Egg laying, preparation
Egg Laying preparation;
Once your female Uromastyx becomes gravid (Pregnant)
, or you suspect she is gravid, I advise you move her cadge mate to there own separate enclosure. That is
if you are housing them as pairs. Females become aggressive once they become gravid,
and they will defend the egg laying site quite viciously. I have even seen a case
where the female caused fatal wounds to the male being housed with her, when he got a
little to curious
about her egg laying site.
Picture of Gravid U.O Ocellata.
Around mid January to the first of February, I add egg laying sites to my adult female cadges. This year I am using a mix of playsand and miracle grow dirt and I am just placing it directly on the cages to allow the females a more natural setting to lay there eggs in.
Above is my vision 622 with a mix of playsand and miracle grow dirt.
I add the egg laying site some time between January to the first of February to give the females a chance to get used to them being in there cadges. If I notice gravid females not willing to visit the egg laying site on the cool end I move it to the warm end of the cage. I had a female Uromastyx that laid an egg, just out in the sand. She was looking very miserable and lumpy and would not even go in her egg laying box. I was talking with Mark Walsh and he mentioned trying warming the box or move it to the hot end of the cage. Since I did not have any hand warmers, I moved the site to the warm end of the cadge. I had only relocated the site about a hour before and the female U.ornate was already digging in it like crazy. She laid 13 eggs that evening.
I also increase the calcium intake to my adult females around this time of the year. I dust there foods a couple times of week, some of the other breeders use Neo-Calglucon (calcium glubionate). They administer via an eye dropper. This is to increase the calcium levels in females to hopefully aide in egg formation.
Around mid January to the first of February I begin introducing the females into the males enclosures for brief visits. I watch them closely and if any breeding is witnessed I document date and which of Uromastyx breed. It will be around 4 to 5 weeks from the time of breeding to when she lays her eggs. Females will some times dig for days or even weeks to get there egg laying site the way that satisfies them. Once the female is comfortable with her site she will lay her eggs. The females may lay there eggs over several hours, I have had females lay some one day and finish laying the next day.
Once you discover the female has laid her eggs. Usually the female is noticeable deflated right after laying. I ware rubber gloves and carefully remove the eggs from the egg laying sites, being very careful to gently place them in the incubation plastic containers the same way that they are laid. There has been some speculation turning eggs can sometimes harm the eggs. I space the eggs a inch or so apart in the incubation container. Once all eggs are transferred to the incubation contained I seal the lid and place the in the incubator.
I offer water to females after laying there eggs, to try to rehydrate them. Egg laying really take a toll on the females, but usually within a week or two they gain back most of there weight and begin to resume normal feeding and basking.
Egg Incubation;
Picture of U. Ornate eggs 1999
Get your incubator and plastic containers well ahead of when Uromastyx is expected to lay her eggs. Set up your incubator a few days to a few weeks ahead of time to make sure it will maintain temperature. Prepare your plastic containers, poke one small hole in the side or lid of the plastic container for oxygen exchange. Add large vermiculite to plastic container about half full. Add distilled water at a 2:1 vermiculite to distilled water weight ratio, add the distilled water to the bottom corner of the container with a syringe and cover the distilled water with vermiculite. The vermiculite in the containers will be almost dry. Be sure to weigh your trays with a digital scale for accuracy. Prior to adding eggs microwave the plastic containers filled with moist vermiculite for about 25 seconds, this will sterilize the vermiculite.
Fertile eggs have a distinct red circle visible at the time the eggs are laid. Orient the eggs in the container so the position the red circle is facing the same way the Uromastyx laid the egg, red circle is usually to the side or top of the egg and place the eggs into the plastic containers the same way they were laid.
Start the incubation temperature at 92 degrees for the first 50 days and then raise 93 degrees for the duration. Weigh your plastic containers once a week to track evaporation levels, maintain 2:1 vermiculite to distilled water weight ratio. My first egg incubation plastic container this year contains 360 grams vermiculite and 180 grams of distilled water. The rubber made container and lid weigh 222 grams.. Container including eggs weighs 916 Grams. Vermiculite should be damp enough to clump up in your hands. A day or two after eggs are added to plastic containers moisture should built up on the sides of the plastic containers if not you will need to add more water. Weight egg filled container weekly and add back how ever many grams evaporated that week. I also have placed an open container of distilled water at the bottom of the incubator to assist in humidity. Eggs should hatch out in 60-70 days.
It is also suggested to put something under your plastic container on one end so that it sits at a slight angle in the incubator. This way all the condensation water that forms on the lid runs runs to the end before dripping down. Condensation water dripping directly on the eggs can cause them to to mold and kill the embro.
For 2010 I used a Natures sprit incubator with a Herpstat proportional heating controller. I purchased it off of craigslist for $200.00.
This is my first year with the Natures sprit incubator, I have hatched Ornate Uromastyx for several years in a row in the past using a Hova-bator, but this year I was expecting more eggs so I was needing something that can handle several clutches.
One thing I did notice about all my females is that none of them laid this year until I moved they egg laying site to the hot end of the cage. They would dig and dig but never lay, as soon as I moved the egg laying site to the hot end each of them laid within a day.
I got 3 clutches for the 2010 breeding season, 2 each Saharan Clutches and 1 Rainbow Benti clutch. I treated all 3 clutches the same. The 2 that failed were laid by unproven females and they laid them out in the open. Makes me wonder if the females knew they would not hatch so why bother burying them.
The Saharan clutch that did hatch out took 53 days and hatched on July 4th.
My plan for 2011 breeding season is to extend the winter brumation for a couple weeks longer then last year and I plan to introduce my females to my males sooner next year then I did last year. That being said I have high hopes for next years breeding season.
