Let's talk about Egg Laying in Bearded Dragons

Let’s talk about females and egg laying. Female Beardies can/will lay infertile eggs. I’ve had females who lived with males who have *never* laid eggs. I’ve had females who have *never* seen a male who laid excessively. I’ve had females who laid 1 egg once and females who laid 20 a month. It is 100% random, all based on genetics. 

Every female will make egg follicles from their ovaries. The follicles then drop into their oviduct and come out through their vent as an egg shape. Infertile eggs look like giant yellowish-white Tic Tacs; fertile eggs are tiny egg shapes. Not all egg follicles will drop off the ovaries and if they don’t, they will start to rot inside the female’s belly. 

The first pic shows healthy follicles (round, similar size, bright yellow) and the second pic unhealthy follicles (abnormal, dark colored, lots more blood). One of the most common causes of deaths with females is rotted eggs. Which leads to the next question— but how do you know??? You don’t by yourself. Yearly check ups are the only way. Egg follicles can’t be felt by a vet; they can be seen through an ultrasound though. Sadly, a female with rotting eggs will act totally normal until she’s too sick to save. 😩 

If you have a female, I highly highly recommend that you get her spayed by an experienced reptile vet. I’ve had most my females spayed before I adopted them out. There are risks to surgery but they are less than the risks of having ovaries and eggs. My vet charges around $500 for a spay surgery. The last pic is Dorothy having her stitches removed a month after her surgery. She is guaranteed to have a longer & healthier life without her ovaries & eggs. See next post for how to tell if your beardie is a boy or girl! 

Mystery Solved!

Problem solved!!! I took Derek to the vet today because since I got him 12 days ago, he's not been eating or pooping. I started to worry.

Well, Derek is a GIRL! 😱😱 And she's not fat, she's pregnant (sorta)!!! Derek is making infertile eggs and has a lot of ova growing around her ovaries.

Not eating, not moving, not pooping are all bad signs in males, but totally normal in egg laying females. I'm going to wait a couple weeks to see if she lays them. If not, I'll spend the money to have her spayed (about $400) so we don't have to deal with eggs again.

I've had 4 female beardies spayed and it's been fabulous. Undeveloped eggs start to decay in the belly and the resulting infection will kill them.

Laying Lotus

Female chameleons frequently lay infertile eggs. The last Cham* I rescued laid eggs in one of my plants a couple days after I got her. 

Lotus is obviously filled with eggs. You can see the egg-shaped bulges in her belly. But she hasn't touched the lay box in her cage. 

Time to be more creative. 

I drug in the houseplant that the last Cham* laid her eggs in, set the mercury vapor bulb above it, and am letting Lotus 

free roam in it. Hopefully, she'll find the big pot of dirt and go crazy! 

It's not a very pretty houseplant, but it's got nice, sturdy limbs that are perfect for Cham feet. 

Here she is-- not sure if she's okay with her new digs or not. 

Eggs can be tricky with female chameleons. If they don't lay them, they will die. If they lay too many, they can die. They don't even have to be with a male Cham. They just lay eggs. It can be very nerve wracking. . . Okay, at least for me it is. 

I'll give Lotus a couple days to lay her eggs in the dirt. If she doesn't, she'll get an oxytocin shot on Monday to induce her laying. 

*Note-- I cannot remember what that girl's name was! That's why I keep a blog. It's part educational and part an external memory for me. :) I'll look it up. 

Finally Finished!

After a long night, Verde Hissy Pants finally finished laying her eggs. 

I checked on her several times to make sure she was okay. Each time she gave me the stink eye. 

When I finally found her on top of the hole she had filled in, I pulled her out of the dirt. 

She looks terrible. I'm going to let her warm up and then I'll get her hydrated. 

I'm glad she made it. I have no idea how long she was waiting to lay eggs, but I'm glad she found the dirt in my pot. 

Egg laying is so hard on the female chameleons! It amazes me she had the instinct and strength to do everything she just did.