# bearded dragon wont stop digging.



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

hi all.

My dragon is nearly 2 years old now and a few days ago started digging.
at first i wasnt worried about it, just thought it had found something to do and was normal. Nearly a week later and its still digging and doesnt stop all day. I know its not the temps cause i set them up perfect when i had the lizard and its been happy in there for 2 years. i checked anyway and temps are ok, basking 110f - 85f cool end. I took it for a walk round the house this morning ( sitting on my shoulder ) which i do everday and it was quite happy.
As soon as its back in the viv it starts digging again. I also noticed that it wont eat anything, not even interested. its on very fine reptile sand and there are rocks too. its been digging that much its nearly worn down its claws.


----------



## Know Reptiles (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi, what sex is your bearded dragon ??


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

i dont know what sex it is

i just checked my temps with my mates digital thermometer and its 105f basking and 83f cool end.

had the lizard out while i did this and it just ran around on the floor as normal and seemed perfectly happy. when i put it back in it starts digging again.

i do have another dragon thats kept seperate from this one.


----------



## Haggis (Jun 7, 2010)

I have an 18 month old male and he does this too

did it for a few weeks then stopped

does it every now and again now


----------



## 12843 (Nov 16, 2007)

Know Reptiles said:


> Hi, what sex is your bearded dragon ??



2nd, also what are you using/how are you measuring temps?


----------



## Know Reptiles (Apr 3, 2010)

It could be a female so has eggs and needs a laying box to lay them. If you pull the tail back on it's self if it's a male you will see two slight raised lumps by base of the tail telling you it's a male and usually have higher raised pores by the pelvis  

Hope it helps


----------



## XxkakashixX (Sep 22, 2008)

If it's a female it may be wanting to lay eggs? I'm not sure with females i've only ever had a male, look on google images 'sexing bearded dragons' and it comes up with diagrams  x


----------



## slitherer (Jun 6, 2010)

Sounds like you got a female wanting to lay, I have heard they can lay eggs even if they have not been with a male. My female goes crazy digging like this when she is ready to lay. Give her a nice box of sand to a mixture that you csn build a sand castle in preferably about 10" deep and big enough for her to turn around in. Give her some coverage and leave her for a day or two and see how that goes!


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

i just looked on google images and then checked my lizards. both of them look like females according to them pictures but its really hard to tell. both seem to have a single bump in the middle at the base of the tail. just above the anal vent. my other one deffinetally has a bigger head and longer spikes though. 

can a female lay eggs without coming in contact with a male.


----------



## slitherer (Jun 6, 2010)

Yes they can lay eggs without being with a male, you have nothing to loose by providing a dig box, you will find out for sure the sex though if she does lay.


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

il put a washing up bowl full of damp sand in there just to be sure. 

what do you do with the eggs. im assuming they wont hatch as they will be infertile. will the lizard be protective of them or not to bothered. do i just take them out or leave them for abit.


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

at the moment she,s running quickly from one corner of my room to another. like its patrolling its territory.

THANKS FOR THE HELP BY THE WAY:2thumb:


----------



## slitherer (Jun 6, 2010)

If she does lay eggs they will probably be kinda shrivelled up and yellowish as they wont be fertile. She will not be protective of them, once they are laid the females work is done, she will leave them as long as they are deposited in what she considered is a safe place. let me know how she goes.


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

my mates just seen my other lizard and says its worth alot of money.
its yellow and purple.
i paid £75 for it and felt sorry for it really. its only got half a tail and it was kept in poor conditions with other dragons. in a dodgy petshop that knows nothing about reptiles.

he says the purple is very rare and sought after.

id never sell any of them though.


----------



## atnas666 (Jun 12, 2010)

Just like birds they will lay eggs without a male they just wont be fertile

I'd suggest as the others have said, to provide a laying box for her.

