Bearded Dragon advice on supposed eggs.

[Swistable]

Hi, my bearded dragon Lizzie I bought from someone about a month and a half ago. Not knowing if it was a male or a female.
She was originally very active, then I had a scare because she was not eating or going poop for a good week. She would also hide in her hiding rock for days at a time and not come out. I brought her to the pet store being told she is waiting eggs. (This was about 2-3 weeks ago)
She ended up eating again and passing waste once maybe a of couple times after a week. (Yes, at this point I was giving her daily baths in warm water)
I had bought coconut husk substrate put a container of it in her terrarium, for the whole amount I bought she wouldn't mess with it once. I am wondering if there is a point to buy more? She just does her thing now, she is active and hunts, yes she hides in her hole but she does her thing too.
I do notice her belly is bigger, how long does this process take?
Is there anything else that I could do? She won't use the coconut husk, will she just do her thing? I am pretty sure that the previous owners didn't have another bearded dragon, considering the original set up I received.
As well, I find it weird she has again stopped pooping I am not too sure but I haven't seen any in a bit... I know I am new to this but I am sure she should have passed more by now.. I do give her a bath every other day to help.
She has been eating crickets and bok choy with sometimes carrots, cucumber rarely, alfalfa or endives. As well as dried fruit from the pet store.
I am sorry for all the ranting haha, I am new to this in a way and I want to be sure I am doing the best for her ..
Thank you in advance. ^_^;
(I attempted to add a photo however it gave me an error message. )

 

[diegothediggy]

Well if she has egg she wnt lay them till u give her a layin box. Try a large tuppa wear box and fill it with sand add a little hole so she sees she can dig in it. Wots ur temps at? Wot do u measure ur twmps with ? Wot substrate do u use. How old is she?

 

[Swistable]

I had a decent sized topper wear container in it with coconut husk substrate just for her topper wear, she never used it, only walked threw it, it was there for 2 weeks. I am now out of it should I buy more or only put the sand that's in her terrain?
In her terrarium I forgot the name I do not have the bag, but it's from zila, and the pet store told me that it is the best type of replicated sand that is digestible if she picks some up with her food on accident.
Her temps, see, I have been confused of this because I changed her terrarium to be bigger(55gallon) since it was way to small before(The old one was 1 foot by 2 feet from the people I bought her from). Under my 150WAT light on her basking rock it goes from 99.8F- 102F on the rock , and under her 50Wat it goes to 88.3F .. I don't understand with all these lights why my temp is low. I have a thermometer with a probe, its digital, from exo tera. I have been very confused with my readings of my temperatures... I bought her a month or almost 2 months ago, and when I got her they told me she was 10 months old, but people tell me she looks bigger than 10 months.
Why can't I post pictures? It keeps failing......
THanks for your response.

 

[Swistable]

I just found this online...
"Remember that you want a good depth of substrate with some sort of cover (bark etc…) over the top to allow them to dig a shallow burrow. I recommend Sand, Soil and Vermiculite, in equal parts, kept moist to retain it’s shape."

She does dig in her hiding place under a rock hiding thing, it's that sand substrate from Zila that she has under there, not the coconut husk that the pet store told me, should that suffice? But she kicks all the sand away from there. She does spend a lot of time there.

 

[diegothediggy]

There seems to b a problem with pics at the min. Josh is on it tho sud b bak to normal soon have u tried adding a rock so she i closer to the basking light that will up ut twmps just something like a piece of pathing slabs.

 

[Swistable]

Alrighty ..
And yes, I have a drift wood branch going up to the 50 wat one, when it was under the 150wat, she would go down right away assuming it was too hot so I switched it to the 50 wat one and she would enjoy it.
She is active, and she runs around and alert.. I'm very concerned if she is really waiting eggs that I do this properly, I do not want anything to happen to her . Once I can get a picture so you see the set up with the coconut husk, and what I mean by where she hides from what I quoted up top if suffice or not... ( I doubt it but I don't know ! lol ) ..
I have been waiting it out since she is looking good and everything but nothing's changing.

 

[Swistable]

And her rock under the 150wat isn't a small one, it goes up the tank quarter of a way.. Could it be my thermometer??? Does it make sense that with a 50 wat and a 150 wat that my tank temperature isn't good, or I am not taking the temperature properly... Sorry for all the questions haha, I just want things to be good for her hehe..

 

[PatsyB]

It doesn't make sense that you're temps would be higher with the 50 than with the 150. You want to measure the temp right at the top of the basking area. Also keep in mind that depending on the size of your beardie that their body will be closer to the light so even though you measure the temp at the top of the basking spot, their body might get a degree or two warmer because the are sitting on the basking spot. Hope that made sense LOL!

I read somewhere that if your beardie has eggs that you can feel them in her belly. If you rub down the middle of her stomach you should be able to feel lumps.

And as far as I know there has been a problem with the servers and posting pictures, it's being worked on

 

[diegothediggy]

Thats really strange. Bith my vivs have. 50watt bulb n temps r fine. does she poop regularly. And eat fine? Is she got eggs u will b able to feel them. Sge shud lay we shes ready.

