FEMALE BEARDED DRAGON WON'T LAY HER EGGS!!

[blazethebeardie]

Ok, I'm just going to be straightforward with this:

My bearded dragon Blaze is developing her first clutch of infetile eggs. I don't know how long she has been gravid, and that's where I'm panicking. I've bought her a good size laybox that's about 7" deep and 19" long with a width of 13" and filled it with playsand (please tell me that that is the recommended sand for egg-laying!). She's been scratching around non-stop and is constantly restless. I can definitely tell that she is gravid because I can see and feel the small oval-shaped eggs in her tummy. However, she doesn't seem to be getting the idea that she can dig in it; I've even tried teaching her how to dig :| . I'm worried that she won't lay her eggs and become egg-bound. Should I move the laybox elsewhere? (right now its in her tank.)

If someone can give me some helpful tips, I will be forever grateful.

 

[ghr15]

Did you try making the sand wet? They like to dig a burrow and they need damp sand to do that. I have one that refuses to lay unless I do that.

 

[AHBD]

Like ghr15 mentioned, the sand must be damp, like " cookie dough" so it can hold it's shape. But she may scratch around for a few more days and then decide to get down to business. Have you read the thread at the top of the page in the breeding forum ? And yes, playsand is fine. Does the laybox have a lid ? Because that makes them feel more secluded, as if they are really in a cave if you keep the lid on. Just cut a hole that is about 5 X 5 in the lid and put her in the box...if it has no lid, make one out of thick cardboard or plastic that you have laying around to cover at least 3/4 of the top of the box. Or you might just get a taller rubber maid or sterilite tote that can hold more sand and pile it up about 12" on one side + dig a hole as if to start a cave in one side.

 

[blazethebeardie]

The playsand is already damp enough to retain its shape, but if it loosens then yes, I will dampen it.
I suppose I could get together a makeshift lid, because the one I already have is too low and she wouldn't be able to get out (or even get squished!).

Btw, I've heard that they will stop eating when they are about to lay. She hasn't been eating much of her vegies, but she still goes crazy for her crickets. Is still eating crickets normal?

If she doesn't lay within about five more days, I'm REALLY going to start worrying if she has no idea what to do. If I cant get her to lay, can anyone give me some tips on "teaching" them?

 

[traceyb73]

The playsand is already damp enough to retain its shape, but if it loosens then yes, I will dampen it.
I suppose I could get together a makeshift lid, because the one I already have is too low and she wouldn't be able to get out (or even get squished!).

Btw, I've heard that they will stop eating when they are about to lay. She hasn't been eating much of her vegies, but she still goes crazy for her crickets. Is still eating crickets normal?

If she doesn't lay within about five more days, I'm REALLY going to start worrying if she has no idea what to do. If I cant get her to lay, can anyone give me some tips on "teaching" them?

My beardie, Zoey, who is only 16 months old is laying her second clutch now. The first one was a shock. I took her to the vet on Aug. 23 and kept asking if she was about to lay. The vet insisted she felt no eggs in her big belly and 8 hours later as I was getting ready to put her to bed, 2 eggs rolled down my shirt. In a matter of 4 days she ended up laying a grand total of 27 eggs, most of which were Monday night (26th). We cuddle each night and as she was laying on my belly I could feel what felt like a small twitch. She was moving her back legs a little and after spotting the eggs I realized her belly was contracting. I never did get to make a lay box as my vet apparently isn't real bright. She ate up until the day she started laying and every day after (all 4 days). I thought it was over and done with but was starting to wonder the past week or so. Yesterday I was cleaning out her viv and as I picked up one of her little blankets (about the size of a hand towel), an egg rolled on the floor. Round 2, exactly 30 days after she finished the last "round". She ate with a passion each and every day...yesterday she couldn't get enough crickets or squash! With everything I've read I assumed she would stop eating a few days before, but this was not the case with mine. So far she has only had 1, but I expect today to be different. The most important thing? LOTS of calcium. The eggs take everything they need from your beardie's body and can easily cause a calcium deficiency. I got a powerful prescription from the vet and I've even been giving her a little more than suggested. Also, mine drinks TONS of water during this. Please offer as much as she will drink. After watching how much water they need to lay these eggs, yours will need all she will drink.

