Monday, November 10, 2008

We Have Eggs!

Moiraine laid 19 new eggs yesterday. I guess she wanted to give me a birthday present. A couple of them looked unhealthy, so we're keeping a close eye on them. We could very likely have about 30-35 baby beardies with these two clutches, and there is still the possibility that she'll lay a third clutch.

We're taking good care of her and getting her a lot of protein and water/nutrient-rich veggies. Female bearded dragons tend to stop eating 2-3 days before laying eggs, and they spend a lot more energy than usual during those days with all the digging, so you can imagine how famished she is!

The first clutch has been incubating for just over 30 days. At the low temperature we're using, they should hatch after a 70-85 day incubation period, so we're expecting the first hatchlings in late December at the earliest. (Incubating them lower and longer results in more laid-back dragons.)

3 comments:

Ashley said...

I hope they hatch while we are in town! That would be so fun to see them!

Schatz said...

hey do you know if insects lay unfertilized eggs? or do they have to be fertilized in order to lay? Stupid question I know. Once someone asked me the same question about our chickens....I thought it was a dumb question and now I am wanting to know. & Google hasn't been very kind to me with this inquiry.

Schatz said...

Ok, what do you think....our praying mantis laid another 2 egg sacks...and there isn't a male hanging out in her cage. all the google pics confirm that they are indeed eggs. And I have evidence that her poop looks way different. Do you think they will hatch? I am going to do another Google search. Also, want me send you some? You might get a kick of raising these little critters too??? They are so cool to watch! Hope you're doing well.