Eggciting News!

Boo's eggs are incubating nicely at 84 degrees. Interestingly, some had a different appearance this year and were not as white as they usually were. Some seemed to have thin shells, so her diet is being supplemented with a little more calcium than normal and she's getting a little extra sunlight to help her metabolize that calcium. The babies stay inside their protective shells for about 70 days, and are due to hatch May 5th. There is not much for the humans to do at this point except to monitor temperature and humidity levels inside the incubator. Vermiculite is the soft gray bedding for the eggs; useful because it holds water yet allows air to circulate around the eggs. If the eggs start to collapse, it's a sign of water loss. If they swell too much, we leave the lid off of the container for some water to evaporate. As hatching day draws near, the eggs will dimple and collapse a few days before the lizards hatch out. Stay tuned!

Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

Aren't they beautiful?! Here is our first pair to have a clutch of eggs this year. Mom is in the grass and her name is Boo. Mr. B.D. is on a table posing like a pro. They have been breeding successfully for us for a few years now. Here are some facts about Beardie eggs:

*We must provide the perfect soil for her to lay her eggs. She prefers a 50/50 mix of organic potting soil and the black sandy loam we have here in Central Florida. It must be wet enough to stick together when she tunnels underneath. We fill a 10 gallon aquarium with about 6 inches of the soil and she faithfully digs a tunnel-like hole to safely lay her eggs. She must not be disturbed or she will stop digging. But like a sea turtle, once she begins to lay, she is committed.
*We watch her carefully and remove the eggs before she covers them. She's not very gentle during this process and has smashed some eggs with her pointy nose as she packs the dirt in tight. She usually never notices they are gone and will automatically fill her empty hole!!
*We incubate the eggs at 80-84 degrees in a Styrofoam incubator for approximately 70 days. We are conservative and incubate at lower temperatures, so sometimes our eggs take longer to hatch than the recommended guidelines.

Spring Is In the Air!!

Spring at the Zoo is a noticeable event because a few of the animals become...shall we say...amorous? The Bearded Dragons put on their best black beards, head-bobbing with increased intensity, and the corn snakes grow restless, slithering in their cages continuously. The children who attend our reptile encounters are fascinated with the process of incubation and hatching, always asking questions and wishing we could bring the eggs along for viewing. Since eggs do not travel well, we did the next best thing and decided to bring them to you in the virtual world. This season we will photojournal the experience and update our blog periodically.