My beardie was pregnant and I had no idea!

[James Prala]

My female beardie Liala who lives with (the now) confirmed male Saphan laid 18 eggs a day before I found them. Yes I did notice she was considerably slimmer the day before but coincidentally, she shed on the same day as laying, and she hadn't shed for months so I thought she had grown inside her old skin and then stretched out and in when she shed it. I feel so damned stupid. Poor baby isn't even quite a year old yet and the dad's egg wasn't even laid this time last year. Total teenage parents. Or not. You see during the 24+ hours they were in the viv they went through a warming and cooling cycle and have shrivelled considerably. Am now incubating them in vermiculite at 82 degrees C but am I wasting my time? I am loathe to freeze them as it feels like abortion but nor do I want rotting eggs in my bedroom. Can anyone advise me as to the likelihood of egg viability? Will the eggs absorb water and return to their original assumed fullness?

Cheers for any advice,

James x

[kemist]

You could try putting damp kitchen roll over them to help try and plump them up if they have been 'killed' by temp fluctuation it should become fairly obvious.

[kirsten]

if they are fertile and not too far gone, they will replumpen and in a few weeks you'll be able to place a light next to the eggs and see them glow pink, if they're not fertil, they could still re-plump, but after a few weeks will glow yellow, don't worry, eggs don't rot over night and rarely stink to badly.

so incubate, give them a chance and in a few weeks check on them and see how they're getting on.

[James Prala]

Thanks for that help peeps. One of them has plumpened and I'm hoping that is the only one lol. It would make for an easier first breeding attempt. Six of them had leaked yellow stuff and had remained shrunken so I opened them up thinking they must be goners but there was a tiny blood vessel in every one. Feeling rather crap about that now. Then again, can they develop if they remain a bit shrunk? Am concerned am gonna have some deformed babies on my hands.

All very stressful. Damn Saphan and his maleness lol.