If she does lay eggs -

Be careful when you remove the eggs, as to start with she will be protective of them. You need to take her out CAREFULLY and put her into a warm shallow bath so she can clean up and relax (she will look a right state!!) then once she is out remove the eggs, dont do it while she is in the viv still, when she first lays them she will be protective and can often attack, even the most placid females can have this instinct. 

Once you have taken the eggs out and she has cleaned up, you need to give her some fatty food (a pinky mouse is best) to help her put some weight back on.

Hope this helps


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

i just thought 

if she is pregnant would she be any bigger

shes a large and quite plump lizard anyway but i havent noticed any weight gain


----------



## atnas666 (Jun 12, 2010)

Sometimes its obvious but we have a female who isnt particularly big, but laid 28 eggs end of last month, you wouldnt know by looking at her that she was any bigger, certainly noticed how scrawny she looked afterwards though!!


----------



## slitherer (Jun 6, 2010)

I didnt notice any difference in size first time my female laid as these were infertile, if they are fertile you would be able to tell as the eggs would be bigger.


----------



## atnas666 (Jun 12, 2010)

The female I mentioned laid 28 fertile eggs, she didnt look any bigger just filled out a little, really wasnt that noticable until after though


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

does the lay box go at the hot or cool end.
at the moment its in the middle and the dragon doesnt seem to like it. takes up alot of space. 14 inces long and 12 inches wide and 9 inches deep. i keep putting her in it but she jumps straight out and trys escaping. 
she digs around it but wont dig in it. needs time to get used to it i suppose. changed all her branches too as the one that was in wouldnt fit with the box aswell.


----------



## atnas666 (Jun 12, 2010)

Ours are exactly the same, she digs everywhere but it the box, right up until the last minute then she knows exactly where she needs to be!! 

I would put the box where she does the majority of the digging normally, will be more likely to carry it on inside the box then


----------



## slitherer (Jun 6, 2010)

Mine does not bother but some say best thing to do is to put her in it and cover her over so she cant get out and leave her for a couple of hours, but give her some time, you never know, at least you have given her the opportunity now so if she does want to lay she will when she is ready.


----------



## Clench (Dec 18, 2010)

Very true!! Females can lay what is known as 'PHANTOM' eggs.. this is where they will lay eggs that are infertile even without coming into contact with a male.. Although i have 3 females, me an the misses when 1 was gravid (pregnant) we predicted when she would lay, an even without a laybox she happily layed her eggs on the day predicted.

Another sign of constant digging is that she/he is in an inadequately sized vivarium for the reptile in question.. 

Hope that helps


----------



## kerry hannah (Jun 15, 2010)

make sure she has somewhere to lay her eggs or she may hang onto them and become eggbound which can be fatal


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

my viv sive is 4 foot long, 2 foot high and 2 foot wide, vivexotic.

i dont think the size of the viv is the problem.


----------



## *DRAGONS* (Feb 19, 2011)

i got sick of seeing the washing up bowl in the viv today. 
so i removed it and to my suprise found 20 eggs in the sand.

not sure when she laid them. have been working really long hours recently and never get time to see my lizard awake with the lights on. she looked really thin too so i got her a pinkie. also got some very large locusts and she loved them. was still giving veg everyday but she just wasnt interested.

she even came out for a run around and went mental. she was jumping which i havent seen her do since she was little. 
really happy to see her back to normal and healthy.

i would like to say thanks to everyone that helped and gave me the good advice i needed.

:2thumb:


----------



## atnas666 (Jun 12, 2010)

Glad to hear the mystery is solved, bless her


----------



## Alister (Jun 3, 2009)

I had the same thing recently, laid 32 eggs! Be warned though, just 3 weeks later mine laid a further 30 eggs so now she is really thin!

Just keep an eye on her and really try and get some weight on just in case :2thumb:

Alister


----------



## zoe2004 (Jan 8, 2010)

iv got the same problem but mine is male and dont know why he is digging


----------

