior ie she doesn't lose appetite, she doesn't become restless, she doesn't get "fluffy" (fat lol) She keeps up with her normal daily routine and then randomly start digging like nobody's business
I keep blackout curtains appropriately 6-8 inches away from the sides of her house (for airflow) so she can't see anyone except for a 8 inch space at the top where her basking area is. If she's basking, it's ok to enter the bedroom. If she's not in her basking spot, we try to avoid the bedroom as much as possible (if she's not in her favorite sleep spot or her basking area then she's digging)
From 2nd clutch to 3rd was exactly 161 days, am I correct in assuming that's her normal cycle?
My daughters don't have time Monday through Friday in the mornings to sneak her any food due to their school schedule, I'm the only one who feeds her (she has to be REALLY hungry to take food from anyone other than me anyway) and I've been very careful with her food since it was pointed out to me that she was overweight last year and all the complications that causes ... unfortunately we weren't very educated when she came home but have tried to learn whatever we can in the almost 2 years she's been home
The only plants she nibbles on are the pothos (the only plants with chunks in leaves or missing leaves) and she doesn't often munch on the pothos. Mostly she's getting a bite here and there while getting some water and not sitting there chewing on the leaves. No bioactive environment although I seriously considered it and kind of really want to but she doesn't like a "cluttered" floor (one day we heard a lot of hissing and discovered a few leaves had died/fallen to the bottom and she didn't like it) so I haven't tried bioactive for her. She's quite opinionated lol

 

[MissSkittles]

Aww…she sounds like a sweet little character. All you can do is keep doing what you’re doing.