Adult female question

[bimac6]

Ive had louis for a while and shes just been totally healthy and had no problems whatsoever. But recently shes been spending all her time in this little cave thing she used to hide in when she was younger. But she has not touched it since and recently shes been squeezing herself into there all day. Is this something to be worried about? i know with female chameleons you need to create an egg laying area or else they can become egg burden and die is this the same with beardies?

 

[fresnowitte]

How old might she be?
And what season are you in where you are located?
Yes most females will lay eggs whether they have been bred or not so you do need to
provide a dig/lay box if you think she maybe gravid.

 

[spurlee01]

Females usually go "crazy" when they are getting ready to lay eggs. They dig a lot and some tear up their tanks. A couple of questions might help us figure out what's going on:
What are the temps: basking, cool side, and warm side?
What do you measure the temps with (digi w/ probe, stick on, temp gun)?
What type and brand of UVB do you use?
How old is the UVB?
How close can your dragon get to it?
Sara

 

[bimac6]

How can i tell if its for sure a girl first, like we thought it was a guy but then a worker at petsmart told us he thought it was a girl. As for temperatures most of the tank is room temp but its a 100 watt basking bulb and she basks about 5 inches away from it. The bulb is a reptisun 10.0 and its about 9 months old but i have another new one ill put in. And how would i go about making an egg laying box? thanks !

 

[spurlee01]

http://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/sexing/
There's an article about telling the sex of a beardie. Reptisun's should be replaced every 6 months so it's possible that the lack of UVB has thrown your beardie off a little. Are you measuring basking temperatures? So many factors can affect the temperature. My girl is about a foot from her basking bulb with a 75 watt and its about 105*. If the temps have changed, this could also be a reason for your girl hiding. Mine hides a lot when it's too hot. I think most people make a laybox by using a 10 gallon tank or rubbermaid container, filling it halfway with a soil and sand mixture (she should be able to dig a burrow in it) and rigging a heat lamp over it. Someone else may be able to add more detail, as I havn't had to deal with eggs yet (knock on wood).
Sara

 

[peera]

Knowing your EXACT temps is very important to her health. A digital thermometer with a probe is the best way to get them, they sell a great one at Walmart called the Accurite. Being too hot could be making her hide. 5 inches from a 100 watt just doesn't sound right to me either, mine all have 75's further away.
You'll probably see an increase to her energy when you change out the reptisun, past 6 months and a dragon tends to get lethargic & eat less.

 

[bimac6]

Allright thanks for the help everyone! ill swap that new bulb in there stat and get some temps and report back! ill also get an egg laying area ready

and p.s would i be able to use like soil from my backyard? or is that unsafe to use. Id think there could be harmful bacteria maybe but i could be wrong!

louis!

 

[dna14]

Awww your beardie is so pretty! Any updates? Feeling better?