Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have some qustions about first time breeding for a female (2 yrs old, 450g/19 inches, vet checked and healthy) I've heard that the first breeding of a female can result in a clutch of infertile eggs. Is this common? Is the whole clutch infertile? Do you advise waiting until the following year for a second breeding?

If the male female are healthy and the mating is successful she will have fertile,not infertile eggs. All my girls lay fertiles their first time...ocassionally a few will be infertile.Infertile eggs are produced by females that are not bred.

It is easy to tell infertile eggs. They are small and mushy. If she lays an infertile clutch, she may cycle again and will breed if placed with a male. if a dragon cycles, breed them, sometimes infertile eggs do not pass and can kill the female. Better safe than sorry is my rule.

You may get a few infertile eggs in a good clutch, and sometimes they are broken when the females bury them.
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www.moonstonedragons.com

I agree 100% with both responses. If vet-checked and in good health than your fine. Infertility is possible but not likely. I have never had a dragon with an infertile klutch. But I have had extremely small klutches (eggs of 10) their first time breeding, and some infertile eggs that exit the female deflated. Just make sure she is 18'' in length and more than 350 grams to be on the safe side, no parasites, and you should be okay!
www.AtlantaBeardedDragons.com

i have a female hypo-transluscent leatherback who was never bred but just laid an infertile clutch of 30 eggs on feb 28th. I am now curious as to when i should put a male in with her for breeding. she is eating fine and very active. I am not sure her weight but awhile back when i weighed her she was about 350 grams. I think she is around 1-1.5 years old

she is my only female to cycle eggs so far.

If you are looking for her next clutch to be fertile then the sooner the better. The eggs must be fertilized prior to being shelled. You may be too late already for the next clutch.

Egg binding can happen with fertile or infertile eggs, even in the best of conditions and animal health. I had to have a female spayed last year due to egg binding. She is and was in the high 700 g's and has always lived full time with her mate. It would have been her 2nd clutch last year. She laid 2 eggs normally and then could not lay anymore.

I have never had a problem with females laying infertiles. Most likely my dragon had one egg that was too large for her to pass causing the egg binding condition. Infertile eggs cannot have this problem.

The biggest cause of egg binding is husbandry. Things like dehydration, temperature and improper nest area are the most common causes.