Male beardie attacking female beardie

Question
I have two bearded dragons 1 male and 1 female i have them together in a large tank for little over 3 years. Suddenly lst night the male started to attack the female and from the lok it was trying to hurt the female clamping down on her belly and trying to bit and throw her around.

They both previously had some fights which i believe is normal play but for some reason the male is going crazy and even after i seprated them and hold the female outside the tank the male is trying to go thru the tank and attack the female which i am holding in my hands.

What is going on with this Beardie and i am worried about placing the female back in the tank in fear that the larger male will kill her.

Answer
Hello Louis,

I hate to tell you but you have been very very lucky that he has not killed her.  It is not a good idea to house a male & female or a male & a male together.  The male & female overbreed & the male can seriously injure the female, or vice versa.  
You will never be able to put the female back in with the male, or she wont be so lucky next time.  So you are going to have to setup an entirely new tank just for her.
If they have had fights in the past, it is not play, those are signs of aggression & they should have been separated right away.  Bearded dragons do not play.  They usually fight to the death in most instances, or at least terrible injury leaving one retreating in bad shape.  Bearded dragons are solitary animals with each other, & constantly display dominance.  
I do not know why the male suddenly snapped.  They can do that all of the sudden.  That is why I never recommend housing more than 1 dragon together because that can happen while you are not around.  
Maybe he does not feel good, or maybe he doesn't have enough room.
What sized tank do you have?  One adult dragon alone needs at least a 75 to a 90 gallon tank just for him, but if you house 2 females, it is highly recommended to have at least 150 or larger tank for 2 females & sometimes even then that does not work.  
How badly is the female injured does she need vet care immediately?

Tracie