Bearded dragon mating

Question
I have a male and female bearded dragon and they are together in a 55 gallon tank.. i dont know if the female is pregnant but what should i do to insure her safety and nutrition? and should i ever seperate the two?

Answer
Hi Dora, If your pair is breeding size then it is quite possible that your female is gravid. It isn't always obvious until shortly before she is preparing to lay. She will start digging around in the corners testing out laying spots and if it is a fair sized clutch of eggs you can sometimes see the shape of them protruding along her sides. I would increase her calcium supplementation just in case at this stage and definitely after egg-laying. She should also have a laying chamber. Without a proper spot to lay females will sometimes retain eggs longer then they should and drop them intermittently. If you are intending to try and hatch the clutch then the laying chamber will keep the eggs humid and viable until you get them into incubation. I used to use a small kitty litter pan about 4 inches deep and filled with damp sand. Remoisten and pack down the sand or dirt as needed, it should be able to hold a tunnel shape as she digs.
There's no hard and fast rule about separating the pair. I used different males over the years and some made nuisances of themselves around laying time and had to be temporarily rehoused while others were fine. Some males can be aggressively persistent during mating time at which point you may want to give your female a little break. It really depends on the behaviour of your male.
The health of a mature well fed female should not really be compromised by egg laying. If she begins to produce numerous clutches or seems thin or weak after egg laying then you may have to separate the pair in the future for the sake of her health.