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!
