Hey there, I need some help with a terrible coincidence.
Some background: I'm a new breeder in my first season. I started pairing in December and had confirmed locks monthly through February (skipped March and paired in April but did not confirm a lock, after that I stopped pairing my male because he was off food). My female had been eating without fail the entire season. I'm still learning what to look for, but I think I've observed cool seeking and...I'm not sure if it was ovulation, but a thickening of her body right before her tail. These were somewhere between May and June (I couldn't tell you the exact dates). Her last shed was in March, unless I missed one.
I recently ran out of her regular substrate and temporarily switched to coconut coir until I could get to the pet store. A month ago, she missed her strike (this is unusual for her) while feeding and got a mouthful of it. I rinsed out what I could, and she still ate that night. The week after that she refused food entirely, and has consistently since. Absolutely no interest. She's also moved to the hot spot and spends most of her time coiled up tightly there. Problem is, because of the timing I cannot for the life of me tell if she's coincidentally moved into the heat seeking phase of the breeding cycle and is going to lay late in the season, or if she's experiencing an impaction from the substrate and the behavior change is pain/discomfort. She hasn't pooped (but expelled urates a day or two after the substrate incident), and usually goes a while in between but if impaction is a possibility, I don't want to wait too long to find out. A few days ago she had a 15 minute soak (no change).
Should I wait a little longer or call the vet now? Thanks!