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Mild-ish scare, hormones, and inexperience - mostly for newer parronts.

Monaco

Rollerblading along the road
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Joined
9/15/19
Messages
3,168
Location
Oklahoma
Real Name
Kelly Hill
I had a bit of a fright this week. A little history... It's nearly been a year with my girl! She laid an egg about a week before I picked her up last October. I've been warned that she is particularly spicy and unpredictable when she's hormonal, and especially during actual egg formation start to finish. I was a vet tech a hundred years ago, and apparently I cannot even manage basic anatomy terminology when I panic... We're chest deep in some serious upheaval these past few months, and we've also hit some goals.

So, to the point of the post...

On my last day of the new day job I came home and started dishes and peek a boo with her from the kitchen. I could see her lower half, and thought I saw an unproductive attempt at elimination, dismissed it and then saw it a few more times. Panic ensued...general palpation, a shower to visualize her abdomen, and thorough paper and cage inspection while she was on a playstand over fresh paper. She absolutely freaked out about the violation of her space, and she managed to fall off of the stand. She knocked out a tail feather, and I'm glad the new rug is so thick and soft or it could have been much worse. A call to her former mom and plans for an emergency vet trip were next. I forgot the part where I was on the floor for a clear view of cloaca action...the abdomen looks as normal as ever, and I honestly am not typically allowed to touch her body, so I don't have much to compare the palpation.

Anyway, I just wanted to stress the importance of staying fresh about anatomy, physiological processes, and basic uhm...basics. Well, poopology, preparedness for emergencies and not panicking!

Monaco is fine, but it didn't have to be so stressful for either of us. During the phone call with her first mom she let loose an enormous poo, I found helpful diagrams of anatomical changes during egg formation, and got more history of her behavior and physiology during hormones and stress. I'm more prepared for an emergency trip to the vet, and better equipped to evaluate when to go.

Guys, keep a good schedule for paper changes, and habitually lay eyes on it for changes in poop and evidence of food consumption and waste. Keep your travel carrier clean and available quickly. Have multiple numbers for resources handy in your phone and/or on your fridge. Do a dry run of going in the travel cage every now and then complete with treats...for yourself too to build your comfort level and know what you need to keep handy for your particular situation.

Stay safe everybody!
 

Kassiani

Biking along the boulevard
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Southeastern U.S.
Thank you for sharing that. Great information! And I'm sorry you and your Monaco went through such a time!
 
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