Previously egg bound tortoise still digging

[SpeedyHermans]

Hi everyone, I just joined up here as I have a question about my approx 14 year old female Hermans tortoise (THB). We've had her for a few years and she came to us as a rescue from not ideal conditions. She laid her first egg last year and needed help from the vets as she was egg bound. This year she had the same problem but after some oxytocin she quickly popped out two (broken) eggs- this was nearly two weeks ago now. Since then however, she is still digging with her back legs. We took her back to the vets for another X-ray yesterday but there were no eggs visible so he said she probably just still had some hormones in her system and to monitor it. I just wanted to make sure that this is the right thing to do and that there couldn't be something else going on. I am worried she could have an infection or is she maybe going to lay more eggs soon they just haven't shown up on the X-ray yet? She is eating well and is her normal self apart from maybe being a bit more active and I am giving her a lukewarm bath every other day. She is the only tortoise we have and she lives indoors in a converted sandpit and goes outdoors when the weather is nice.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Yvonne G]

Eggs are visible on X-Ray, so I would listen to your vet. The soak might be better daily for a while.

 

[SpeedyHermans]

Thank you- I have been soaking her daily and also made a big area indoor where she can dig as the weather has been so horrible she hasn't been out much and she seems to be digging a lot less now

 

[Yvonne G]

When birds become egg bound we're told to sit them under a warming light. This might also be a good trick for your tortoise.

 

[tortadise]

She could be trying to dig test holes for the future. How deep is the substrate? Nice mature specimens like a 14 year old one you have can dig pretty deep nests(10" sometimes deeper) so I'd say a good 12" deep nesting box would be a good idea. Mix some sand and peat moss in it and mix it up every other week or so with so,e new soil added to give her the smell of fresh new loosened soil. Just a thought.

 

[SpeedyHermans]

Thank you both. In her indoor enclosure the substrate is unfortunately not very deep- but I have made her a hill in the middle of the enclosure which is nice and deep (as deep as she is long). She loves it but keeps flattening it! I might try adding some peat moss to give it more stability as it's currently only sand and topsoil, or try a nesting box as you suggested. Though right now she doesn't seem to be nesting anymore- maybe the hill has fulfilled her digging urge (for the time being).

 

[biochemnerd808]

Sounds like you already got good advice above.
The fact that she became eggbound and that the eggs she laid were broken indicates that they didn't have enough calcium to make a strong shell. You can also help her lay healthy eggs by boosting her calcium intake. My females will chow down on cuttlefish bone while gestating... sometimes eat the whole thing in a day. If yours doesn't touch cuttlefish, you can make it more 'attractive' by soaking it in carrot juice and drying it in the sun. The orange color and carrot smell will help draw the tortoise over to take a nibble.