As far as the lay box, I wish I could help you there but since this has come as a surprise to me twice now, I know very little about it. She seems to only want to lay on me.

 

[AHBD]

Like Tracey mentioned, calcium is very important and so is hydration After they lay they are usually very thirsty. Tracey's dragon was very healthy to go through the strange laying of eggs on her, some dragons would have become egg bound if they were not in what they considered a prime laying location, which would be some type of lay area . And some dragons do eat right up to the time they lay, they are all different. Try not to worry too much, and keep introducing her to the lay box. Even so, she may decide to lay them elsewhere in the tank. Just be patient. The red flag to look for is if she appears to be TRYING to lay, straining + wiggling but nothing comes out. Then you would seek out a vet. But most beardies do just fine. I've never had a dragon become eggbound .

 

[traceyb73]

Thank you for saying that. I do want to make it VERY clear, NO ONE should avoid a lay box. I know this is not how it was supposed to go. If only I had a vet who could feel 27 eggs (the same day she started laying) I would have had a lay box. :roll: If this wasn't my first reptile I would have known what was going on and I would have been prepared. I know I'm VERY lucky Zoey didn't become egg bound...it could have been a huge disaster.

On another note, watching this little lizard lay these eggs (which I compare to the size of Jordon Almonds), is absolutely amazing! More than once, 3 eggs came out at the same time! And watching her face...she looked like she was meditating. When she was done, she plopped down, chin on my collar bone, eyes closed for a few minutes. Then, out of nowhere, she started digging....with all 4 feet! I was so worried I wouldn't know when she was done...there was no doubt! It took about 3 days for her to start coming back to normal. Those 3 days she would lay in her basking spot, but only if I put her there....she would stay in the same spot all day. Then slowly she came back to being herself again. Nature is just amazing.

Oh, make sure you give your little girl a bath every day. And trust me, she will get smelly, but it will help keep her hydrated too.

 

[blazethebeardie]

Like Tracey mentioned, calcium is very important and so is hydration After they lay they are usually very thirsty. Tracey's dragon was very healthy to go through the strange laying of eggs on her, some dragons would have become egg bound if they were not in what they considered a prime laying location, which would be some type of lay area . And some dragons do eat right up to the time they lay, they are all different. Try not to worry too much, and keep introducing her to the lay box. Even so, she may decide to lay them elsewhere in the tank. Just be patient. The red flag to look for is if she appears to be TRYING to lay, straining + wiggling but nothing comes out. Then you would seek out a vet. But most beardies do just fine. I've never had a dragon become eggbound .

To stop the reign of calcium comments, I dust her crickets everyday and she gets plenty of water from the baths I've been giving her. All I want to know is why she doesn't seem to want to lay her eggs in the laybox.

 

[sweetiepie9]

The best way to determine if she's close to laying is she will leave small poops everywhere, this is to attract a male to come to fertilize her eggs. (Even if there isn't a male to be found) My Sweetiepie laid yearly for 3 1/2 yrs, 4 clutches every summer, then a few more as she got older. She didn't always stop eating, but she did do those little poops and would dig to get out of her tank as her time got closer. Even putting her in her laybox wouldn't work until SHE was ready. Sometimes it took 2 weeks after the little poops (and they were everywhere we allowed her to roam.) She also laid an egg in her tank, then one in her bath, before she was really ready to get down to laying in her laybox. That's all I can help you with, used to drive me crazy waiting for her to jump in, then out, then in, then out of her box, never sure when she was ready. Afterwards I would give her a long warm bath, dust her bugs with powder calcium, plus give her extra liquid calcium in the early afternoon, as they use up so much calcium making the eggs that they're depleted when they're done. So I'd recommend just having some liquid calcium around & give it to her for about 3 weeks afterwards, daily.

Hope she lays soon!