# 9mth beardie lays 20 eggs!



## kristian101 (May 22, 2011)

Hi Guys, 

We got our babies in September last year so they are about 9/10 months old now. We suspected one was female and pregnant when she started getting obesely fat (i knew it wasnt just food). Last night just before bed, she was digging digging digging and what do you know, 20 eggs were laid! 

We put them in a tub and kept them on warm paper towel over night in the tank and went and bought an incubator this morning. THe eggs are still in the cage until the incubator regulates. 

Do you think we might have some babies come through or do you think its not likely considering the mothers age? We didnt intend to breed and to be honest didnt know we had male and female as they were so young when we bought them. but hey, thats the way it goes. 

If anyone has any advise, please let us know........

The pic if of the eggs before we transferred them to the sandwich tub.

THanks guys,


----------



## Jazzz (May 22, 2011)

hey i have no idea about beardies, but congratulations =] hopefully there are some viable eggs...


----------



## Defective (May 22, 2011)

depends, just a question was she gravid when you got her or did you let her mate?? if you let her mate IMHO that was a bad choice because both are still to young and it MAY affect her in the future. if you bought her and she was gravid...well not much you can do, do loads of research and speak to breeders but if they are male and female please keep them separate as you don't want this to happen again until the female is ready,if you are new to the reptile keeping hobby as my friend and mentor tells me (she gets lots of phone calls) 'the only dumb question is the one not asked' so ask, search on here, google and don't be afraid to PM


----------



## JAS101 (May 22, 2011)

all look like nice white eggs , do u have an incubator?


----------



## kristian101 (May 22, 2011)

Yeah we bought one this morning and we are just waiting for the temp to stabilise. Fingers crossed at least 1 survives!


----------



## BurtonReptiles (May 22, 2011)

good luck with it and if they hatch chuck me a pm if your selling them.


----------



## Torah (May 22, 2011)

well I think its exciting , sure you didnt mean for it to happen but it did so YAY ! As Lambert said she might be abit young but hay if she did it in captivity wouldnt they have done so in the wild ???

I hope you get lots of gorgeous lil baby beardy's ! and as Mattybx said if your selling them Pm me too


----------



## Defective (May 22, 2011)

ohh im not upset or anything, its babies of course im happy but i just think the surrounding circumstances are wrong. i really hope they are viable and you get ittie bitties but use it as a learning curve.


----------



## LizardLady (May 22, 2011)

Hey Kristian101! 

Firstly, I'm not going to "tell you off", we just have to deal with this situation as it stands now...

Are you prepared to find homes for 20 babies - *IF* they all sell? If so, read on...

Are you prepared to *INDIVIDUALLY* house 20 babies if they DON'T sell (that's 20 enclosures, all with heat and UV)? If so, read on...

When your incubator is ready (set temps between 27 and 31), prepare a lidded, air-tight tub (or two or three) with moist vermiculite at a 50/50 mix vermiculite/water ratio, place the eggs in individual "divets" in the medium, being VERY careful not to roll them. Place the eggs pink spot up if you can, or EXACTLY as they were laid. Place tub/s on the middle shelf of your incubator. Within a week (don't check them before then), you will know if they will be viable. Those that aren't may have white fluffy mould growing around them, or look yellowish and badly deflated. If they still look white, but dented/deflated, carefully mist the vermiculite around the egg/s (this means the moisture content in the medium isn't sufficient), to "start again". Then get back to us here!

Lastly, I'm unsure of the circumstances surrounding this issue, but PLEASE separate your dragons RIGHT NOW. Yes, that means setting up another enclosure, with heat and UV. Considering this little lady's age, if you wish to breed with her in the future, please wait until she is two years old, and keep your fingers crossed that this early experience of hers won't be detrimental to her future.

If you have any other queries, flick me a PM and I'll get back to you asap.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Best,
Carolyn


----------



## Defective (May 22, 2011)

^^^my mentor i told you about!!!


----------



## MD-Mummy (May 22, 2011)

and our mentor as well


----------



## kristian101 (May 22, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your feedback, much appreciated. We seperated them last night and have the male "flash" in another tank all set up so he's none too happy but he'll be ok. Little lady "lightening" is looking ok, she's a bit on the quiet side but she's eaten and she's nice and warm so all good there i think - we'll keep an eye on her. 

Re the eggies, we used rubber gloves to move them over and we placed them in their new tub exactly as we found them so fingers crossed there too! 

Its all a bit of a guessing game and learning curve, as i said before, we didnt intend to breed them, we didnt actually know we had a male and female - apparently we have randy teenagers for pets! hehe. Matty BX ands Torah, yes we do intend to sell them once they come through (assuming they do come through) and once theyve eaten etc etc - theres no way we can set up 20 enclosures - the landlady already had a fit when we told her about the current zoo we have! 

