female bearded dragon laid eggs----very thin now

Question
My female beardy is 5 1/2 yrs old, and has lived alone the entire time.  Recently she has been digging and now seems to have laid a dozen or so eggs--she has never done this before.  Now she is extremely thin.  Is she likely to recover from this given her age?  What is the typical life span of a female beardy?  She has lots of crickets(covered in calcium), moist food and water, but does not have much of an appetite. . . any advice for her would be great!

Answer
Hello Claire,

Oh 5 1/2 years is not old for a dragon.  Their lifespan is 8-12 years or longer.
Yes, she should recover fine.  However, she does need the proper UVB lighting & calcium supplementation to help her replace what she has lost through egg laying.  
Do you use UVB lighting & if so, what type & brand do you use?  Is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?  
Do you use calcium several times per week?  
You could give her some silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, superworms or phoenix worms in conjunction with the crickets to add a bit of meat to her diet.
You could offer a few waxworms or mealworms sparingly to give more fat as well.
Her appetite will decrease as she is preparing to lay.  Keep a close eye on her in case she has any problems with laying such as egg binding problems.  


Tracie