Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a couple 9 monthish old Red Ackies that i have raised together. They each roughly 6 inches snout to vent. I thought i saw them locked up a few weeks back, and at an educational program another herper said he watched them lock up when i wasn't around. My question is this-- How large do they need to be to actually produce eggs? I just need to know if i need to worry about getting a container of vermiculite together now in hopes that she lays there rather than just in the cage or if i dont need to worry about that for a bit longer.

Varanids just like most other ground dwelling lizards bury their eggs underground, they dont like to dig into vermiculite or other wet substrates.
They need deep dirt that is damp under the surface, dry on the surface, a proper temperature and humidity range and a good high temp basking spot.
Combine these things and ackies start laying eggs underground from 6 month old or even younger in some cases, usually this starts between 6 months and 1 year.
I did similar things for my beardies and they layed eggs non stop. So even a popular species that people seem to believe need fake egg boxes etc to lay sucessfully also do better with a natural substrate and enjoy burying their eggs.