Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I purchased an enormous bearded dragon this weekend from a local pet shop (I know, I know, what was I thinking?) But this one looks super healthy and the store had her in a 55gal tank. She was in with an adult male and I think she might be pregnant. She is SOO fat and weights in at 615grams and she is 18" long. She doesn't have a huge feeding response either, eating just a few bites of the veggies I've offered her thus far. She seems to enjoy sleeping under the heat lamp. I felt her belly a little, and I didn't feel any eggs. Are there any other better ways to tell she is gravid?

Thanks so much!

soaking her in the tub usually will help you tell if shes gravid...when they are in the tub most will flatten out which reveals the eggs wen u rub their belly...also you can gently but firmly grab the base of the tail when she is on a flat surface and lift her up only until she flattens out nd look real quick at her belly and put her right back down as to not cause too much stress
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1.0.0 Frilled Dragon - Frank
0.0.1 Rhinoceros Iguana - Mo
2.1.1 Bearded Dragons - Magellan, Galileo, Lizzy, & Machiavelli

i found that about a week before she is ready to deposit her eggs you will be able easily palpate her belly and feel the eggs. Also she will start to dig( as long as you have her On a substrate she is able to dig into like sand or dirt) once she starts doing that it is safe to say she is pregnant.My beardie pretty much refuses to eat during this period and is quite lethargic. And if she does eat it will be protien like crickets or pinkie mice,never greens at the end of pregnancy.
Good Luck

I still haven't been able to feel any eggs and I haven't seen much digging. But, she is being very lethargic (sleeping under the heat lamp all dat) and not eating her greens at all. I really hope she's pregnant, this will be my first clutch of beardie eggs!

It's very hard to near impossible to feel infertile eggs sometimes. Can you post a picture?

Ugh, don't mention the word "infertile"!! At the very top of the hot spot it reads about 110 degrees and at the bottom reads 80 and the rest of the cage is also around 80. Large branches let the beardie go up and down on the hot spot. My female is normally laying in the 100 degree range. I've attached a pic I took about a week ago of her when I first got her. Please excuse the stained legs and belly of the pet store's sand. I will take a better picture later of her next to one of my "normal" weight beardies. This pic doesn't really do her justice, she weighs in at 615 grams!! Really a beast!!

Sorry, reposting =/

Here is a better pic of her today with another adult female.

Hard to say. I'm leaning toward not gravid. I have an 800 gram female at just under 22" and a 740 gram female at about the same length. So she may just be heavy. Females often need to brumate to produce eggs. Even when they live with a male.

You'll have to wait and see. She may not be eating much because she's full. lol. If she starts losing weight I would be more concerned. You could always bring her to the vet for an ultrasound.

Well, I have my fingers crossed and I'll keep you updated on any eggs (or lack of).

So what's the best method to brumate dragons?

I'm not a breeder and would rather mine didn't brumate or lay eggs. But, the vast majority do it on their own even though thermostats and timers keep their conditions pretty much the same all year. Once the girls wake up, they drive me crazy till they get a mate. Even if I don't give them a mate they lay infertile eggs about 3 weeks after they come out.

Sounds like im very lucky I don't have a female well for my frist one at least.

I would measure the temp. of her basking spot. If she lays in the hottest spot all day it is often because the spot is not hot enough. Even if it's in the proper range I would increase it a little. Every dragon is different, some like warmer basking temps. than others.