Gravid bearded dragon is uncomfortable and wobbly. What should I do?

Thanks for reaching out about Cobra. Females can form and lay eggs without a male, they're just non-fertile, similar to many chicken eggs. Monitor appetite and defecation. Females will often stop eating close to laying period. If concerned, a veterinary visit is needed to confirm she is gravid (with eggs). Good luck.

She may be looking for an area to lay eggs. If she is close to laying, you can usually feel the eggs through the abdominal wall. Female beardies do not need a male in order to lay eggs. They can become gravid regardless. The only difference is she will lay infertile eggs. Provide an appropriate laybox for her. Once she is done depositing eggs, you can discard them.

Thanks for reaching out about Lizzie. Brumation is triggered by a drop in temperature in the environment and shortening day length. If you have a heating element on your system, the temperature should not be dropping. Being quiet and secretive for two days is concerning, as they usually remain active up to the time they lay, not for several days prior. If she is egg bound, a veterinary visit is recommended. Calcium injections and a drug to induce egg laying (oxytocin) can be given to stimulate egg production. She could be sick for other reasons with kidney disease being common in aging bearded dragons. If she is still eating, you have a little time. If not, she needs to visit a veterinarian. Good luck.

Increase her calcium supplementation. Dust prey daily or provide a liquid calcium supplement. Check the UVB light source and replace it if it is more than 6 months old. Offer a variety of gut loaded prey (crickets, dubia roaches, etc), vegetables and a commercial beardie diet. Soak her in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week until she perks up. Check for proper temperatures, ambient and basking, in the enclosure. If symptoms persist, have Beatrix examined by an experienced herp veterinarian in case she is impacted or egg bound.

If there is any chance the beardies are any older, I would be thinking that one could be pregnant. This usually doesn't occur until at the youngest around 10-12 months however. It is best that they don't breed until even older than this as well, so hopefully this is not the case. Other causes of distended abdomen in these lizards are gastrointestinal impactions, constipation, overeating, obesity, and certain cancers. GI Impaction seems unlikely in this scenario due to the movement of the bowels. If this is an issue with constipation, enemas can be provided though I would not recommend performing this at home unless you are very familiar with reptilian anatomy. An x-ray would really help in this case provide all the information we need. It would show us if there are any eggs, if there is constipation, any sort of tumor (probably), and many other possible issues. Hope this helps!

Thanks for reaching out about Zoey and including a photo. The nest area should also be warm, and a little moist. Try to encourage her to enter the area. If she ever becomes lethargic, a veterinary visit to induce egg laying, might be in order. Monitor food intake but also defecation. Good luck.

If Big Momma is pregnant, she will need a warmed hiding space with moss inside to lay her eggs. If she doesn't have a suitable space, she will try to rearrange her home until she makes one, which could be stressful for her. Geckos are commonly nocturnal, so being more tired during the day and active at night is not entirely unusual. Be sure she gets crickets every other day that are properly gut-loaded for 24 hours before offering them to her while she's pregnant. She will likely lay 1-2 eggs about 16-20 days after she mated, and she might lay more eggs every 16-20 days for 4-5 months. Good luck, and I hope Big Momma does well!