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Your Bearded Dragon Has Laid Eggs. Now What?

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Bearded dragon eggs in a sandy nest.

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After your pet female bearded dragon laid eggs, the primary duty you have is to maintain them until they hatch. It takes between 40 and 90 days for the eggs to hatch, and it would be best to be extra cautious during this period because any form of mishandling can render the bearded dragon lay infertile eggs.

Once your pet bearded dragon lay eggs, your first task is to determine whether they are fertile or not. dragons lay infertile, you should dispose of them immediately, and if they are fertile, you set up the incubation area before they die off.

It would be best if you acted swiftly to get the eggs away from your pet dragon. Apart from the eggs dying off, the dragon can eat them due to mineral cravings. This article will guide you with everything you need to know about the incubation process of bearded dragon eggs.

Did Your Female Bearded Dragon Lay Fertile Eggs?

Your pet bearded dragon will either lay fertile or infertile eggs. Note that a bearded dragon does not need to be mated to lay eggs. But if it is not mated, all the eggs will be infertile.

Your bearded dragon should have been around a male for the eggs to be fertile. However, that does not guarantee that all the eggs will be fertile. You will need to examine each egg to determine if it’s fertile or not.

Follow the following procedure to determine if the eggs are fertile or not.

  • When picking the dragon egg, mark it on top with a pen to ensure you replace it exactly as it was. Rotating the egg may detach the placenta damaging the fertile egg.
  • Take your dragon eggs to a dark room and carry a small light since you will use a process called candling. Candling is the process of determining whether the egg is fertile or not.
  • Hold the dragon egg and shine the light through it. If the egg is fertile, you will see a pink embryo and a network of veins extending outwards.
  • If you hold the light and see yellow through the dragon egg, it is infertile. An infertile egg usually is empty inside.

Apart from the candling process, another way to tell if the dragon egg is infertile is by looking at its shape and color. Infertile eggs are usually yellowish and have dents, and fertile eggs will be white and whole with no dents.

What if the Bearded Dragon Lay Eggs Which Are Infertile?

If your female bearded dragon is not mated, you should immediately dispose of all the eggs before they start rotting. If you have used the candling process, separate all the infertile eggs and dispose of them immediately. 

You should not keep the infertile eggs near the bearded dragon because it can eat them.

Once you have all your fertile eggs ready, the next step is to prepare the incubation box and place the eggs inside.

Guide on How to Incubate Bearded Dragon Eggs

If your female bearded dragon laid eggs and you are not prepared for it, you should find a way to improvise a simple incubator. The eggs should not remain exposed for a long time. 

Placing the dragon eggs in the incubator and maintaining them is a delicate process that requires skill.

You can make your incubator or buy one. But looking at a situation where your bearded dragon lay eggs without notice, you will have to improvise a simple incubator temporarily.

How to Make a Simple temporary Incubator

You can follow the following specifications to improvise a simple temporary incubator.

  • Use a small plastic bin with a lid. It should be approximately 12 by 18 inches and 6 inches high.
  • Drill holes on the side of the container to provide ventilation.
  • Place the bin in a non-ventilated area and provide heat using a heating pad or any other appropriate heater.
  • Use a thermometer to constantly maintain the temperature within 82 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit or 27 to 29 degrees Celsius.
  • To stabilize the temperatures, you may place a towel on the lid and between the heating pad and the bin.

If you choose to buy, you may consider the most recommended incubators listed below:

Once you have your incubator ready, it’s time to place the dragon eggs inside.

Handle the Eggs Carefully When Moving Them

Note that shaking or rotating the eggs will damage the placenta rendering the eggs infertile. You should maintain them within the same angle at which they were in the nest.

It’s alright to turn them slightly for the first few days since they have yet to develop the embryo. Between one week and four weeks, you should not handle the female bearded dragon eggs at all, and you should start handling them after five weeks adhering to the handling rules.

Ensure the Temperature Is Set Right

It would help if you had the temperatures set between 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit or twenty-seven to twenty-nine degrees Celsius. Some incubators regulate the temperature automatically, while you will need to set it manually in others.

Adjust the Humidity

Your pet bearded dragon eggs need to be maintained at a relative humidity of 75%. Using a store-bought incubator may have an inbuilt hygrometer, making it easier to monitor the humidity.

Some incubators need you to add water in a set location to help regulate the humidity. Eggs that are too dry do not hatch.

