Egg laying
From UroWiki
Once the mating rituals have been completed and your female uromastyx becomes gravid (pregnant), or you suspect she is gravid, it is best to move her cage mate into his own separate enclosure (if you are housing them as pairs). Females become aggressive once they become gravid, and they will defend the egg-laying site quite viciously. Females have been known to cause fatal wounds to the male being housed with her, when he got a little to curious about her egg-laying site.
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Adding egg-laying sites
Around mid-January to the first of February, to allow enough time for the females to become accustomed to their presence, egg-laying sites are added to the cages; these can be small Rubbermaid plastic containers around the size of a shoe box, maybe a little smaller. A 10-13cm (4-5") square hole is cut in the lid of the plastic container, which is then filled containers with a vermiculite sand mix and add enough water to make the mix slightly sticky. The plastic container is buried in the cool end of the female's enclosure.
Egg-laying site conditions
It has been known for females to lay eggs out in the sand; if the female seems reluctant to use the cool end egg-laying site, or is trying to lay eggs elsewhere on the sand, the egg-laying sites can also be added to the warm end of the cage to allow for more choice.
Health of the female
The calcium intake of the adult females should also be increased around this time of the year. This can be achieved by dusting their food a couple times a week; some breeders use Neo-Calglucon (calcium glubionate), which is administered via an eye-dropper. This is to increase the calcium levels in females, to hopefully aid in egg formation.
Around the same time, the females can be introduced into the males' enclosures for brief visits. Watch them closely to see if any breeding takes place, and if so, document the date and which lizards take part. It will be around 4 to 5 weeks between the mating and the laying of the eggs. Females will sometimes dig for days or even weeks to get their egg-laying site the way they prefer; once the female is comfortable with her site, she will lay her eggs. The females may lay their eggs over a period of several hours, but it is not unknown for them to begin laying on one day and finish laying the next day.
Discovering the eggs
Usually the female is noticeably deflated right after laying. Once you discover the female has laid her eggs, wear rubber gloves and carefully remove the eggs from the egg-laying sites, being very careful to gently place them in the plastic incubation containers in the same orientation that they are laid; there has been some speculation that turning eggs can sometimes harm the developing lizards inside. The eggs should be spaced about 3cm (1") or so apart in the incubation container. Once all eggs are transferred to the incubation container, seal the lid and place the in the incubator.
Post-laying care
After the females have laid their eggs, they should be offered water in order to try and rehydrate them. Egg-laying really take a toll on the females, but usually within a week or two they gain back most of their weight and begin to resume normal feeding and basking.
See also
