Bearded dragons are popular pet reptiles among both newcomers to reptile keeping and experienced enthusiasts alike. Some people choose to own just one bearded dragon while others opt for multiple. No matter the number, if one of your female bearded dragons happens to produce eggs at any point during its lifespan you may suddenly discover eggs in its enclosure!
Does a Female Bearded Dragon That Lives Alone Lay Eggs?
Yes, even female bearded dragons that live alone can produce eggs. This could be the result of having recently interacted with male bearded dragons or simply due to nature itself as female animals often lay eggs without ever encountering male counterparts; chickens for instance often lay fertile eggs without ever meeting one!
Bearded Dragon Nesting Behavior
As female bearded dragons begin their nesting processes, they may appear more lethargic than normal and spend more time sleeping or lounging under the heat lamp. Their bellies will also swell with eggs which become visible from outside when close enough for you to feel them inside your bearded dragon’s body – you will even be able to feel them! Once eggs become visible from outside sources, their interior shells become marbleized so that you will be able to feel them.
Gravid bearded dragons are those which have yet to lay eggs, or gravid. After about three weeks, such gravid bearded dragons will begin digging in her enclosure as a nesting behavior and it indicates you must provide her with an adequate nesting area. Fill a small container as a nest box filled with clean and moistened bedding so the eggs can be safely buried – different kinds of reptile dirt or vermiculite bedding options could work here as an adequate nest box solution.
Position this container under the heat lights so that your bearded dragon can dig in to it when she needs a break from digging through her enclosure. Some people also opt to use separate containers, like plastic storage bins, so they can more accurately manage temperature of their bearded dragon’s enclosure (or use an incubator). If this option appeals to you, ensure the bedding has been preheated and moistened prior to her laying eggs in it.
Bearded dragons typically lay 20 eggs at once in clutches, and may lay up to five in an average four-month season (though some have even produced as many as six!). When gravid females come into season it’s important to provide extra calcium supplements and food than usual until all eggs have been laid – this applies regardless of whether or not any may be fertile.
Problems With Bearded Dragons Laying Eggs
Bearded dragons that retain eggs for more than 45 days could be egg bound, which requires immediate medical intervention to address. If she has not lain any eggs since you first noticed her with them and is lethargic and sleeping excessively, getting your pet to a vet quickly should also help resolve low calcium levels as soon as possible – egg binding could prove fatal!1
Bearded Dragon Egg Incubation and Care Once the eggs have been placed in moistened bedding, make sure it reaches 80-85 Fahrenheit using heat lights or an under tank heater, with 75 percent humidity maintained through misting the soil (try not to mist directly as this may encourage mold growth). Fertile eggs should take between 55 and 75 days to hatch; non-fertile ones will never do. These may then be disposed of at any point.
If you are uncertain whether an egg is fertile, hold a flashlight up close and look for pinkish embryos inside with your flashlight. This practice of temporarily lighting up an egg to detect presence is known as candling; take care not to handle too roughly when handling fertile eggs though as too much handling could damage the growing bearded dragon inside; wait a few days after an egg has been laid before rotating or candling to ensure there won’t be detachment of embryo inside an egg.
Caretaking fertile eggs is no simple task; you must monitor humidity and temperature closely while monitoring for mold on them. Most breeders opt for using an incubator which uncovers them from soil for easier monitoring; if keeping them buried is chosen instead of unburying daily. Without an incubator available to them it’s wiser to use thermometer and hygrometer sets placed directly within their nest to monitor these parameters while waiting patiently until hatching time arrives.