She won't lay!!

[Sherri81]

My beardie is in her lay box with her 2nd clutch. She has been there for 6 days now digging the whole time but won't lay her eggs. I had issues with getting her to lay the first clutch as well until someone told me to put her bin on an angle so one end is deeper. Once I did that she laid the next day. This time it's not working. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get her to lay faster? She won't eat while she's in the box so I really want to get her back in her tank asap.

 

[JubJubLizard]

Sorry that your girl has not laid. It sure is hard when you worry about their well being. How long has it been since whe laid her 1st clutch? Is her lay box warm?

 

[Sherri81]

Thanks for the reply. It has been 4 weeks and 2 days since her first clutch. I have her in a big rubbermaid bin (grey, not see through) with about 8 - 10 inches of damp soil. I cut the lid in half and put it over one end and have her heat lamp clamped on the other end. She has been digging like crazy for almost a week but she keeps filling the holes back in and starting over. She has gotten very fat and her belly feels very lumpy this time. The first time she laid 19 eggs and I couldn't feel anything. I just worry because she won't eat anything. I have been giving her warm baths daily to keep her hydrated. If you have any advice I would really appreciate the help.
Thanks,
Sherri

 

[JubJubLizard]

So everything is the same set up as last time when she did lay? Are the tunnels caving in on her as she gets deeper in or is she changing her mind and covering them? For our girl we use a mixture of sand/vermeculite moist enough to hold form but not sopping wet. She has laid 3 clutches but each time she would start then stop over and over again. So them we dug her a cave and put her in it and she took over from there. All 3 clutches exactly the same, we start it and I mean really get it going for her, then put her in and so on. She will come back out when she is not ready but then off and on we just gently put her back then all at once thats it. I know though that each beardie is different. Some they say like 100% privacy. Maybe you can try to start the tunnel/cave for her dig it back pretty good then just gently place her in it. If they are caving in possibly it isn't packing to her taste and if she is changing her mind perhaps she just isn't comfortable with the set up? So the light is on the side she lays or the opposite side? Our girls laid 4 weeks to the day in between #1 and #2 and 3 weeks to the day between #2 and #3. You could feel all the eggs in her belly too.

 

[Sherri81]

I have tried to dig holes for her but as soon as I leave the room she fills them back in. She usually digs in the corners under the light but she has tried the other 2 corners too. She won't dig anywhere but the corners. The heat lamp has been drying out the soil so I have been mixing in some water but she's still not happy. The soil is damp but loose enough for her to dig easily.

 

[JubJubLizard]

I wish I had other suggestions for you. Are you giving her warm soaks? That seems to help and also Jub-Jub loves to go for walks around and around our house. Seems to get things moving for her. Our girl would never lay in a seperate lay box.....she will only lay in her own tank which took us quite sometime to figure out with her the first time. Luckily each time she has been close we just redo the tank the same way. I hope you get some other replies from others with suggestions of what else you can do since the lay box never worked for us. Seems that since she laid in there the first time she would be great with it this time. I'm sorry I can't be more help : /

 

[Sherri81]

Thanks for trying to help. I went to check on her a few hours ago and she was digging a huge tunnel. All I could see was her back feet sticking out. After about 2 hours in the tunnel she came out and packed it all back in. I gave her a warm bath and then dug up 22 plump healthy looking eggs I guess she just wasn't ready or I was being impatient. The eggs are now in the incubator and Isis is resting. Thanks again for the replies.

 

[JubJubLizard]

Oh that is great. What a relief...I think it is a combination of both. They aren't ready and we get impatient lol. Glad to hear all is well. 22 Wow! How many were in her first clutch? Are they also in the incubator?

 

[Sherri81]

Thanks. I'm glad too...lol. She had 19 for her first clutch. They are in an incubator that I made. I wasn't sure if it was going to work until I saw the size difference between the two clutches. The first ones look huge. I guess you don't notice how much they grow when you see them everyday. Only a few weeks left until I'll have my first set of babies. I'm really getting excited

 

[JubJubLizard]

that is funny as we thought the same thing when the 2nd was here. Wow what a difference and then the 3rd looked super small. Our 2nd clutch is bigger right now than when our 1st hatched. Can't wait to hear the update when you have babies. It really is so exciting and just amazing to see them hatch and see the life in each one of them