 

[MisterD83]

Swistable, Using a 150 watt bulb (im using a mercury vapor bulb), I need to get the basking spot with in 8 - 10 inches of the light to get to temperature.

As for the activity of your beardie, how old is she? both my beardies dig in their sand under rocks or branches when they go to bed.

 

[Swistable]

His MisterD83.. I will get a measuring tape tomorrow to see.
She does walk around, when I take her out, and runs. When I put clickets in the terrarium she hunts them, she acts active once I take her out of her hole. But see sometimes she seems to spend her day in her hole. I am sure she didn't get out today.. She did end up not eating much for a week and then went back to normal, except she has not pooped in almost a week unless it's hiding somewhere...
I bought her from someone , they told me she should be 11 months old..
I cannot feel eggs in her belly, and two weeks ago the pet store told me she's definitely a female and they are sure she's waiting eggs because she's big. Im having a doubt on her waiting eggs, but as I said Im new and want whatever advice possible so I am sure she is good .. Much appreciated ! .... ( I am being given a heating / basking rock, tomorrow, is there any fear of that making things too hot, or her burning herself? )


Again, Much appreciated !

 

[Canicke]

Yeah- don't use the heat rock. Their little bellies don't feel heat. They get heat from above. Got no advice for you on the egg situation. My male only poops once a week in the bath. My female might poop twice a week.

 

[Swistable]

THanks for the heating rock advice.
She would poop once or twice a week, that's why I think she's ok but as I said I'm new at this and I'm a person who worries about my pets when I thinks somethings up when I'm not sure I freak out a bit hehe.... But you know I rather be sure ... She never pooped in the bath always in her terrarium.

 

[MisterD83]

The pet store, is it a reptile store?

Is she about to shed? Her colors will be dull. At 11 months, i think eggs are possible but doubtful. Brumation (hibernation) is possible too though. My female just went through 2 or 3 weeks of similar sleeping 95% of the day and she is currently 9 - 10 months old while my male in the same tank didnt.

 

[Swistable]

It's not a reptile store, I will be going to one this weekend. But I would only speak to a girl who's there once and a while and her father looked at it too, they both had reptiles for years and he took care of the reptile section.
I thought it could be brumation as well from what I read online, however, they told me it's impossible for this time of year, but considering they are indoors, how does the reptile know that much anyhow.
Yes, actually I was going to mention that I find it odd, her nose has gotten dark for like 4 days now, and is now looking grayish instead of more black. But her rest of the body changes from dark to orange to beige as she does, except her nose.
When I first got her, her colors would change, but not as intensely as they do now.. ( But I heard they weren't feeding her properly there.)

After I put her in from walking around the house for a short period of time me thinking she should warm up she clims up her tree to go as high up and scratches the glass, I don't know if it's because she wants out, or down below isn't hot enough and she goes up to get more heat.
Honestly I would find myself more than likely annoying But as I said hehe, I am just spitting things out there, to be sure she's good. It's my first month with a reptile, I don't want to stupidly miss something right away and mess up, mainly how I've gotten a new terrarium and etc.
Thanks again...

 

[PatsyB]

My girl did all this too when she was about that age. I got worried about eggs too. I made her a laybox with cocofiber and children's play sand and she didn't care for it. She spent most of her time under her hide not always sleeping but just hanging out. I would take her out of her tank when she glass danced and she would walk around the house and sleep on the couch. She would still eat and poop like normal, just seemed very depressed. I started to think the weather was making her sad because it had been so cold and dark here for so long. I don't remember what snapped her out of it but she did.

Make sure your bulbs are all good and your temp gradients are spot on. If your UVB is sitting on top of a mesh screen, it needs to be replaced every 6 months at the minimum. The most important thing is not to freak out over everything they do. They tend to know what they need and will find a way to tell you what that is. Just keep an eye on her.

Hopefully photo uploading will be fixed soon so we can see some pictures. If you have a photobucket account you may be able to insert a photo that way. Copy the IMG code from photobucket and then in your thread click the little square next to the smiley face above and you can paste the code and the picture should post. I did this on Friday and it seemed to work.

 

[MisterD83]

Your beardie's dark colors show only when she is stressed or not happy for one reason or another.

This is Beatrix on saturday slightly stressed since I didnt feed them till after their soak. Her face has shed, her back hasn't started at this point yet. Her sides and tail are wet as she is in the tub soaking

This is Steiner, he is about to shed as well. Beatrix and Steiner are the same color when in the same mood. Steiner is much more happy-go-lucky and showing happy colors.

 

[Swistable]

I am at work now. I will post pictures after. I find she goes dark when I put her in her terrarium and she tries to scratch the glass. . Probably because she wants to stay out? .. or because of the temperature in the tank?

 

[Swistable]

They are smaller than mine... how old are they

 

[MisterD83]

I'm going to guess 9 - 10 months. my bro originally got them mid September. I started caring for them shortly before I joined on here.

Sounds like she wants to be held by you as much as possible, both Steiner and Beatrix are that way with me and my girlfriend.