Closely Monitor the Incubator

  • Keep regularly checking to ensure the temperature and humidity is correct.
  • Ensure that mold does not build on the eggshells. That tells you the eggs are exposed to direct moisture. You should lower the humidity or dry the eggshells.
  • The eggs should hatch within forty to ninety days if all the conditions are right.

Can Bearded Dragon Lay Eggs and Hatch Without an Incubator?

Bearded dragon eggs do not need an incubator to hatch so long as you keep them within the right conditions. You can use natural soil to bury the eggs in the exact location your bearded dragon has laid them.

The natural soil technique is a simple and affordable method. To improvise an incubator, you will need skills and equipment, while buying one will have you spending vast amounts of cash. The simplest and cheapest fallback is to avoid the incubator.

Natural Soil Technique

The following guidelines will help you hatch your eggs without an incubator.

  • Clean your dragon’s enclosure immediately after it has laid the eggs. That will help reduce any mold or bacteria.
  • You should consider removing the dragons from the position. Female bearded dragons tend to eat their eggs because of mineral deficiency. They can also eat their hatchlings after being hatched.
  • Use an under-tank heater or overhead lamp to provide the right temperature. You should regulate the temperature between 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and maintain it within that range until the eggs are hatched.
  • Maintain the humidity levels at 75% using a hygrometer. You will achieve this by spraying the soil regularly. You should be careful not to spray the eggs as that may cause mold to grow on the eggshells.

How to Make a Simple DIY Incubator

If you cannot buy an incubator and don’t want to use the natural soil technique, don’t worry! Here is a simple way to make your homemade incubator using a simple process.

  •  Find a plastic box the size equivalent to the number of eggs you want to incubate. The box should be well insulated and sealed to avoid air currents and maintain the incubator temperature.
  •  Drill a small hole at the bottom of the container about 0.25 inches wide. The hole is to allow the plugin-in of the heating element.
  •  Place a thermometer near the eggs. If the container is large, you may need two thermometers to help you monitor the temperatures at the top and bottom of the container.
  •  Place a thermostat near the location of the egg container and opposite the thermometer.
  •  Place a shelf inside the box elevated to a level where enough air circulation will be. Further, drill small holes to facilitate air circulation and prevent condensation.
  •  It is advisable you use a transparent lid so that you won’t need to keep opening the lid when monitoring the eggs.
  • Connect the thermostat with the heating element and plug the thermostat into the electrical socket and turn it on. Set the thermostat temperature, wait for about two hours, and check the thermometer readings.
  • Adjust the thermostat until you reach the recommended temperature levels. You should do it two days before placing the eggs inside to ensure that the temperatures are stable.
  • Take wet vermiculite and spread it evenly at the bottom of the box, then add a layer of sand. Insert the eggs on the layer so that they don’t roll.
  • You may need to use a heat mat since the room temperature may not be favorable for eggs to hatch.

How Do You Tell When the Bearded Dragon Eggs Are About to Hatch?

The incubation period of your pet bearded dragons eggs is between forty and ninety days. After forty days, you should keep a keen eye and examine the eggs daily to see if they are about to hatch.

The following takeaways will help you prepare to receive your baby dragons:

  •  One day before the eggs hatch, they will start collapsing, and you will also notice some moisture on their surface.
  • The hatchlings use their egg tooth to break the shell. Then the nose emerges out of the shell first, and the egg tooth disappears after hatching.
  • If the hatchling comes out of the egg with a yolk sac, don’t remove it. It will fall off on its own.
  •  If the hatchling has difficulties getting out of the shell, you should not rush to remove it. You will interfere with the natural process of hatching. It may take even thirty hours before the hatchling fully gets out of the shell.
  •  You should leave the baby dragons in the incubation box for a day to help them adjust and wake up. Ensure that you maintain the same incubation temperature in the enclosure to help your baby dragons to thrive smoothly.
  • The eggs may take three days for all of them to hatch.

FAQs about Bearded Dragons

Conclusion On Your Bearded Dragon Has Laid Eggs. Now What?

The process of maintaining the eggs of your pet dragons may be complex, but all you need is the right skills and equipment. You should not just wait until your bearded dragons lays the eggs, it is necessary you know the signs that your bearded dragons is about to lay so that you can prepare in advance.

It would be best if you never forgot that any mishandling of the eggs might render them infertile. Make sure to sign up for updates on any new content we publish. 

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