HELP!!! trouble laying eggs.

[beardie parents]

Hi all Rosie woke us up with her scratching about an hour ago. Her dad checked on her because he heard her scratching and turning. When he got her out we noticed her vent seemed swollen and I thought it might be a prolapse so we got her soak tub ready and soaked her. She laid one egg in the warm water. We went to take some water out and put some warmer in and she didn't want to go back into the water. I'm not sure what to do now because we had no knowledge of an egg laying female last year when she laid 22 in our bed because I'd unknowingly interrupted her egg laying outside. This year was soo different from last year and I was just figuring that she wouldn't lay eggs this year because she hasn't been hormonal at all for the last week or two, she even slept in until 11 am on this last Sunday and Monday mornings. I've read about lay boxes but we don't have anything but good AZ dirt and some sand but, of course, it's not ready to put into a box. We have several cardboard boxes but no plastic that I think would work. Right now she's sitting on my stomach trying to lay more eggs. Should I put a heat lamp on her?

Thanks for any help.

 

[AHBD]

Put her in a dark box with a bunch of shredded newspaper. That may work. Other than that, dirt/ sand in a box will work, but if you don't know what's in the soil, it might be risky. Try the dark box....as long as your room is warm, no need for a heat lamp.

 

[beardie parents]

Thanks, she seems to be o.k. for now. I kept her on me for the rest of the night, I guess she wanted mommy. They both seemed to crave attention from there dad yesterday until I got home then she wanted my shoulder all evening until I put her to bed at night.

 

[AHBD]

Can you get to a home improvement/ gardening store for some children's play sand and or bagged topsoil ? It would be better than the outside soil, which could harbor some mites. Also a medium plastic storage tote. It's really best to set up a laybox and have it ready for now. You don't want her to hold her eggs, and she may be doing that while you hold her. She needs a nest box , and there may be more than one clutch this year.

 

[beardie parents]

Unfortunately we can't. I have to leave for work in just over one-half hour and I still need to get dressed. We have the cash but it needs to go toward our mortgage. I can't take today off work and I will be at work all day tomorrow. She digs outside when she is in a hormonal stage but this took us by surprise because she quit digging and her hormonal stage has been just about nothing for the past 3 to 4 weeks. I might be able to go after work but I'm not sure what to look for and the local stores only have stuff for planting trees and plants which, I believe, have stuff that beardies shouldn't have in their digging soil.

 

[AHBD]

Just look for a bag of regular topsoil. If she regularly digs outside with no problems, though, you might try some of that. Is there a pet store, see if the have " Eco earth or Bed -a -beast coco fiber ? That will work as well. Other then that, go with a cardboard box cut to fit in her tank, and add newspaper....she may use that, it has worked for me once in a pinch.

 

[beardie parents]

I'm going to see what I can do after work, if she doesn't lay today while I'm at work. It will help her for tomorrow because she's usually ready to sleep by 4pm and I won't leave work until after 5pm. Our only local pet stores are Petsmart and two locally owned stores, one that may help the other is questionable as the manager of that one is allergic to pets and doesn't like them.

 

[AHBD]

Petsmart carries eco earth. You can use that....you add water and it fluffs up + expands. Just add enough water to get it to stick together enough for her to dig a tunnel type hole.