PICS! Sexing and infertile egg laying. HELP!

[Krystina1207]

Hello! "Arnold" is just about 5 months now, about 14 inches and 136 grams, and although the breeder told me he was likely male when I got him at about 6 weeks, I'm starting to think he may be a she.

The breeder suggested that he was likely male because "he" was the largest of the clutch and had a huge head compared to the others.

While Arnold has grown rapidly in length and size since I've had him, it now seems as if he may be growing into that large head, it doesn't seem so wide anymore.

I've checked the pores, and they are almost non existent. There seems to be a single bump at the base of the tail, but it's tricky. Arnold has never displayed any shows of dominance such as head-bobbing, or waving, he is very docile and loves being handled.

The main reason why I want a male is that I am concerned about health issues. I got Arnold to be a loving pet and companion, not a breeder. But, it is my understanding that bearded dragons may lay infertile eggs? This seriously scares me. I absolutely do not want an egg-bound beardie!

Recently, Arnold has been "digging" in the corner at night. More like scratching since I have carpet, but I imagine its with the idea to dig.

I'll be adding pictures tomorrow, since it is past Arnold's bedtime tonight.

Thank you!

 

[BeardedDragonCo]

Sometimes dragons will scratch and dig around just to fulfill the need to dig. It is not very likely that a 5 month old dragon would want to lay eggs, especially infertile eggs. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but I have never heard of one doing so. It is possible if he is a she to be cycling her eggs inside, but this still doesn't mean she will lay them. Most isolated females won't lay infertile eggs until they are 18 to 24 months old, depending on how old they are when they mature and brumate. I have girls that age that love to dig, so I put them in the lay bin so they can dig a tunnel. Sometimes they will dig for a couple days and then get over it, maybe do it again in a week or so. Some dragons will dig if they want to brumate and find a cool place to hide out. Don't let anyone tell you she's too young to brumate either, I've had a few girls decide to take a two month nap at that age as well. Don't worry too much, probably just a phase. Post pics of the under side of the tail when you get a chance, be sure to pull it up fairly tight.

 

[Krystina1207]

Thank you so much for getting back to me! I thought s/he would be way too young, but it still concerns me in the future. At least now I know not to expect anything for another year or so. What kind of sand would you suggest for recreational digging?

 

[RioReptiles]

Definitely looks like a girl from the pics. You can get a 50lb bag of play sand at home depot or lowes for a few bucks and find a big bin like you're making a lay bin. That much sand will make the bin about 5" deep, so just wet it with some water and let her dig a tunnel from time to time. Gotta be good exercise!