Will keep you all posted on how we go! 

Thanks again, 

K


----------



## Defective (May 22, 2011)

good to hear!!! yes my boy is on the randy side as well as shedding ...teenagers hey


----------



## LizardLady (May 22, 2011)

Lambert said:


> ^^^my mentor i told you about!!!


 
Naw, shucks! 



BnEGlidz said:


> and our mentor as well


 
Geez, now I'm REALLY embarrassed!  Thanks guys!


----------



## pythrulz (May 22, 2011)

They look like healthy eggs Kristian so good luck with them and read up about beardie incubation periods and check to see if the eggs are viable they should be


----------



## Defective (May 22, 2011)

LizardLady said:


> Naw, shucks!
> 
> 
> 
> Geez, now I'm REALLY embarrassed!  Thanks guys!


 well you taught me sooo much, and never mind when i ring like 100 times a day (ok slight exaggeration there may be more like 2-3 plus the 100's of sms' LMAO)


----------



## LizardLady (May 22, 2011)

Lambert said:


> well you taught me sooo much, and never mind when i ring like 100 times a day (ok slight exaggeration there may be more like 2-3 plus the 100's of sms' LMAO)



Only too happy to help! We all have to start somewhere, and I'm more than happy to share what I have learnt over the years!


----------



## xxMelissaxx (May 22, 2011)

kristian101 said:


> Matty BX ands Torah, yes we do intend to sell them once they come through (assuming they do come through) and once theyve eaten etc etc - theres no way we can set up 20 enclosures - the landlady already had a fit when we told her about the current zoo we have!



What if they don't sell? Something to think about before you incubate those eggs.


----------



## GeckPhotographer (May 22, 2011)

> What if they don't sell? Something to think about before you incubate those eggs.


Well he could always give them away?


----------



## Defective (May 22, 2011)

xxMelissaxx said:


> What if they don't sell? Something to think about before you incubate those eggs.


 
what do you suggest he do with 20 CBD eggs that *MAY* or *MAY NOT* be viable????

there have been people offering to buy hatchlings and i for one would take one (as a last resort of course) but they can be sold on places like gumtree (god i love gumtree), trading post, herp trader etc 

theres endless possiblities *facepalm* just have to think outside the square a little


----------



## beeman (May 22, 2011)

Dont be suprised if she produces another clutch or 3, They are able to lay up to 4 fertile clutches from the one mating! 

Realisticly you should think about what Lizardlady posted above, Plus the fact as hatchies they will require one hell of a lot of live feed to the point where they will eat more than they are worth dollar wise!



Lambert said:


> what do you suggest he do with 20 CBD eggs that *MAY* or *MAY NOT* be viable????
> 
> there have been people offering to buy hatchlings and i for one would take one (as a last resort of course) but they can be sold on places like gumtree (god i love gumtree), trading post, herp trader etc
> 
> theres endless possiblities *facepalm* just have to think outside the square a little


 
They are worth nothing! Even wholesale they are nearly worthless, its unfortunate but they are extremely simple to breed and every man and his dog has turned out about 100 times or more of what the market can handle!

Not incubating is a viable option!


----------



## BurtonReptiles (May 22, 2011)

i dont understand why so many people being so negitive about this topic, im pretty sure that they sell and that she would be able to feed them . I know i would but two, ive seen people searching for them on net more and more


----------



## Defective (May 22, 2011)

its more the cost of it matt, hatchies are a big time consumer and big money eater, as well as the beardies were too young and that can harm future clutches as well as the mother. our concerns are for both breeder and beardies. like i said, i'm happy but you *can't *just throw out possibly viable eggs into green waste or something because they'll hatch anyway so if not incubated then they need to be frozen for a while, if incubated then the OP needs to be prepared for the time consuming part of the hobby...feeding and cleaning.


----------



## Renenet (May 22, 2011)

Whatever you decide to do, keep us posted. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out if you do go ahead and incubate them all.



beeman said:


> Dont be suprised if she produces another clutch or 3, They are able to lay up to 4 fertile clutches from the one mating!


 
Reptiles are so amazing.


----------



## kristian101 (May 23, 2011)

i am not worried about the money its the fact that the eggs are fertile and have a chance of hatching, i had no intention of breeding them and still dont in the future but these things happen some times and you cant just ignore it..
i will keep you all posted.

k


----------



## CHEWY (May 23, 2011)

They look like nice healthy eggs. You can try candling a few. A small torch in a dark room is an easy quick way to check for viable eggs. If its nice and pink inside filled with blood vessels, it's good. If it glows yellow, good chance of a dud.

