LAY BIN FOR DRAGONS. PLUS A BOUNS! Dragons laying, babies hatching GOOD stuff here

Hey Eric...just thought I'd tell you that I do my nest boxes the same way as you,inside the cage. I almost never have any problem....I can usually tell when they are ready to lay...they seem to become very restless,digging,running around the cage. I put a log or rock next to the laying box so she can climb in it,then I put the dragon in and she will usually dig for a while,then come out,then repeat. But in the end,they seem to remember where the box is and they always use it. That way I don't have to be home when she lays.

Originally Posted by pgwdragons

Im liking this thread! Ive always used a smaller rubbermaid, w/ it placed inside the cage w/ the females, so that they can go in there when they are ready, With that being said though... Im not to fond of this method either, for the simple fact that sometimes, the females dont always lay in the box.. so then you wind up with some dead eggs, or they lay some in the box and some out. So im moving toward doing something along the lines w/ this. My question is this... w/ some females its hard to see whether or not they are carrying, and hard to feel.. Ive had 2-3 females lay eggs when I couldnt notice any pregnancy at all. So when do you place them in the lay box.. and do you just house them in there and feed or whatever in that box while waiting for them to drop the clutch? And if so, how long have you guys been leaving them in there... it sounds stupid and such, but this method of a lay box is completely different than what im use to.. so there goes!

Im just hoping it helped who needed it.

Thats why i dont put a smaller lay bin in the cage. It gives them the option to go in and out yes, but what if they lay in the dry sand or crushed wallnut shells??? If you dont catch them in time they ALL dry out and die. so i make the females stay in the bin until there done. Which for me usually isnt to long. but there are some exceptions...

Well from my experience i havent had a dragon NOT show sign of being gravid. Whether its a small or larger female... At first there is usually a heavy pocket in there belly that is firm. then its like little jelly beans in a sack...Other signs may be an increase of appetite. A vigorous appitite. She will eat like she hasnt before. And when it comes time to lay they slow down on eatting.. before there ready to lay they dig in there cage. even if there is no substrate to dig in! OR if the female has a cage mate, she may "run the walls" of the cage desperately trying to find a secluded area to start digging. so there are other signs than feeling there belly... NOT all females stop feeding when they lay... I STRONGLY believe its how far along the female is. For instance, the hypo i used as an example in this thread was ready to lay her clutch but she wasnt in a rush to do it yet. When she went into the lay bin that was the first time she even tried to dig. She was also still feeding.. When a female has held the eggs to long or long enough. they usually dont eat and there frantically looking for a spot to lay.
Yes if you seen my lay bin, i just house them in there until there finished. but usually there never in there past 3 hours. the longest was a female hypo trans and it took her 2 days to get comfortable enough to lay. and i have spoken to some that has waited a week! When there being housed in the bin I offer water thoughout the day. that has been about it. when my girls are in the bins most of the time they refuse food.

Both ideas are fine...it's just what works for you. I've never had a female NOT lay in the box...whether I was home or not. And that's in 15 years....I think that once they know where they are supposed to go,they remember. I think the large lay box is just as effective...I just have never used one.Oh,I wouldn't use crushed walnut as a substrate...don't trust it. Mostly newspaper...sand in a few big cages.

Originally Posted by angie.h

Hey Eric...just thought I'd tell you that I do my nest boxes the same way as you,inside the cage. I almost never have any problem....I can usually tell when they are ready to lay...they seem to become very restless,digging,running around the cage. I put a log or rock next to the laying box so she can climb in it,then I put the dragon in and she will usually dig for a while,then come out,then repeat. But in the end,they seem to remember where the box is and they always use it. That way I don't have to be home when she lays.

Hey Angie,
I have experienced a couple of problems with the bins in the cage. i have had a girl that was going in and out of the lay box. she was digging and the usual. but when it came time to lay she layed them in the cage substrate. .. Next to the lay bin..And because i wasnt home to catch it i lost the whole clutch... The lay bin FOR ME has been a better experience. I pull the girl outta her cage, pop her in a bin and go about my business. i check every so often to see if shes digging than when shes at the bottom i can hear her scratching at the plastic bottom so i know about where she is and then when it gets quite i know she is laying them. and the good thing is, as long as you have the heat pad on the bottom it keeps the eggs warm until i pull them out.

I rarely have a problem too! Most people that have hands on experience can tell you the little things to look for.

Angie, any girls laying? Love to see some pictures.

Originally Posted by angie.h

Both ideas are fine...it's just what works for you. I've never had a female NOT lay in the box...whether I was home or not. And that's in 15 years....I think that once they know where they are supposed to go,they remember. I think the large lay box is just as effective...I just have never used one.Oh,I wouldn't use crushed walnut as a substrate...don't trust it. Mostly newspaper...sand in a few big cages.

Both ideas are pretty darn good. Considering one of my e-mails said " I put my female in a shoe box with wet sand." (why i satarted this thread" lol.

They consume it like sand. my only question is, Does it break down and digest? does it stay stored in there stomach? or does it come out in there fecal?

I would agree that the one advantage of the large lay box is that there is no chance of eggs being laid outside of it. I see that it is what most breeders do these days and being that it has 0% risk involved then it is probably a great choice for most people. I just haven't had a problem myself...otherwise i would never risk my beautiful red dragon eggs being laid in such a perilous manner !! The thing about crushed walnut is what I've HEARD...that there have been reported cases of impaction. Curious dragons tend to " taste" whatever is in their cage,and with sand,at least it is something that they would encounter in the wild and a healthy dragon could handle small amounts if ingested...but walnut shell is not naturally occurring ANYWHERE and would probably cause problems .

Oh,and i have not bred anything yet Tom,I still have a group to sell and after many years of breeding I'm in no hurry to get the cycle started again...I'm getting old LOL !!

Originally Posted by angie.h

Oh,and i have not bred anything yet Tom,I still have a group to sell and after many years of breeding I'm in no hurry to get the cycle started again...I'm getting old LOL !!

I wholesaled most of my 09 stuff to make room for this years stuff. you have a heck of a jump on me with time with the dragons. but every year i seem to have some kind of anticipation to get started. Always something new to work with. Always looking forward to see what hatches outta my genetically inferior dragons

Yeah Tom,your dragons are so inferior and ugly..choke,choke...you know everyone is waiting to see what masterpieces will be produced this year at Baltimore Beardies.

I may try the larger box like Tom uses this next time around, heck never hurts to try different approaches...But of course im STILL trying to build back my stock, and have realized I also am going to have to find more females.. since there were secondary complications after the crash with some of the surviving females.. ugh.. anyhow... Im really diggin this thread... ALL puns intended lmfao