I have a clutch of baby's hatching right now and have 14 more baby's to hatch because they have been hatching different days. The baby's who hatch are of course restless but they lay on their backs. Is this normal ? I heard a Bearded Dragon shouldn't lay on their back at all or it can mess up their lungs. They lay on their backs with their backs arched and tail and feet up still and I haven't messed with them but when I open the lid, some will open their little eyes and just close them. Is it safe for it to be laying on their backs like that or do I move them ?
Secondly , do you prefer to leave them in the incubator for 24 hours , 48 hours or 3 days because I read up on people having different lengths of time leaving them in there. This is my second clutch. My last clutch, they also hatched different days, I don't believe or remember if they ever layed on their backs and I transfered them into the enclosure after 24 hours of the dragon being fully hatched.
Also, when is it best for them to go out to new homes ? My last clutch went to new homes as soon as they had their first sheds at 8 weeks. Has anyone ever let them go to new homes sooner ?
I'm by no means an expert, but I've never heard of hatchlings laying on their backs, and I wouldn't leave them like that.
I was planning to leave mine in the incubator until their yolk sacs had fully absorbed, but none of them actually hatched with yolk sacs, so I just took them out of the vermiculite box and put them in another box in the incubator lined with damp paper towel, and checked a couple of times a day. If they looked alert rather than just lying there looking worn out after hatching, I moved them to their viv.
I think the general rule for the minimum age for rehoming is 6 inches long or 6 weeks old, whichever comes later. I'd be comfortable rehoming one younger than that to someone who was very experienced with beardies and could explain to me exactly how they were going to care for it and how they understood they were harder work than adults, otherwise I'd wait until 6-8 weeks old when I was happy they were eating and shedding and growing ok.
I'm by no means an expert, but I've never heard of hatchlings laying on their backs, and I wouldn't leave them like that.
I was planning to leave mine in the incubator until their yolk sacs had fully absorbed, but none of them actually hatched with yolk sacs, so I just took them out of the vermiculite box and put them in another box in the incubator lined with damp paper towel, and checked a couple of times a day. If they looked alert rather than just lying there looking worn out after hatching, I moved them to their viv.
I think the general rule for the minimum age for rehoming is 6 inches long or 6 weeks old, whichever comes later. I'd be comfortable rehoming one younger than that to someone who was very experienced with beardies and could explain to me exactly how they were going to care for it and how they understood they were harder work than adults, otherwise I'd wait until 6-8 weeks old when I was happy they were eating and shedding and growing ok.
Well the baby who keeps laying on his/her back actually has a weird bump above it's tail on the spine. Something that looks like impaction BUT it's a hatchling and has only absorbed it's yolk so I'm actually confused with that one. Tomorrow I'll be calling the Herp Vet and see what they say.