Sunny laid 16 eggs today!! (pictures have just been posted)

[carmallarm]

Sunny (my female rescued Bearded Dragon) began digging at 3 pm today, and by 7 pm, had laid and buried 16 eggs in her dig-box.



It took me about 45 minutes to excavate them all, and they're now safely nestled in an incubator, which is set to 84 degrees F. The eggs are all around 1 inch long, and I have no idea how they all fit in her belly, but at least they're out now, and I'm sure she's feeling better. I gave her an hour-long soak in the shower, then put her back in her terrarium, where she immediately dashed over to her food bowl and gulped down some veggies.

Draco (my male BD rescue) is draped across his driftwood as if it were a hammock. His left arm is hanging off the wood, and his chin is resting on the top. It's an easy life for the men involved, isn't it? 8)

If all goes well, the eggs should hatch in about 58-64 days, which should be some time in December. I took pictures of the excavation and the eggs, and will post them when I have free time (hahaha. <-- that was a joke. free time? I haven't heard of that). :roll:

PS. For those who didn't read my introduction to beardeddragon.org, I adopted Sunny and Draco from an animal rescue a month ago. Sunny and Draco were being housed together in a 20-gallon tank, and all the staff at the rescue thought it was "so cute" how they ate together and slept on the same log, so they labeled them as a "bonded pair" that had to be adopted together. In any case, nature took its course, and Sunny became gravid. I could feel the beginnings of some eggs when I went to pick her up, and she's been driving me to distraction over the last week and a half because I could feel the eggs calcifying in her belly, and was starting to worry about egg-binding, especially since I didn't know when Draco had mated with her, and thereby when she was due to lay. I was also worried because Sunny is now only about 1 year and 2 months old, which is way too young to be laying eggs. In any case, the eggs are out now, and Sunny seems healthy, so all is well. I'm looking forward to some baby dragons this winter break!!

 

[john_ny217]

congrats. I told you everything would work out for you. now the waiting begins.

enjoy.

 

[sunkist]

Awww yeah... eggs... that means babies!!!

 

[carmallarm]

congrats. I told you everything would work out for you. now the waiting begins.

enjoy.

John, thank you so much for your support and for answering so many of my questions about dig-boxes and lighting and substrate and incubators, etc. It's difficult not to get panicky at first over something like this (my last-minute decision to keep the eggs), and I'm so glad that I was able to meet people on this forum who were able to give me some excellent advice which helped me (and therefore Sunny, too) to get through the process. I am just so grateful to be able to give Sunny the care she deserves, and comparing notes with people on this forum helps make me a more informed Beardie owner. I can't wait for the babies!!

 

[carmallarm]

Here are the pictures you've all been waiting for:

Sunny eating (notice the big belly. This picture was taken just over a week ago, when all the eggs were still inside):

Sunny attacking her food:

Sunny in the bath (she has a beautiful yellow head, and this picture doesn't even begin to do her justice):

Close-up of Sunny (she beards up beautifully!):

Close-up of Draco (he's got a huge head and very long legs. He's going to be a big guy when he fills in! You can sort of see his orange "eyebrows"):

Draco overhead shot:

Draco in the bath (notice the tail nip):

I'll post pictures of the eggs when I get a chance.

 

[carmallarm]

Here are some more pictures of the eggs and the proud mommy and daddy:


Draco posing. "I will make beautiful babies":

Sunny 9 days before laying her eggs:

Unearthing the eggs (this totally felt like Jurassic Park!):

The eggs in sandwich containers, on a bed of Pearlite:

Close-up of a single egg:

Poor, tired Sunny, with an empty belly at last. Here she is, washing off after laying her eggs:

Apparently, this process tired Draco out as well. Here he is, lounging on his drift wood log:

 

[carmallarm]

I just checked Sunny's eggs in the incubator. 14 of the 16 eggs look perfect; nice and plump with blood vessels beginning to spread across the tops. 2 of the 16, however, look kind of yellow. I'm pretty sure that these were the last two that she laid, since they were deposited in crumpled newspaper which she used to stuff the top of the hole she dug to lay her eggs in.

