The lizard species in the Pogna genus and Agamidae family are called bearded dragons.There are six different bearded dragon species and several morphs. The bearded dragon is a lizard species with spiny projections and rough scales.It also has a pouch in the neck region. This reptile is named after the spiny projections in the throat region, which resembles a beard. They are semi-arboreal, meaning they spend a good amount of time living in the tree canopies, jumping from one tree to another. They eat plant matter, insects, and rodents. Bearded dragons are indigenous to Australia’s deserts. They may also be found in arid regions, forests, savannahs, and scrublands. Adult bearded dragons are extremely protective of their territory. There are several varieties of bearded dragons. Bearded dragons are capable of adjusting to a variety of conditions and environments. Bearded dragons reproduce by laying eggs. The clutch of eggs can be fertile or infertile. You can start mating bearded dragons when they are 18 months old. When the dragon is ready to lay eggs, it will exhibit certain behaviors and signs. Sometimes it is unable to lay eggs. Continue reading to find out why bearded dragons sometimes cannot lay eggs and how many eggs do bearded dragons lay.After you have completed reading this article, check out our other interesting articles on bearded dragon colors and bearded dragon bite.Bearded Dragon Nesting BehaviorNesting behavior is the inclination of an animal that is about to lay eggs or give birth in a few days to create a well-structured home for its forthcoming offspring. This behavior is induced by the production of oestradiol, an estrogen steroid hormone. The nest is designed to make new babies feel safe. It also keeps them secure from all other predators. The nature of the predator, the animal, mating behaviors, and the environment all have an impact on this behavior. All animals exhibit nesting behavior and bearded dragons are no exception.The onset of nesting behavior in bearded dragons is accompanied by a lethargic attitude. The female bearded dragon appears to be drowsier than normal when it is preparing to lay eggs. It also allocates extra time to rest. The female bearded dragon looks chubbier due to the presence of eggs in its belly. The presence of a clutch of eggs will become obvious in a few days, after which the eggs will emerge like marbles. The pregnant bearded dragon will start digging an area in its habitat which it finds fit to lay her eggs. This can happen in 21-24 days. This is an obvious sign showing to give them their private space. You can put together a lay box with a proper substrate. Perlite soil vermiculite is one of the best options for the lay box. You can explore other soil options. This will provide an optimum environment for it to lay eggs and put the female bearded dragon at peace. Apart from this, fill a box with fresh wet linen to bury the eggs. The female bearded dragon will lay eggs between four to six weeks. Watch your female bearded dragon closely, as it might be egg-bound sometimes. Place this container in the vicinity where your bearded dragon can easily access it. Place them near a heat lamp. Placing the container in an incubator or altering the material of the box might help regulate the temperature of the area. Ensuring the bedding is warmed and moist before the female bearded dragon lays its eggs is important when you pick this method. You can sprinkle water on the bed around the eggs without getting them wet.Female bearded dragons lay up to 30 eggs in one clutch. Providing calcium-rich foods to the pregnant bearded dragon is a must. Regardless of whether they produce fertile or infertile eggs, adequate care must be provided. Over a four or five month season, female bearded dragons lay many clutches.Did you know a female bearded dragon that is about to lay eggs is referred to as a gravid? Green vegetables, cranberries, and papaya are some of the foods with extra calcium that will provide the necessary strength for your bearded dragon to lay many eggs.Problems With Bearded Dragons Laying EggsBearded dragons lay eggs within six weeks. In a single clutch, there might be 20-30 eggs. The problem with a bearded dragon laying eggs begins when it hangs on or fails to produce the eggs within 45 days.This happens when the dragon eggs formed are stuck in the uterus (also known as oviduct). This shows that the female bearded dragon or gravid might be egg-bound. If the eggs have not been deposited even after a month since you spotted them, it is better to take your gravid to the hospital. Look for other prolonged pregnancy signs like sluggishness and resting. There are around 20-30 eggs in its stomach. This might cause a great deal of pain and drain its energy. Cases reported so far states that most of the time, female bearded dragons have their eggs removed by surgery. Hormone-based treatment is started before surgical intervention. This is also known as dystocia and egg binding. Dystocia mostly occurs in bearded dragons that are being raised in captivity. This problem not only occurs in adults but also in young bearded dragons who have attained sexual maturity in their early stages. The excessive care and easily available diet in captivity boost growth, which in turn reduces the age at which bearded dragons attain sexual maturity. If female bearded dragons become egg-bound and you don’t pay proper attention, they can die very quickly. There are two types of dystocia. They are obstructive dystocia and non-obstructive dystocia.Obstructive Dystocia: When an element or any factor is hindering the passage of eggs, it is called obstructive dystocia. There are only a handful of recognized reasons that are unrelated to us.We have no control over these factors. Some of the issues are that the eggs are too large to pass through the ovary duct, genetic variables, proportions of other parts, and other health issues.Non-Obstructive Dystocia: Unlike the previous case, when there is no element obstructing the passage of eggs, it is called non-obstructive dystocia. Some of the reasons might be unsuitable habitat, small space, inadequate UV, inapt temperatures, poor diet, other diseases, and dehydration. Both of these should not be taken lightly, as they can become life-threatening in a short span of time.Symptoms: All bearded dragons don’t have the same symptoms and spotting the symptoms might not be an easy task. You should concentrate more on behavioral changes rather than paying attention to whether or not the bearded dragon lays eggs. Bearded dragons lay anywhere between 20-30 eggs per clutch. So if your bearded dragon is laying a fewer