When compared with adults, baby Bearded dragons need a more selective diet to get going in life. This is what new owners should know about the diet of baby Bearded dragons. Butterworms, also known as tebo worms or trevo worms, are the larval stage of the Chilean moth Chilecomadia moorei. Due to their scent and bright colouration, butterworms are known to be a popular choice for Bearded dragons, but contain high levels of fat, making them better for offering as snacks.
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Pin this to Pinterest. More Bearded dragon breeding posts. Bearded dragon egg incubation temperatures. Bearded dragon breeding. Bearded dragon mating behaviour. Bearded dragon sexing. Search this site Search for:. Follow us on Mailing list. Featured Bearded dragon articles. These are all normal behaviors. Water should always be made available, and food may be offered occasionally, but there is no need for concern as long as the lizards appear hydrated, and exhibit only minimal weight loss.
By mid to late February, environmental conditions should be returned to normal. After a few days of higher temperatures and longer days, bearded dragons will regain their appetite with a vengeance.
During this time, they should be fed heavily, especially the females who will have to support egg development in addition to their own metabolic needs. Calcium supplementation is also particularly important during this time. Typically within a month of being returned to normal conditions, the keeper will begin to see courtship behavior in the lizards. The throats beards of male dragons will darken to nearly jet black.
They will also exhibit head bobbing and an obvious interest in their female counterparts. Females will respond to the head bobbing with similar motions, coupled with a rather entertaining arm waving behavior, suspected to be a sign of appeasement and receptiveness to mate.
The actual process of copulation may appear brutal by human standards. The male dragon will chase the female around the enclosure until she fully submits. Male bearded dragons bite the neck of the female during breeding to ensure that she does not run off prior to the act being completed.
Copulation will likely occur numerous times over a period of a few months. Pay close attention to the condition of the female lizard. If the dragons are housed in too small of an enclosure, or if the male is simply over zealous, she may not be able to escape his mating attempts and become stressed.
Typically large enclosures, visual barriers logs, rocks, etc. Actual egg laying occurs 4 to 6 weeks after a successful mating. Gravid carrying eggs females will become very plump prior to laying. In fact, in many cases the outlines of the eggs may be visible through the females abdominal wall, resembling marbles. As the eggs grow inside of her, she will begin to eat less and less, usually fasting completely for a few days right before laying.
When a female bearded dragon is ready to lay her eggs, she will begin searching for a suitable spot to deposit them. She may be observed digging at the corners of the enclosure and seem hyperactive.
At this point, a suitable place for her to deposit her eggs should be provided, and the water dish removed from the cage. Some keepers opt to simply place a box or deep pan of moist, sandy soil into the enclosure.
This is a popular and proven technique, however, with this practice, there is still a chance of the eggs being laid elsewhere in the habitat, in which case they will likely desicate and perish before they can be retrieved by the keeper. A second option is to procure a plastic tub or similar container with an 8 to 10 gallon capacity and a secure lid.
The container, which will become the egg laying box, should be filled nearly to the top with at least 8 inches of moist, sandy soil. The soil mixture should be damp enough to barely clump when squeezed.
As soon as digging behavior within the primary enclosure is observed, place the female into the box. Typically, instinct will take over, and she will dig a burrow and lay her eggs within a few hours. If the eggs have still not been deposited after several hours in a lay chamber, the female should be returned to her normal enclosure and the process repeated the following day.
Most bearded dragons lay their eggs in the afternoon or early evening, and if possible, place the female into the lay box during this time of day. Regardless of when or for how long the female remains in the box, every effort should be made to maintain the chamber around 80 degrees.
Cooler temperatures may lead to lethargy and failure to lay. Once a female bearded dragon has laid her eggs, she will bury them well. The exception would be among animals not given a suitable laying area, in which case they may be scattered throughout the cage or even in a water receptacle. More often than not, the only evidence that egg laying has occurred will be the deflated appearance taken on by the female. While freshly laid bearded dragon eggs are rather stable, they should still be handled gingerly.
The eggs should be carefully dug up with the hands or a plastic spoon. If the eggs have been successfully deposited in an appropriate container, begin by excavating the corners of the box, as these are the most likely places for the eggs to have been laid. Clutch size will depend on the age and condition of the female, as well as how many times she has reproduced in the past.
Average clutch size for Pogona vitticeps is between 16 and 24 eggs. However, clutches both drastically larger and smaller have been recorded. After the eggs have been laid, and successfully unearthed, they should be moved to an incubator to ensure proper growth and development. As mentioned earlier, freshly laid eggs are not nearly as fragile as those that have begun embryonic development. Nonetheless, every effort should be made to keep them in the same orientation as they were discovered.
Some keepers choose to mark the upper side of the egg with a pencil as to better prevent the eggs being turned during transfer to the incubator. The actual type of incubator used for bearded dragon eggs is of little importance.
While poultry incubators Hovabators are most commonly used, any thermostatically controlled container will work. It is advisable to purchase a pre-made unit as opposed to constructing your own in an effort to reduce the likelihood of malfunction. Not only that, but they may start to eat their eggs to replenish some of those nutrients they lost when they were gravid. As we mentioned earlier, females will start searching for a place to lay their eggs when the time gets close.
A standard enclosure is not always the best place to lay the eggs. Bearded dragons like to tunnel a hole and bury their eggs. Fill a small plastic container with about five to six inches of substrate.
You can use reptile dirt or vermiculite. Moisten the substrate with some water. This will raise the humidity levels of the environment. You should moisten the substrate enough so that it clumps up a bit.
This will only cause mold issues. Now, place the nesting box into her enclosure. Make sure that the heat lamps are on to keep the box warm. You can also create a separate nesting enclosure. Once your bearded dragon is done laying her eggs, you can remove her from the enclosure. Expert Tip: Offer her some high-protein snacks and dust any food with calcium. Bearded dragons pull calcium from their skeletons when developing eggs, so high-calcium foods are a must.
You can keep the eggs in the nesting box, but this requires continual monitoring to keep humidity levels and temperatures at a safe level. This is no easy task, so most breeders will simply use an incubator. Before placing the eggs into the incubator, you must move them to a separate incubator box. This can be a simple plastic container with a snug lid. You want the humidity levels to rise inside. Line the bottom of the box with an inch or two of the incubation medium.
You can use a commercial incubation substrate. Many breeders also like to use perlite or vermiculite. The incubation medium will hold onto moisture to keep humidity levels constant. Create a small divot in the substrate so that the eggs can rest in it without rolling over.
This will provide ample room for growth as the eggs develop even further. Temperatures should be between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Around 84 degrees is a good average to aim for. Slight fluctuations here and there are fine as long as the incubator sticks within the acceptable range. Humidity levels should be high as well. Aim for around 75 percent.
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