Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my female bearded dragon is only a year and a bit old but is acting very different recently i have a male and a female housed together and he has been grabbing the back of her neck ect but i didnt worry as i thought they were too young i picked her up this morning and her belly felt harder and isnt eating as much and she is digging like mad at the corner off the tank under the heat could this be a sign and is shee too young for babies to survive

sounds like she is ready to lay eggs. Unfortunately bearded dragons can get pregnant as young as 8 months if housed with a male. What you need to do is prepare a large egg laying bin, a mix of untreated soil and vermiculate, damped so it forms clumps but not enough that water drips out when squeezed. Use a heat lamp to warm up the sand, and place your female in there.

If the male isn't already in his own cage, you want to separate them.

You will also have to decide if you want to incubate the eggs. If you do you will need to make or purchase an incubator immediately so it's ready to place the eggs in as soon as the female is done laying. If you don't want to incubate the eggs, or can't get an incubator (they won't incubate in the dragons' tank, it's too difficult to maintain constant humidity required in the dragon's tank, without making it too humid for her). You can freeze the eggs to kill them humanely then toss th em out.

Also keep in mind she may clutch again in 2-4 weeks. Female dragons can lay up to 6 clutches in a season, though typicaly with one mating, 2-4 occur.
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PHLdyPayne