need advice please !! female 3year old scratching

[kirstyf]

Hi, really need some advice ! Over the past couple of days my female dragon has been constantly scratching at the glass aswell as the sides of her viv !! She is in 4ft viv on sand substate , with uv strip light and basking area, she basks at the correct temp and is eating brilliant, we get her out at least twice a day if not more when possible, is there something im doing wrong or have I just got one spoilt girl ?? ? Thanks

 

[nursejones813]

Eggs?

 

[Keelah]

^^

I agree with the previous poster. Even if your female hasn't been around a male, she can still lay infertile clutches. Does she appear to be bigger than normal? Can you feel anything in her stomach? I would try getting a "lay box" made up and offering it to her in her enclosure.

 

[kirstyf]

Thanks for replying, she is not any bigger than normal, and im jot sure about her stomach, sorry to sound ignorant but how do I make a lay box for her and what do Iput in it ?

 

[Keelah]

Sometimes dragons will dig around or scratch around for weird reasons so it isn't always that the dragon is going to lay a clutch, that just happens to be the most common. My female likes to dig, but is under a year, so too young to be laying, though I believe yours is the right age.

Don't be afraid of sounding ignorant by asking questions, this forum is here to help people and the community is actually quite friendly.

Making a lay box isn't that difficult - it just varies from person to person. The rough rule is that you get a container that is big enough to contain at least 9 inches of substrate and ample digging room for your girl. Some people use containers that are sized to fit inside the enclosure while others have almost an isolation tank for the sole purpose of a lay box. This works in the sense that once the digging behavior starts, they will remove the female from her enclosure and place her into the lay box for some personal time. The time left varies.

I'd recommend for substrate you use something like a mixture of Eco Earth + Play Sand. You want the mixture to be moist enough that it is sand castle consistency. Enough that she can bury and dig, but not cave in on her.

One thing is for certain, you'll want to do this ASAP and determine whether she really is gravid. If she doesn't have the proper conditions to lay, and she is carrying eggs, there's a chance of her becoming egg bound.

 

[kirstyf]

Thank you for the detailed reply it has really helped me to understand some of her behaviour and will get a box in asap , dont want my girl to become ill !!this might explain then why today when she was out running around she seemed quite frantic! And kept going in the corner of the room and digging, when I put the lay box in will this calm her down from constantly glass dancing and completely demolating her viv ? I hope so as she seems a bit stressed

 

[Keelah]

The destructive behavior is likely exactly due to stress - when a gravid female doesn't have the proper environment to lay her clutch, she will hold them until she finds a suitable place. This is why they can become egg bound which is a serious medical issue. If the reasoning behind her behavior truly is that she is gravid, then a lay box should resolve the issue - if given the suitable place to lay her clutch, nature should take course.

Of course if she isn't gravid then she won't lay eggs and we'll have to see if we can find another issue as to why she'd be behaving in this manner.

Get the lay box ASAP and keep an eye on her. It is also extremely important that if she is gravid, she gets extra calcium in her diet. Before and after the clutch is laid.

Also, the eggs laid by a gravid female who hasn't been fertilized by a male are always infertile and will need to be removed ASAP or else I believe they rott. There shouldn't be any worry about your female being protective over them or anything, you should be able to move them and dispose of them easily.

 

[kirstyf]

this is all still quite new to me , ive only had the pleasure of my beardie for just coming up to a year and i am discovering new stuff about them all the time ive been looking @ images of lay boxes and see that they vary , some of them have put them under the basking light area and some of them haven't !! confused!what is side would you recommend ?

 

[Keelah]

I don't have any personal experience with having to use a lay box as my female is much too young, though I would imagine it's really personal preference.. On one hand, beardies are desert dwellers and so they would appreciate the heat offered from being directly under the basking lamp - though on the other hand, the humidity produced from the moist substrate in the box in combination with the heat lamp might be an issue. I know that high humidity can attribute to respiratory problems.. although not sure if that would be after prolonged humidity exposure or if the lay box could have that effect if too humid.

 

[Keelah]

On second thought, I think to achieve higher humidity levels you would have to have like, an insulated box. So if you don't have a lid which traps the moisture in, but can still keep the substrate the proper consistency - while keeping it under the heat lamp, then I'd go for that since desert dwellers really appreciate the extra heat.

 

[kirstyf]

its not got a lid or traps,so i will take your advice and put it under the basking area , i can always move it if she isnt settled there.thank you ever so much for the advice

 

[Keelah]

Sounds good, no problem. I'm glad I could help!

Hopefully it's a simple problem of being gravid and will be taken care of soon - then she will return to her normal self. Just remember to give her extra calcium, keep the substrate in the lay box sand castle consistency so she has no problems tunneling, and keep a close eye on her. Egg binding can still be a problem even when given proper lay area, so calcium - calcium - calcium!

:wink: