Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female bearded dragon just gave birth to twelve eggs. She had just started digging and I thought I had alittle more time to my surprise. The books I have are not much help. I have a ten gallon tank, two brinks the heater, and a container of virmiculite, I am confused as how much water I put in the tank? How deeply should the eggs be buried, and to keep the temp were it should be what kind of lid is best. I have set up a make shift one for tonight. I have the temp at 84 and the eggs half buried. I am concerned that they will dry out. If I use the lid to the tank it creates to much condensation. Any ideas? Some general guide lines and advice would be heaven sent??? Thanks.

This might help, its a article that someone wrote making an emergency incubator
making an emergency incubator

Because the most important thing is you dragons, the not pleasent part is at the bottom...

Go to the website at the bottom of this page for pictures of an incubator I set up for a friend. The repcal jar has water in it not calcium.

Please go BUY an incubator. Go to The Tractor Supply Company or ANY feed store and get a Hova-Bator or a Little Giant($30) NOT the kind with the fan. Go get an indoor out door thermometer from walmart(15.00). Go get some shallow tuppoware(the Glad dispossable works good)..2.5 inches deep. Get vermiculite(from a gardening store).
Plug your incubator in. Put your indoor outdoor thermometer in so that the probe is directly in the center of the incubator. Put water in the trays in the bottom. Get your incubator to stay at a constant temp between 81.9 and 84.5 degrees. If anything have your incubator too cool, as temps above 89 WILL KILL your eggs, but they can tolorate brief peroids in the 70s. When your incubator is holding a correct temp(which it won't do unless your house is a constant temp several degrees lower then your incubator, you can start to get the eggs ready.
Get the vermiculite damp not wet. It should be damp to the touch but you should not be able to squeeze water out of it.
Put the damp vermiculite into you tuppoware container(s), You should make it about 1.5 inches deep. Put on gloves before handling eggs as oils from your fingers will interfere with air exchange in the eggs. Place the eggs in the vermiculite, being VERY careful not to turn the AT ALL from the way she laid them. You can press out little indentions with your thumb in the vermiculite to put the eggs into...they should be about 2/3 burried. Put the eggs no closer to eachother or the wall then 1/2 inch.

Here is my first reaction to your post:
Why in the world would you go to all of the trouble and worry of building an incubator when you could just buy one from any feed store for $30. If you knew how to make one in advance then I can see saving the money, but since you obviously haven't got the first clue.. If you can't afford to shell out $30 on an incubator then you made a BIG mistake breeding dragons. I got into breeding on accident a couple years ago(I rescued a female that turned out to be gravid). After I sold all of the babies to good homes I went back and calculated my expenses. The silly lizard ended up laying 4 clutches (75 eggs in all), having only been bred 1 time at her previous home. All fertile except 2 in the last clutch. All hatched! I had to buy SO many things to keep those babies healthy and give them what they needed to thrive. I spent well OVER $600, and that is not counting my HUGE air conditioning bill I had to keep my house a constant 78 degrees so that the incubators would not overheat or the time I spent caring for them. I thought how hard could it be, they just eat and poop right?.....ha! I spent about about 3 to 4 hours a day with the silly things, thats not so much you say, but add my job and college to that...geez. Thank godness we all lived through it. It turned out that I loved it though. The next year wasn't so expensive, having been able to use the stuff from the previous year. Oh, and having been able to plan in advance to breed, totally preparing for the process months ahead of time, spending all of my spare time on the internet where the is SO much info. from others who have been doing it for years. That right. No excuses. If you wanted to learn, you could have. There is SO much GOOD info out there. And if you are breeding your dragon that must mean you have a good herp vet...right? Why not ask him some advice?

There are very FEW, so it would seem, on this list who BELIEVE fully that if they allow an animal to breed, they are completly responsible for the entire life of every baby produced....from egg to old age. more common are those who say...oooh cute babies. I can make some of those...oh look! she is digging...maybe it is time to get things ready...oh wait, I don't know how. Now I have put 12 little lives in danger because I am ignorant and selfish. Doesn't matter that I have risked my pet's health and put tremendous stress oh her body, I can't seem to find the time to research how to care for her precious eggs...

I cannot read this list any longer. It is to horrible. There is some good info here that I am sad to miss...but... All these people thinking they can just throw two lizards together and hope for the best, and then running here begging for help. Don't you have any feelings for these poor animals....it would probably be better to let the babies die as eggs then to have them suffer as hatchlings when you are once again caught unprepared.

Sincerly,
Jen
Feeling sad because I know that those who need to hear this won't.
incubator pics

Jen, it is nice to see you are passionate about the care of your pets, but I don't appreciate you dumping all your baggage on my shoulders. I was tired and worried when I posted my message, and I can see that it was not complete enough. I do have an incubator set up and had one set up, I did research the incubator, but everything I found didn't give specific information, as to how deep the water level should be, how deeply buried the eggs should be. How high should the humidity be, and just general things to watch for. I was really just questioning what I did have set up. For your information I do care alot about all my lizards, and the twelve eggs seem to be doing fine, but since I am questioning my set up I am going out today and buy an incubator from the local feed store, when I am sure the temp, is correct I will tranfer them into it. I found the eggs yesterday evening. The female was given to me gravid, and I did not realize it until she started digging, but even then she was so thin and malnurished that I still questioned the fact that she could be gravid. I knew nothing of her history. I had taken her to the vet after she was given to me, and he didn't even know she was gravid. She was malnurished but healthy other wise. I had her quarantined, away from my other dragons, and did she give me a surprise. It was my first experience with a gravid female. I have not attempted to bread my other dragons, because the are still to young, but if I had planned on doing so I would have been ready!!! I do my research, and I do care!!!! I regret posting my message now, I was just reaching out I was concerned, so thanks alot....

comes to 2190 bucks - 600 = 1590 dollars sounds like you made out just fine. no granted there is feed expenses ect i will give 500 for feed and light ect 1090 bucks again not to bad. on a lizzard that was gravid when you got hence you had no rasing cost.

save your ranting for PETA mettings please

I made my own incubator - and it hatched 18 wonderful babies.
Go here:
http://www.morion.com/teo/english/babies/frame-babies.html
Look for "Make your own incubator" in the left frameboarder.

Incubator

-----
Teo - A Bearded Dragon

I have a homemade incubator as well, but I did not start building it after the eggs were laid. Made mine out of a fridge though, and spent several weeks getting the temp right in ever part of it. Good luck.
Incubator

I wanted to thank everyone who gave me some suggestions, and clarify the facts. I was tired and concerned when I posted my message. It sounds pitiful even to me. I do have an incubator set up, and the eggs are doing fine so far. I was questioning some parts of my incubator set up. The sites that were suggested were helpful, but since I am still in doubt I am going to go buy an incubator today. I just found the eggs last evening. The female in question was in pitiful shape when she was given to me, I knew nothing about her history. I had taken her to the vet and except for being malnurished she appeared to be in good health. I had her quarantined from my other dragons, and boy did she give me a surprise. Yes, she was digging, but being as thin as she was I really didn't start questioning if she was gravid, the vet didn't catch it either. My first time with gravid female. I can guarantee you a call to the vet, and I do my research. The sites were helpful, I was just wanted some specific questions answered. I was questioning the humidity level in the incubator, and the water level, and how deeply the eggs should be buried. The information I was able to find was very vague. I didn't want vague, I wanted answers. So please excuse my earlier post and thank you for your help. I care alot about all my dragons. Thanks J

hey jade dont worry about what he/she said about your post you'll have them kind of people in every thing you do always wanting to put someone else down . and for the inc.from the feed mill thats what i use and mine has a fan in it and it works great so i dont think it matters if it has a fan or not its just what i got but i think the ones with out a fan are cheaper. all on the pic he showed you of his incubator his read out for the therm.was inside the incubator i like to sit mine on top with just the probe inside that way you dont have to open it to check temps just my ( 2 cents good luck )