Female beardy

Question
QUESTION: I have a male and female beardy , the male is about 18 months now , and the female about 14 months . She laid one lot of eggs about 3 months ago which were infertile , however at the moment she is very unhappy /poorly , she s not eating at all , lost weight , stays in a corner of the vivarium all the time , if u go to handle her she flares up . Not sure wot to do . No reptile vets near us , can u suggest anything , really worried now , Shona

ANSWER: Hello Shona,

Are you housing the male & female together?  If so, you will need to separate them.  They are too young to breed, especially your female.
If they are housed together, he is probably bullying her which is stressing her out.  A lot of times, one will dominate over the other causing undue stress.  So, she is not getting enough heat, light or food.  
Can you post some pictures of her?
What type of UVB lighting are you using?  A fluorescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  How old is the UVB light, & how close is it to them?
How often do you use calcium?
Since she laid eggs, though they were infertile, she may need some extra calcium to give her a boost after laying.  Also, if she is not acting right, there is also a possibility that she might have retained some eggs which can be very dangerous as well as fatal.  I think it might be a good idea to try to get a regular vet to do an x-ray to determine whether or not she has eggs or not.  Most vets should be willing to do an x-ray, I would think, if you explain the situation to him & that you are not "expecting" treatment.  If you can get an idea if she is carrying eggs, then, we can go from there.  
Or, she could just be low in calcium, & need a boost.  However, it would be helpful to get a blood test to determine that also.  I realize it is hard when there are no reptile vets around.
Try this site, maybe it might have a vet listed:
www.herpvetconnection.com

Has she been blackbearding lately, & is she losing weight?
 
Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply Tracie , She does seem to have lost some weight. I managed to handle her yesterday , but she puffed herself up , her body was cold .... I held her under the heat lamp on my hand for a while . Still would nt eat .Last nite she had gone up the log onto a plant and Bernie was close up to her . When we put them together I really did nt know they would breed so early , the reptile shop we got her from said they would be ok . I feel awful bout that . I ll get my son to take a photo and send it when he s out ov his bed !! Not sure what blackbearding is , but she puffs her beard up under her neck ? Thank you again , your e a star , I appreciate the time you ve taken to reply , Shona

ANSWER: Hello Shona,

That is good you were able to handle her.  It sounds like she doesn't feel very well.  
I really think you should consider housing her alone now, as I think that Bernie is stressing her.  She may be developing metabolic bone disease too.
The black bearding is just when the beard area is darker in color.  That can indicate stress, pain, etc.  
Great, pictures would be helpful.  
If she is losing weight, you can try feeding her some baby food, like chicken or turkey baby food, with a plastic syringe or plastic dropper since she is losing weight right now.
Is she getting enough calcium?

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Tracie, she is definately blackbearding... really worried now , the problem with separating them , to be honest is expense , at the moment they are in a 6 ft vivarium , fluoresent tube lighting , heat mat and heat lamp , I cant buy all that again at the moment so I m stuck really , I will try the baby food with syringe , took some pics yesterday will get them put o today 4 you, She s def not getting calcium as we coat the crickets in them , it s also in the sand but she s not eating so not getting it . Shona

Answer
Hello Shona,

Ok, can you put a divider in the tank to where you could just make another light setup?  What type & brand of UVB are you using?  Could you possibly divide that between the two of them & set the basking lights up towards the middle so that the tube bulb rests equally on both sides after putting a divider up?
It is possible that she could be gravid, & or retaining some eggs.  If that is the case, then we need to act fast or you could lose her.  
Please let me know the type & brand of UVB, & the temperatures in the tank.  
Do try the baby food with her to see if you can get some food into her.  Go ahead & put some calcium powder in with the food as well.  Hopefully she will take in some food.  
Try to get some type of divider in there to cut her stress down.  
Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie