First Ornate Uromastyx Eggs of 2026, Notes on Egg Laying
Happy Monday, Everyone!
I woke this morning to the first Ornate Uromastyx clutch of 2026. The mother has already bred in previous seasons, but the father is a very nice Green Form (CB 2023). I produced the mother in 2020 and I held her back for breeding because I really liked the look of her pattern. As she grew, she developed some impressive coloration and when she produced offspring for the first time I noticed that a good percentage of her babies also had a somewhat funky pattern. So cool!
One piece worth noting is that from the end of brumation and up to today, this female was fed 90% Uro Spice. This is a solid step towards proving the concept of Uro Spice!
A few notes on Egg Laying and Nesting that you may find helpful:
- I like to place the nest box next to but not directly under the nest box, since they want warmer bedding to lay the eggs. If the female digs at the far (cooler) end of the box, you might scoot it away from the basking area by a little bit. If the female digs at the warmer end, you can scoot it slightly closer.
- Make sure to fill the box to the very top with bedding. The compression from the lid helps maintain burrow structure and increases the likelihood that the female will feel comfortable laying her eggs when she needs.
- Side-entry boxes tend to yield better results than top-entry boxes in my experience. This is not a prescription; some animals have no problem with top-entry nest boxes. But just as an annecdote, I see better results with top-entry. \
- Try very hard not to disturb the female when she is inside the box!
- When the female emerges from laying her eggs, she may still need time to bury. They often come out to bask and rest bewteen burying sessions. That said, when the female comes out it is a good idea to offer her water and fresh greens. Drip a little water into a shallow dish and in another bowl offer a small amount of fresh, high water greens like Romaine Lettuce.
I hope you find these notes useful. They seem small but these little things can make a big impact on your success!