General Care Discussion :: I think my RES is gravid?

[MrTenks]

Hello everyone,

Very recently my 4 year old RES has started acting weird. I noticed about a week ago that she was eating less and now she is not eating at all (i've tried veggies, mostly romaine and pellets). She also doesn't dig around her rocks as she usually does when she's in a good mood.

Over the past three days she has been thrashing in her home (75 gallon tank, she's about 10 in long now and I'm in the process of building her a much larger stock tank setup) she calms down when i put her in a temporary tub that i put her in. When i put her back in her home at night, the next morning she wakes me up with her noise.

Other than not eating/pooping I realized that her tail is always erect which i have not found anything that explains why.

After doing some research I found that she might be preggo. I have her in her temp tub and today am preparing to build an area with soil as a nest.

Can anyone possibly clear this up for me? Any advice at all?

Thanks.

[steve]

Have you tried feeling for eggs? When she is thrashing around, does she fixate on anyone or simply wants to get out?

[MrTenks]

I did. The first time I did it incorrectly - i thought it was between her hind leg and tail but when I did feel above her hind leg (on her right side, she wouldn't let me feel the left) and felt nothing

I've never really notice if she looks at me while thrashing or not. I'll have to observe closer. I have noticed that she does it more when she thinks I'm awake. She'll stop for a bit if I doze back to sleep but then 10 mins later...

My mother, who observes her in and out throughout the day has said she notices her walking/swimming with her behind lower than usual, which would make sense if she is ready to lay I guess.

Also she only thrashes in her home. I've made a schedule to put her in the nest when she starts (around sunrise) and my mom puts her in her temp. tub a few hours later if Toby allows it. Today she broke out of her nest and she seemed normal in the tub, swimming her laps as normal. In the evenings when by the time i get home she's tired herself out and either swims slow and low or get's in her sleeping spot with minimal signs of agitation,

[steve]

She could be doing both... at one point begging for food, another wanting to lay eggs. Try to take her out (or anticipate it) when she's thrashing and not begging.

[MrTenks]

Update:

She didn't let me move her for almost 24 hours and it looked like she almost buried herself in the soil.

I recently took her out and attempted to feed her a few small fish and she went right after them! After that i tried pellets but she went to them and swam right pass. This is the first thing she's eaten in a week and I plan to buy more foods including those to see what she takes and what she doesn't.

She looks more alert than usual (probably hunting for more fish) and i will be combing through her nest to see if she's laid and monitoring her attitude now that she's eaten something.

[steve]

If she's burying herself, then shes just a bit stressed out or just wants to hide.