I find some peoples views strange on not incubating. Imagine your first clutch of eggs (whether it was an intentional breeding or not), you'd be so excited to see what eventuates from your animals. I understand that they take up a lot of time/room/money, but excited herpers always find a way.
Free to good home is always an easy way to rehome animals too. I have a hunch, there would be more than 20 people on here that would like some extra dragons.

Good Luck K, there's nothing better than your first clutch.


----------



## BurtonReptiles (May 23, 2011)

kristian101 said:


> i am not worried about the money its the fact that the eggs are fertile and have a chance of hatching, i had no intention of breeding them and still dont in the future but these things happen some times and you cant just ignore it..
> i will keep you all posted.
> 
> k


 
Really hope they hatch , I can't wait intill mine have baby's  just need to get my self a male  it be so exciting


----------



## Dragons_Lair (May 23, 2011)

I reckon if you don't incubate them yer nuts. Breeding season has finished for the year and by the time they hatch (if they hatch) people will be screaming for them. Not only will you not have any trouble getting rid of them, in the offseason they should fetch $60 - $70 each . Beardie hatchlings are an absolute buzz and it is an incredible experience that I strongly recommend. Having said that, don't underestimate how much food these little buggers eat. If all 20 hatch they will each be consuming up to 40 small crickets a day. 40 crickets x 20 lizards = 800 per day. Multiply that by 7 and your looking at 5600 crickets a week. Even if you buy them in bulk from an online supplier, your not gonna see much change out of $200 a week just for crickets. If you are a good person and want these guys to have a fighting chance at survival you will want to hold them for at least 3 weeks. There goes 600 bucks in food and you haven't even sold any yet. You are gonna want to house them in groups of ten at the absolute most unless you want to see toes and tails start disapearing so that means two tempory enclosures. This can be done fairly cheaply with a couple of 60 lr storage containers with 4 hanging fittings for compact UV bulbs and 60w heat lamps. They will also need night time heating due to the onset of winter so just switch the heat lamp with an infrared lamp at night and switch it back in the morning. There goes another 200 bucks for housing. Don't want to scare you but its only fair to let you know what you are getting yourself into. Of course if they are infertile you could always make yourself a nice little omlette...
PS. If they are fertile and you decide against it, chuck em in the freezer for a day before you bin them just to be sure.


----------



## wranga (May 23, 2011)

if your not set up to handle lots of hatchies and dont breed your own food, bin the eggs now. sorry that sounds harsh. but you could end up with 60 or more hatchies. nothing worse than breeding then letting them die because you cant supply them with enough food to live while you find new owners


----------



## kristian101 (May 23, 2011)

Dragons_Lair said:


> I reckon if you don't incubate them yer nuts. Breeding season has finished for the year and by the time they hatch (if they hatch) people will be screaming for them. Not only will you not have any trouble getting rid of them, in the offseason they should fetch $60 - $70 each . Beardie hatchlings are an absolute buzz and it is an incredible experience that I strongly recommend. Having said that, don't underestimate how much food these little buggers eat. If all 20 hatch they will each be consuming up to 40 small crickets a day. 40 crickets x 20 lizards = 800 per day. Multiply that by 7 and your looking at 5600 crickets a week. Even if you buy them in bulk from an online supplier, your not gonna see much change out of $200 a week just for crickets. If you are a good person and want these guys to have a fighting chance at survival you will want to hold them for at least 3 weeks. There goes 600 bucks in food and you haven't even sold any yet. You are gonna want to house them in groups of ten at the absolute most unless you want to see toes and tails start disapearing so that means two tempory enclosures. This can be done fairly cheaply with a couple of 60 lr storage containers with 4 hanging fittings for compact UV bulbs and 60w heat lamps. They will also need night time heating due to the onset of winter so just switch the heat lamp with an infrared lamp at night and switch it back in the morning. There goes another 200 bucks for housing. Don't want to scare you but its only fair to let you know what you are getting yourself into. Of course if they are infertile you could always make yourself a nice little omlette...
> PS. If they are fertile and you decide against it, chuck em in the freezer for a day before you bin them just to be sure.


 
Thanks for all your advice,
i will be taking any advice on board and i am willing to do what ever it takes to give these guys the best chance to make it through.
i will also be setting up a cricket breeding box in the next week.

a couple of pics with the new incubator. i will be keeping a very close eye on them.


----------



## Smithers (May 23, 2011)

Good luck with it all


----------



## veenarm (May 23, 2011)

He has already forked out for a new incubator so I doubt money is the problem.
It was more of a suprise than anything, It's probably an excellent learning curve on caring for them. Plus he has 60-90 days I think it is to work out and plan a strategy for when they are born so its not like the end of the world. He could easily set up crix breeding bins by then (I rather roaches but they take a bit longer to start) and not only that he has all of us wanting him to do well and offer advise as needed.

