Female BD - laying eggs

Question
QUESTION: My female dragon last year gave me 3 cluches of eggs - all lived and survived - and were given to proper homes.  My question is that for the last 2 1/2 weeks she has not been herself, long story short, I took her to the vet, took xrays and the only thing he said he saw was that her kidneys were slightly enlarged so he took a blood sample and everything came back normal.  She had very very few parasites, and we treated them.  So for the last 2 weeks plus I have been feeding her "critical care" food through a dropper and pedioloyte so she doesn't get dehydrated - and she does drink from the facuet.  On Friday, I put her in her window seat in the sun and before I knew it she was laying these jelly bean yellow color eggs.  She started off laying about 10, then I put her in her cage and she laid one more, then I thought maybe she is having an issue so I  put her in the tub and she delivered one more - and then from there she has been pushing this jelly bean size yellow eggs out sometimes 2 -3 - we are up to 23 of these eggs over a period 2 days.  My question is are these eggs normal? meaning is this what you call unfertilized - since she has not been with any female since last year and I put a lay box in her cage but she won't use it and last night I was holding her in my lap and she dropped another egg.  Is there any medical issues I need to be worried about, should I have her xrayed to see how many more she has? I don't knwo where these eggs are coming from since she isn't nearly as big as she was before.  This whole thing has thrown me off cause last year when she was pregnant, her under stomach was big and you could see marble shapes - however this time, and the reason I took her to the vet to begin with was her beard was turning black... anyway, her stomach did not get big like her last deliveries, but what got big was her sides - like bowling balls?  So, what should I do?  Thank you- Susan

ANSWER: Hello Susan,

How old is your female?  They are infertiles, right?  She has not been bred correct?   
I think you should get some x-rays to see what is going on.  She is most likely egg bound, or having some trouble with passing the eggs.  
Those eggs sound like they are old.  How many eggs total in her 3 clutches did she lay last year?
Egg stasis is serious & if she is laying rubbery off colored eggs like that & is seeming to have trouble, she probably is in distress especially since her beard is black too.  

If possible you need to get her in within the next few days.

What type & brand of UVB light are you using, a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?  How old is the light?  Do you supplement calcium on a regular basis?
Let me know how she is doing.

Tracie

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

QUESTION: Tracie, thank you for getting back to me.  She is 4 years old, her first 3 clutches of eggs she was bred with my male. She had 13 first time, 2nd time she had 15 and the last time she had 17 all within weeks of each other.  Thay all survived except one.  I will take her to the vet tomorrow to get another xray to see what's going on.  She has continued to lay these yellow soft eggs - this afternoon she laid 2 more making a total of 24.  I don't know if she is having trouble other than the normal pushing efforts.  I use a compact UVB light, a heat lamp, which I have been leaving on all night and the I have a night (blue bulb) that I have been leaving on as well.  I put the laybox back in her cage - but she prefers to just drop the eggs from a hanging position.  I give her calcium powder on her crickets and I use a vitamin spray on her food.  She was a fantastic eater!! Loves her vegetables, kale, sweet potatoes, yellow squash...red, yellow and orange peppers and carrots.  This is her normal food.   I even tried a baby mouse today - but she didn't have any interest.  Tomorrow I will also try dandelion greens.  I will keep you posted once I find out how many more eggs she has in there!!  Also, I am still feeding her "critical care" food through sringe and diluted pedilyte but she also drinks from the facet.  Have you ever heard of a BD delivering this many infertle eggs before?  I have no other BD left - I gave the last of her "kids" away in May to good homes.  So she's the only one left!  My baby as I call her.

Answer
Hello Susan,

Some do have alot of infertile eggs.  Alot has to do with genetics.  Hopefully she will slow down on her laying, poor girl.
The compact UVB light is very poor in the UVB emissions. How old is it?  Chances are, over time her calcium levels have fallen & she is having a hard time laying now.
I highly recommend getting a Megaray or a T-rex, either one.  They are excellent lights & will give your girl a huge dose of UVB.  Since she has not had very good UVB exposure, she can't absorb calcium very well which would make it difficult for her to lay. Calcium is responsible for smooth muscle contractions in the GI tract so if she is hypocalcemic this would pose a pretty good threat for her.
Definitely let me know what goes on at the vets.  
It sounds like she has been a great eater in the past, which is excellent.
Does she light keep her awake at night?  It is usually best to keep it darker for them at night so they can sleep better.

Tracie