I didn't expect any eggs to be so close to the surface, so I dropped the first one (actually only about 6 inches from the dirt) when I picked up the newspaper, and I saw the second one, but it rolled around a bit before I managed to pick it up. I think that these two are probably infertile, and will keep a close eye on them to see if they start to rot.

How do you tell when an egg has gone bad? Is there a way to tell before it starts rotting, so I can reduce the risk to the healthy eggs which are in the same container?

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

Ohhhh the mommy and daddy are so cute and "proud" looking. The eggs are so cute i dont know how white eggs can be cute but they are. And i dont know of any way to tell if eggs are bad before they rot sorry . But i dont think they'll make it if they wer "rattled up" like that(not trying to put you down or anything). And how you said that it felt "like jarrasic park" thats what i think of everytime i see lil beardie eggs lol. Well good luck with the eggs and keep the pics coming. Oh and what is the humitity level in the incubator?

Jessica & Nyroc & Athena & the rest of my bunch

 

[carmallarm]

...what is the humitity level in the incubator?
Jessica & Nyroc & Athena & the rest of my bunch

Good question. I'll put in a hygrometer tomorrow. Oh, and btw, I think the eggs are adorable, too. Somehow, the thought of little tiny dragons growing inside the warm incubator makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. :love5:

As for the 2 yellow eggs, I had a feeling that they were infertile from the beginning, so I guess that if I had to make a mistake and accidentally drop any of the eggs, I guess it was for the best that I learned with those two. I only plan on opening the incubator 1 or maybe 2x/week, so I'll check them again later, and if I feel that there is any risk involved to the other 3 (healthy) eggs, I'll just freeze and toss the 2 bad ones.

 

[carmallarm]

Oh, FYI, Sunny's belly is starting to get big again. I can't tell yet if it's because she has a second clutch coming or if it's just because she's been stuffing herself with so much food lately, since I can't feel any egg bumps yet. I'm kinda hoping for more eggs because only 14 look like they're going to hath from the first clutch. I'll keep you all posted...

 

[carmallarm]

...i dont think they'll make it if they wer "rattled up" like that(not trying to put you down or anything)...Well good luck with the eggs and keep the pics coming. Oh and what is the humitity level in the incubator?

Jessica & Nyroc & Athena & the rest of my bunch

I read somewhere on this forum that the eggs can be rolled around for the first day or two, because the embryo hasn't attached yet, but since I didn't know for sure, I didn't take any chances when I excavated the other eggs. I guess there's no way to tell for sure why these two are yellow, but it's Sunny's very first clutch, so I'll be happy with however many babies I get!

btw, I just decided to wait until another week (or half a week) has gone by, and wait 'till it's time to check the eggs again before I add the hygrometer. I don't want the eggs to get cold too often. The thermometer read a drop in 5 degrees when the incubator had only been open for less than 5 minutes! It's my (/Sunny's) 1st clutch, so I'm going to be as careful as I can possibly be with the eggs for now. It will be interesting to see what the humidity is, though. Good idea!

 

[ilovebeardeddragons]

ok thats probubly a good idea to wait ill be waiting for yoou to post the humitity

 

[Kazul]

Never bred my own dragon as my Squirrel is just a baby. But from what I've read, they can have two, three, or even four clutches from one mating..... so just be on the look out and get ready for more babies to come!

BTW, Congrats to you, Sunny and Draco!

 

[carmallarm]

...from what I've read, they can have two, three, or even four clutches from one mating..... so just be on the look out and get ready for more babies to come!

BTW, Congrats to you, Sunny and Draco!

Thank you! I check the incubator every day when I wake up, and again when I get home from school. I've done hours of research about feeding and housing the babies, and have already started spreading the word about baby Beardies being available in January. I can't wait!!!

btw, thanks for the congradulations. I'll pass them along.

As for more clutches, I'm keeping a close eye on Sunny. Her belly still feels soft, but I check her every morning when I put her in the shower, and am on the look-out for more eggs. In the meantime, I'm making sure she gets Calcium + Vitamin D supplements every day with her food. I'll probably get a fecal sample run for her and Draco soon... The vet I saw said that a fecal wasn't necessary unless their feeding habits changed, but especially with babies on the way, I think it's better to be safe than sorry.