This makes the bearded dragon’s eggs that have not been fertilized one of the fascinating aspects concerning reproduction among reptiles. It is therefore important to understand what one has to do with such eggs in order to be a responsible owner of the animal. Although most bearded dragons lay eggs they don’t all get fertilized.
In this article, all the possibilities of working with unfertilized bearded dragon eggs will be considered, so that you can make the right choice in favor of the health of your pet.
The Unfertilized Bearded Dragon Eggs – All You Need to Know
It is quite useful to know about what has to be done with unfertilized bearded dragon eggs if you are going to be a responsible owner of a pet. It may help improve the quality of life of your bearded dragon while making the appropriate decisions. If one is informed, then one is in a position to decide on the right course of action depending on the available resources and one’s desire. That is why having this understanding is helpful to enable you to take the following measures always regardless of your choice whether to leave the eggs in the enclosure, remove and dispose them or try incubation to increase the chances of incubation:
As to the potential for development, fertilized and unfertilized eggs of bearded dragon are different. Fertilized eggs are formed where a female bearded dragon reproduces with a male, and this makes eggs possess embryos that will develop into baby bearded dragons. On the other hand, the laid eggs are the one laid by the female without mating, such eggs do not contain embryos, hence will not hatch. This paper strives to differentiate between them so that there is right decision making in handling and nurturing of the eggs.
Protected Hatching Eggs: As the site suggests you leave the eggs in the enclosure.
There are variety of behaviors of bearded dragons towards their eggs. There are common behaviors where the female bearded dragon may remain over the nest guarding it and in some instances resort to turning round the eggs. This behavior plays an important role in control of temperature and humidity – something which is important for embryonic development. It is worthy to mention though that not all female bearded dragons engage in this process and some may even lay eggs without care for them and may even desert the eggs.
All right, now it is the time to talk about the possible advantages and disadvantages of leaving the eggs in the enclosure. Leaving the eggs within the enclosure may be beneficial since the female could continue controlling the various environmental factors in the enclosure which are important in incubation process. This means that the chances of hatching will be improved as a result of the following reasons. But it is also important to consider possible problems.
In the end, it resides on specific factors like your expertise, its assets, and the manner of behavior of your bearded dragon when it comes to touching eggs. When in doubt, it would be advisable to seek the services of a reptile veterinarian or experienced breeders to enhance the chances of the eggs as well as the well-being of the bearded dragon.
Toward the end of this video, we get to learn that the removal and discarding of the eggs is an important process of Monarch butterfly life cycle.
That is why some owners decide to collect and dispose of the unfertilized eggs for the following reasons. Firstly, there are some eggs that do not hatch and having them around will only create confusion or even the impression of having many chicks when in actual sense you do not have any. Second, by ensuring that there are no sign of rotting eggs within the pen then the health of the bearded dragon is preserved. Finally, the act of laying eggs helps the female bearded dragon to shift her attention on her body needs rather than incubating eggs that don’t have any chance of hatching.
Egg handling and disposal require strict observance to measures of hygiene in this case a hygienic approach. We also recommend that when handling the eggs you either wear gloves or wash your hands thoroughly before and after the process. It is better to transfer the eggs carefully into a zip lock plastic bag or any container with moist substrate, like a piece of moist paper towel or vermiculite. Close the bag or container properly and throw it away according to the laws which are followed in your country. It is important to note that proper way of handling and disposal will enhance the maintenance of clean and safe environment for you and the bearded dragon.
The other thing is to make ovulation, and discard all the eggs that have not been fertilized. This is anticipated by owners to avoid going through the process of incubation or face complications which may arise. If you decide on its elimination then it should be done cautiously and the eggs should be disposed in the right manner to avoid effects on health.
Incubating the Eggs
Incubation is the process of preparing the right culture conditions so as to foster the growth of eggs. For bearded dragons, this means keeping the appropriate T & H levels for the specific species of beardy one is to be a caregiver of. The eggs are normally placed in an incubator or any other container with a bedding material that has high water retaining capacity like vermiculite. To create an environment, in which an embryo is likely to develop, temperature and humidity are strictly controlled and changed accordingly. This process normally lasts for several weeks, and in the process the eggs have to be checked often in case they develop molds or become dehydrated.
Trying to list the general and specific benefits and drawbacks of incubation
But to try to hatch these eggs is beneficial or not, let us now take a look at the advantages and the disadvantages of it.
Pros
Learning experience: Candling of eggs, even those which had not been fertilized can be useful in terms of gaining practice when it comes to incubating eggs and nurturing them.
Observation: Fostering the eggs helps you to track the eggs and see whether they undergo any transformation or not.
Cons
Time and effort: They involve great commitment and involve standard practices such as hatching eggs to require the right temperatures and RH. It can also be time consuming and may need other equipment as well for effective completion of the exercise.
Resources: Incubating entails some certain apparatus and materials such as incubator and substrate and these may attract expenses.
No outcome: As for the eggs that were not fertilized the eggs will not hatch into baby bearded dragons and therefore incubating them will not bring out any hatchlings.
Finally, to summarize it is advisable to try incubation of unfertilized eggs bottom on the decision and preferences of the owner of the hatchery, and the goals set. Some factors that we have to take into account include the amount of time and energy to be consumed, cost to be incurred and the learning experience to be obtained from the whole process.
It is also possible for some owners to try to hatch the eggs without fertilization. Although these eggs same will not hatch, it is a learning activity and will help one know some incubation techniques. At the same time, it is necessary to state that/Incubation of non-fertilized eggs is another issue, which also depends on the temperature, humidity, and required hygiene, to avoid the possible health issues.
Conclusion
Therefore, handling eggs that are not fertilized needs some serious appreciation. As such, you have three ways, which include; You can leave the eggs in the enclosure, throw them away, or incubate them. As for each of the options, there are strong and weak points which have to be estimated taking into account the circumstances, the amount of knowledge and available resources. If you are to be knowledgeable about the many options out there, the health of your bearded dragon is assured.
