1: when will she be ready? how can i tell?
She should develop mustardy/yellowish splotches which would indicate sexual maturity and then bright blue dots indicating receptivity before she will be producing eggs....but you won't know exactly when she will lay them after that unless she is mated.
2: i can only use an external laying bin... when should i put her in, when do i take her out?
Its much easier to have even a smaller container of washed sand in her cage so she will have a place to dig than it is to notice the usually subtle indications that she is ready. She should move around the cage looking for a site to lay, may drink a lot more than normal, may slow down or stop eating, should show increased girth in the lower half of the body, etc. as she is nearing the laying time.
3: food while in there?
She can eat up when in the bin, but you need to remove any leftover insects so they won't chew on her or the eggs.
any other tips?
I would put a container in her cage that is about 12" deep x 12" x8" full of washed moistened playsand.
the laying bin is a white bucket full with moist substrate easy to dig with one finger and doesn't collapse
How deep is it and how are you going to keep her in it?
