digging?

[sgt. amoth]

Good day,

Not a real health problem, more like a question about beardies behaviour, one of my females is in some kind of "digging" mode since a couple of days, she's VERY active but since she started digging she stopped to eat properly, anyone has an idea about that kind of behaviour?

I first thought that she wanted a hide or something like that, so I built one with OSB wood but she doesn't seem to care.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Many dragons like to dig, for digging sake.. Just keep an eye on weight... if she looks to be getting heavier really fast.. she could be carrying infertile eggs...
We can help you identify that, if this is what is going...
Hope that helped !
Janie

 

[sgt. amoth]

About her weight, it's slowly decreasing since she stopped eating and started to be very active with her frenetic digging, but she is far to be underweight, before that I put her on some kind of light diet because she looked clearly overweight.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

Is she gravid?
Has she been with a male in the past 30 days?

 

[sgt. amoth]

Nope, She has been away from any male since I bought her, in december 2009, I have her with another female, they are both females no doubt about it. No Aggression, no dominance whatsoever.
That's why I don't really know what's going on.

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

She still may throw an infertile clutch.
She starts diggin again or if she hasnt stopped put him in a bin of sand. She may just lay some slugs.
I would also soak her either way.

 

[sgt. amoth]

You were right, the digging continued until yesterday and she just started laying two eggs this morning, but the weird thing is that they look like "normal" eggs they don't have the yellowish color of infertile eggs, that's pretty strange, I wasn't expecting something like that.

 

[Craiger]

You were right, the digging continued until yesterday and she just started laying two eggs this morning, but the weird thing is that they look like "normal" eggs they don't have the yellowish color of infertile eggs, that's pretty strange, I wasn't expecting something like that.

I figured this was going to be the outcome. My female, though she's never been with a male, laid eggs every 5 to 6 weeks for about 5 or 6 months straight. Many of them looked to be very normal. Well rounded and white. The others just looked "deflated".

Have you ever considered setting up a lay box? It'll save her nails.

 

[sgt. amoth]

I made her a little Osb "house" with a plastic box in it with the usual laying substrate (can't remember the english name) but she doesn't seem very interested.

 

[Craiger]

I made her a little Osb "house" with a plastic box in it with the usual laying substrate (can't remember the english name) but she doesn't seem very interested.

Mine sometimes isn't, either. You just have to be persistant. Sometimes, Sam will just sit in the lay box all day. Then as soon as I put her back in her enclosure, she starts digging again. You just have to treat it like tough love. Eventually, she'll figure it out.

 

[sgt. amoth]

She's done, 18 eggs, I hope she's going to eat again because she looks pretty skinny now.

 

[Craiger]

She's done, 18 eggs, I hope she's going to eat again because she looks pretty skinny now.

She should eat right away....given the fact that she likely didn't eat for a few days prior to laying the eggs. First, I'd give her a nice long, warm soak. I usually go for 20 to 30 minutes after laying eggs to keep dehydration at bay. Make sure you supplement her diet with calcium every day for up to 2 weeks. Eggs rob their bodies of much needed calcium.

 

[sgt. amoth]

She's frightenly skinny and she should be hungry as hell but she's still not eating, tried crickets, locusts and roaches but she doesn't even look at it, same with fruits and veggies. She used to eat like a pig, that's very strange.

 

[Craiger]

She could be pretty weak. Laying the eggs may have taken a lot out of her. Did you soak her? If so, how'd she do? Might need to help her get something in her system with some supplements.

Other than that, I've not had this problem with Sam, so I'm not exactly sure what's going on with her. I'm going to have to let somebody much more experienced in this take over with suggestions.

 

[ladyknite]

Give her a nice warm soak...........and take her outside for a little spell in the sun.

She may not be completely finished. Even one remaining egg will keep her tired and force lack of appetite.

I use a seperate laybox for my dragons. It's a long (about 36 inches long) tub with the laying substrate inside and a heat lamp so it's warm and the soil is warm. She will dig naturally and is automatically given the base so she doesn't retain any eggs.

there are some complications that will cause this behavior. Look for broken shells or "yolks" where it could have ruptured inside her. The substance will evacuate thru her vent, but the shell will generally remain, setting up septicemia. Uncommon........but not unheard of.

 

[sgt. amoth]

I give her a bath everyday since she layed her eggs, but she still refuses to eat, she's very sleepy and don't move that much, I think that I'm going to bring her to the herp vet because I don't really know what's going on.

 

[zebraflavencs]

It could be she has parasites. It could also be that she just exhausted herself thoroughly laying.
Always a good idea to check that out with a fecal exam.
Hope this helps !
Janie

 

[sgt. amoth]

Very sunny and pretty hot day, 31-33°C under the sun, I put her outside and She was like another bearded dragon, she started hunting everything that was flying in the area.

 

[li]

my first thought was that there are still eggs or an egg not layed. I am glad she is acting better. Keep an eye, if she starts acting "off" again, check with a vet.

 

[renich]

Natural sunlight does is the best source of UV light. Not sure if this has been discussed, but out of curiosity, what UV light do you have and how old is it?