Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female beardie laid eggs a little over a month ago for the first time. They are in my incubator, now she just laid her second clutch a couple days ago. All the eggs from both clutches are fertile, but the first clutch eggs are much larger. Do they swell, as the baby developes, and I just didnt notice till now? or is the second batch just not very healthy, the funny thing is, not only are the first eggs larger, but there were more of them, you would think the more there are the smaller they would be. Will this second clutch be weaker? should I freeze them to keep them from hatching? I am not new to beardies, but I am new to breeding. I appreciate any advice.
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imaturtlefanwww.enchantingexotics.com

They grow.

oh...ok, thanks...that was kind of what i thought...but wasnt sure.
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imaturtlefanwww.enchantingexotics.com

Yes they do get bigger. It's due to moisture intake though. If the eggs are kept dryer, they don't grow much at all. If they are kept very moist, they get much bigger.
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Joel R

Coming some day.
www.SpikesAndScales.com

Yes, it's normal for your eggs to "swell" and "pink up" as they get older and closer to hatching time. The change happens slowly but as you said, overnight they appear to be huge.. kinda cool i think.

It's normal for the first clutches to be larger then the second, third, or fouth and so on. That's not always the case.. sometimes our dragons throw like 26, 28, then 35.... so it really can vary quite a bit.

In theory, your second clutch should be fine and no I wouldn't freeze the eggs if you have the capacity to handle and care for a large amount of dragons. If your breeders were in good health and the mother was properly cared for and genetically sound, the 2nd clutch should be just fine for you.

Good luck,
brandon
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Dragons by Nature

Thanks, I appreciate all the comments. You have all been very helpful!
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imaturtlefanwww.enchantingexotics.com