To... Puffy!
Ok, I admit it. I thought Puffy was a boy.
All these years, I just went on that hunch.
"He" was aggressive, puffed out his little black beard, chased off other lizards, typical 'guy stuff'.
Flame and Puffy have been living together for a few years now, and for the most part get along well. Oh, sure, sometimes they play-bite each other's tail, but I can usually break it up before someone gets hurt. Most days are spent peacefully basking in separate corners of the enclosure.
As you may recall, this January marked the first time I've added sand as a substrate.
At the end of March, I added a new UVB reptile-basking bulb, and really noticed a difference. They were suddenly more active and happier. These bulbs cost $50 each and only emit the UVB for about six months! (Nobody said this hobby was cheap, which explains why I've been doing it wrong for so long - no coupons for this stuff.) My last bulb was still keeping them warm, and spring is the perfect time to change out the light. This way you can get a year on one bulb.
Soooo.... somewhere along the line all these conditions aligned - Brumation, followed by UBV signaling spring mating season, and sand to lay eggs in...
I came home to at least a dozen eggs and parts-of-eggs all over the cage. Amazingly enough, neither lizard ate the eggs (I've seen my box turtles Rodan and Chelsea eat eggs Gamara has laid). Puffy looked very thin.
I threw most of the eggs out. I doubted their fertility / viability for many reasons, number one being I didn't provide proper nesting for Puffy. Had I known she was gravid, I could have done something!
I went online to see what I could learn about geriatric lizards producing eggs. Puffy is at least ten years old! That has to be ancient for a lizard. Most reports say ten is the upper limit of the lifespan of a bearded dragon, some others note fifteen.
First off, I should have been able to feel the eggs inside her and notice she was gravid. Nope. They both are well-fed and look chubby. They have heft to them. Puffy looked really thin now, but not emaciated. I could however, determine she was the one who laid the eggs. I'm not saying Flame couldn't be female as well, just that I don't think she laid any today. Reptiles can produce eggs without the presence of a male, and may become egg-bound. I'm just glad that hasn't happened with any of my pets, as that can be life-threatening.
Secondly, I should have provided a special tank for Puffy to create a nest, and left her there for a few days. Oh, and let's not forget the whole 'trying to produce hatchlings' concept. I totally skipped that one. I didn't monitor the temperature of the cage, keep the male from the females, etc., etc.
Thirdly, eggs should be moved to an incubator and kept upright at a certain temperature for 50 to 70 days.... Yep. I screwed this all up.
I left three eggs in the cage. I'll check them in a few days, but I think I will end up removing them before they rot. I can always try again next year. I have already disturbed the eggs, so little chance exists that they will hatch, even if fertile. They are bright yellow now. I understand if they whiten and enlarge, they are fertile and growing little baby lizards.
There's nothing cuter that a little baby lizard! So, who knows, perhaps I'll be advertising lizards for sale some time soon!
Ok, I admit it. I thought Puffy was a boy.
All these years, I just went on that hunch.
"He" was aggressive, puffed out his little black beard, chased off other lizards, typical 'guy stuff'.
Flame and Puffy have been living together for a few years now, and for the most part get along well. Oh, sure, sometimes they play-bite each other's tail, but I can usually break it up before someone gets hurt. Most days are spent peacefully basking in separate corners of the enclosure.
As you may recall, this January marked the first time I've added sand as a substrate.
At the end of March, I added a new UVB reptile-basking bulb, and really noticed a difference. They were suddenly more active and happier. These bulbs cost $50 each and only emit the UVB for about six months! (Nobody said this hobby was cheap, which explains why I've been doing it wrong for so long - no coupons for this stuff.) My last bulb was still keeping them warm, and spring is the perfect time to change out the light. This way you can get a year on one bulb.
Soooo.... somewhere along the line all these conditions aligned - Brumation, followed by UBV signaling spring mating season, and sand to lay eggs in...
I came home to at least a dozen eggs and parts-of-eggs all over the cage. Amazingly enough, neither lizard ate the eggs (I've seen my box turtles Rodan and Chelsea eat eggs Gamara has laid). Puffy looked very thin.
I threw most of the eggs out. I doubted their fertility / viability for many reasons, number one being I didn't provide proper nesting for Puffy. Had I known she was gravid, I could have done something!
I went online to see what I could learn about geriatric lizards producing eggs. Puffy is at least ten years old! That has to be ancient for a lizard. Most reports say ten is the upper limit of the lifespan of a bearded dragon, some others note fifteen.
First off, I should have been able to feel the eggs inside her and notice she was gravid. Nope. They both are well-fed and look chubby. They have heft to them. Puffy looked really thin now, but not emaciated. I could however, determine she was the one who laid the eggs. I'm not saying Flame couldn't be female as well, just that I don't think she laid any today. Reptiles can produce eggs without the presence of a male, and may become egg-bound. I'm just glad that hasn't happened with any of my pets, as that can be life-threatening.
Secondly, I should have provided a special tank for Puffy to create a nest, and left her there for a few days. Oh, and let's not forget the whole 'trying to produce hatchlings' concept. I totally skipped that one. I didn't monitor the temperature of the cage, keep the male from the females, etc., etc.
Thirdly, eggs should be moved to an incubator and kept upright at a certain temperature for 50 to 70 days.... Yep. I screwed this all up.
I left three eggs in the cage. I'll check them in a few days, but I think I will end up removing them before they rot. I can always try again next year. I have already disturbed the eggs, so little chance exists that they will hatch, even if fertile. They are bright yellow now. I understand if they whiten and enlarge, they are fertile and growing little baby lizards.
There's nothing cuter that a little baby lizard! So, who knows, perhaps I'll be advertising lizards for sale some time soon!
2 comments:
Now you're a grandma!
HA!!!!!
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