I think it's excellent, as long as the mother is in good condition and not malnourished etc then there is no reason to yell at him for breeding them. I bought 2 hatchies and housed them together, lucky roll of the dice they were both female! 

Good luck, yes they will eat a LOT of crix and vegies (mostly crix) but I'm sure you know the heating and husbandry requirements. You do not need to separate all 20 babies into separate containers, most would house in 2-3 tubs to avoid biting but many breeders (some I have seen) store them all in 1 big tank... just keep us posted!


----------



## AshleighMarie (May 23, 2011)

Well i say good luck with it all. It must be an exciting experience!!


----------



## JAS101 (May 23, 2011)

xxMelissaxx said:


> What if they don't sell? Something to think about before you incubate those eggs.


 
no need to worry about that , i sold my 2 clutches last year $20 each dragon . the guy came from victor harbour SA to buy them [ i live 1 hour S.E of melbourne ] , i must ad he came over twice [ once per clutch just to get the dragons ] sell them at a good price and u will have no issues with selling them to even cover feeding and heating costs .


----------



## Dragons_Lair (May 23, 2011)

Happy to help Kristian. Keep a close eye on your girl and give her plenty of fluid for the next few days. Breeding at this early an age most probably took a lot out of her so put heaps of calsium on her crix for egg production over the next few weeks in case she multiclutches. Carefully candle a few eggs in a week or so and if you see blood vessels yer in business. These guys need to be fed three times a day so if they are fertile book yourself a few weeks holiday two months from now so you are there to deal with it. Now get ready for a long painfull 2 month wait over which you will probably look in the incubator 100 times but the time you look in there and see a head sticking out of an egg is a surreal experience and will make it all worth while. Keep us all posted...


----------



## LizardLady (May 23, 2011)

veenarm said:


> You do not need to separate all 20 babies into separate containers, most would house in 2-3 tubs to avoid biting but many breeders (some I have seen) store them all in 1 big tank... just keep us posted!



??? From the age of three months, some younger, there are noticable signs of aggression and territorial dominance, so yes, from that point on they WILL need to be separated, no "if's", "buts" or "maybe's"... For the health and well-being of ALL of the hatchlings...


----------



## Defective (May 23, 2011)

and if they want they're widdle tiny toes and a full tail.


----------



## lace90 (May 24, 2011)

Good luck 
Maybe we could set up a 'Sponsor the Beardie Baby' programme...not just referring to this clutch of eggs, but any that may need extra funds for food/housing. That way we can raise one of the hatches while they are still with the breeder, by giving a donation, and possibly adopt it when it is ready for a new home 
Haha if only :-D


----------



## kristian101 (May 25, 2011)

Thanks guys for all of your information, well wishes and concerns. (and thanks to those defending us against the 100% pefect herp keepers who never have a problem or fault with their herp keeping.)

money isnt a problem for us (profit or cost of maintenance/keep), we are mostly concerned with the welfare of the mother and the feotus's in the eggs. 

we will keep you posted and if/when we get itty bitty beardies, will post some pics. Judging by the responce we have had from people on here, friends and neighbours, there will be no problem rehousing when they are ready to go.






Hey all,
So it has been a week since lightning layed 20 eggs. 
this morning when we got up we checked for veins in all of the eggs, to my suprise they all have veins running through them which is great and exciting.
we also have our cricket breeding tub up and running to get ready for them hatching,
fingers crossed it all works out well in the end.

a terrible pic i know but if you look close enough you can see the veins..






View attachment 202336


----------



## xJACKx (May 29, 2011)

good luck am interested in buying if you would be willing to ship at my expence


----------



## BurtonReptiles (May 29, 2011)

really hope this works out cant wait see what comes out and deffs want one too


----------



## RamsMice (May 29, 2011)

they look pretty healthy as long as you move them carefully dont drop any haha, hoperfully you get some nice young. but yes i agree i would seperate them even now it might semm mean seperated cause they been to gether and they will get lonly but in the long run/future you might be glad you seperated them.


----------



## kristian101 (Aug 1, 2011)

Hi Guys, Just a quick post to let you know that our babies hatched a little over a week ago and are now ready for sale on this webiste - we subscribed to be fair and pay the price. 

there are a few pics of the kids if you wanted to take a look and just so you know......we managed to get 18 out of 20 to hatch - 2 just didnt quite make it. 

YAY!!!!

Thanks for everyones help and advise in the early days


----------



## Seb84 (Aug 1, 2011)

congrats on the babies
pics pics pics please


----------



## Sel (Aug 1, 2011)

Wow, just found this thread.
Did the mum lay another clutch? I hope shes ok, shes very young to be laying eggs!


----------

