getting ready to lay

Hey guys. One of my girls is gravid for the first time. All the information I've found says that your dragon should lay "shortly" after you can feel the eggs in her abdomen (if you can). I haven't noticed any unusual digging in her cage or anything yet, but I can definitely feel the outlines of eggs in her belly, and she's been a little off her food the last couple days. She eats, but not with her usualy fervor. I prepared a laying box for her tonight. Don't know if I should wait a few days to put her in, or if I should start trying her out in it tomorrow to see what she thinks.

Any advice would be appreciated. I want to make sure this goes well for her. I have no interest in stressing her out more than necessary, and definitely don't want to deal with complications like egg binding if we can avoid it. I love this little girl :-D

I wait until I see mine scratching and digging in their tanks. Then I move them to their lay tank. You will know because it is major digging. Sometimes they are in there for most of the day, and some times they lay within an hour or so. Do you know when she bred? They lay within 21 to 30 days after that. But I have had one that laid 14 days after.
Good Luck!

I wait until I see mine start the digging as well.....believe me, when they start "THE" digging, you'll know it, lol.

I separated her and my male maybe three weeks ago because he was being too aggressive trying to breed her--apparently he got the job done at least once. Anyway, she's just healed up from the scratches--and now this. My biggest concern with not putting her in there is that I work afternoons/evenings and this is when I've been told they usually lay (1-7 pm was the info that seemed standard on another forum). I'd hate for her to have to stress about not having a proper place to lay and get eggbound or something.

We weren't quite prepared (planned, but not prepared), so I could use some ideas on good homemade incubators and stuff until I get the one I ordered in. Also, i couldn't find vermiculite at my garden shop, and the only perilite I saw was treated with plant fertilizer. Any advice on this front also welcome.

I've found Perlite in the yard and garden section at Walmart....they may still have some in stock. Otherwise, I know Big Apple Herp carries packages of vermiculite, you could perhaps get some shipped overnight?

If she wants to lay, she is going to do just that. She may or may not wait around for a lay box to appear. If she needs to get them out, then they need to go and she should be given the opportunity to do just that when she needs to do it. She is not going to unduly stress in the lay box, she will prolly be more comfortable knowning she has the proper setup to do so in. They also seem to like to dig around and test a few spots before hand as well to make sure they find one they like. If she is not eating or not as much as before, then the time is now. Let her get in there and get herself situated before she just drops them all over the bottom of her cage.

I like the hatchrite that you dont have to mix the water in with. Otherwise vermiculite works ok but dont get it too moist.. Also dont turn the eggs when you remove them as they set with an air pocket on the top. If you move them after that sets you will kill the eggs. I have build several incubators and can send you images of them. Mostly the one I like the most came from target. It has a glass door in the front and I think it was made for a closet. Any way go to home depot and buy two of those under the counter halagen lights. They are like 20 watts and round diisks. Just screw one on each side and then buy a helix controller and set it to 84 degrees. Your all done. The whole think cost you maybe 140.oo including he helix which is about 127.00. If yo want images please email me at fstop2100a@aol.com. By the way I purchase those styroform things and found the temp. were not contant in them. So I stopped using them. Basically you can make one out of any of white cabinets they sell at target or HOme depot....

I ended up taking a fish shipping container (styrofoam box), and filling the bottom with water. Had a fish aquarium heater sitting around, so stuck that in the water. Then I floated a sandwich container on top with my digital thermometer probe in it. Drilled holes in the top of the styro box and a couple on the side for air exchange. Temps in the sandwich container have been holding steady at 83.5-83.7 degrees. I've been told that a lot of a first clutch is infertile anyway. Main concern is just for the safety of my girl. She's in the lay box now. Lost all interest in eating. Not digging anywhere (she was freaking out in her normal cage last night, but I think that's cuz she had shed in her nostril)... did rest her belly for a while in the hole I made for her to try to help out...

She's gonna blow!!! Look at that egg on her side! Yeah, I'd say she is due anytime now! I am currently waiting on Chi Chi to gimme my eggs. Probably tomorrow though as they are not quite to the vent yet, but she likes to suprise me. Not every first clutch is infertile. Chi Chi for example gave me 40 eggs even on her first clutch last year and 39 hatched. I wonder what she has in store for me this year! Guess I will find out in the next day or so.

...i'm still waiting. been driving everyone around here crazy (and probably TP most of all). wish she'd just pop em out. hasn't eaten for the last two days, but is still not showing any inclination to want to dig/lay.