number of eggs, it might be an early symptom. Bearded dragons are slightly plumper when they are pregnant. This might be healthy, but excessive weight gain or swelling in the stomach regions might be a bad sign.Since they only lay their eggs in suitable conditions, providing them with large spaces might be the first step. Eliminating low calcium foods and including nutrition-rich foods in their diet might also help. Massaging the belly or pressing it to get the dragon eggs out will only cause more damage.Preovulatory Follicular Statis: Follicle production and yolk formation are common processes in vitellogenesis, also known as yolk deposition. The problem occurs when the follicles are reabsorbed. This happens when female bearded dragons find the environment and other conditions unsuitable. This problem arises when the follicles do not go through the normal cycle. In preovulatory follicular statis, the follicles on the ovary do not develop into eggs. This instigates tissue reabsorption. The body can sometimes fail to reabsorb the mass due to its enormous size. These fragile eggs that have not matured have the potential to rupture. This will cause infection and sickness. In serious cases, the inflammation can also lead to death. Male bearded dragons play a huge role in this. If the males are present, the stimulus to produce ova and ovulate is high. This helps prevent the problem from occurring. Sensing males also avoid preovulatory stasis.Mold: Once the dragon eggs are laid, they can easily be affected by mold. Checking the level of moisture might help in keeping mold at bay. It is a huge problem, so it spreads from one egg to another in a very short span of time.Bearded Dragon Egg IncubationThe length of the incubation period is affected by a variety of variables. If a female bearded dragon does not find the right habitat and other circumstances, it may not lay her eggs. The eggs deposited by the female bearded dragon will hatch after 50-80 days. A day or two before hatching, the eggs become squishy and the outer layer starts to leak. This pre-hatching sign is frequently misinterpreted as a response to a lack of moisture. You will be able to see tiny water spots on the surface of the egg. The hatchlings or young bearded dragons use their egg tooth as a tool to tear the outer layer. The snout is the first part of the baby bearded dragon to pop out of the egg, followed by the head and the rest of the body.Never try to coax a newborn bearded dragon out of its egg. Coming out on their own is much healthier, as it allows them to acclimatize to the environment. There is a lot of variation between the temperature inside the egg and outside. Pulling them out will not only put them in shock, but will also not encourage any fertile eggs to hatch and might delay the overall hatching process. It just takes a day or two for baby bearded dragons to tear the egg and come out on their own. Some baby bearded dragons might take longer than usual. Give them their time. Once the babies are out, keep them in an incubation box for the next seven days. Experts say that you should wait for at least seven days before you decide whether the babies are dead.Incubation Box: The first and most necessary element that has a major impact on the incubation period is the incubation box. Providing a suitable box that is spacious enough is very important. You can choose a box of your choice. The most preferred ones are plastic boxes with tight lids. This is because they allow you to check and maintain the temperature easily.Alignment: Giving the eggs enough space is the next step. Eggs will expand during incubation. You do not want to startle the young ones by placing them too close to each other. Make sure to dig into small holes before placing the eggs as they tend to roll over and clash with the other. Place the container in a reptile incubator. It will take about two months for the eggs to hatch if you place the temperature at 84 F (29 C). This is considered being the optimal temperature.How to spot a sterile egg? Spotting a sterile egg is made easy by candling. Candling is a process by which a ray of light is passed through the egg. Momentarily lighting through the egg will allow deciding if the pinkish embryo inside is present or absent. Handle the egg carefully as harsh handling might disrupt the head growth of the baby bearded dragon or dragons. You are advised to not carry out the process right after the female bearded dragons lay eggs. Wait for a few days else the embryo will begin to detach. Infertile eggs also start turning yellow in a few days. Carefully monitor female bearded dragons if they lay several clutches during the season. Though most of them cross the egg, laying process without complications, the aftermath might be serious. Feeding them with highly nutritious foods in the intervals while they are getting prepared to go through another egg-laying process is crucial.A female bearded dragon has the capacity to store sperm from a previous mating session for as long as 12 months. She waits until she is ready to lay her eggs. If you pay keen attention to the female bearded dragon, you will quickly notice that she is getting ready to lay her eggs. Male bearded dragons are very aggressive and bite females who are not submissive. The biting force of males is also high, as they have bigger heads.Can a single bearded dragon lay eggs?For a female bearded dragon to lay eggs, it doesn’t need the help of a male bearded dragon. Yes, female dragons can lay eggs without mating with a male.Bearded dragon eggs laid in the absence of a male companion are not fertile. A gravid can lay infertile eggs at a very young age. This is not just a one-time issue. A female bearded dragon can lay infertile eggs throughout its life. Regardless of what eggs the gravid lays (fertile eggs or infertile eggs) the gravid will require large amounts of calcium and a heavy diet to compensate for the loss of energy during the egg-laying process. A gravid can lay two to four clutches of eggs, with each clutch having many eggs.Did you know some female bearded dragons can start laying eggs when they are 10 months old? Laying eggs before they are fully grown can lead to a number of complications, including a sudden drop in the calcium levels of the bearded dragon. This condition is called hypocalcemia. This condition will reduce the lifespan of the bearded dragon by 40-50%.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for bearded dragon eggs, then why not take a look at bearded dragon third eye or bearded dragon brumation?
The lizard species in the Pogna genus and Agamidae family are called bearded dragons.
