Strange acting beardie

Hey guys. Paranoid mom here. I was giving Spike a bath tonight because it had been a few weeks since I did. He was just laying in the sink just fine, and all of a sudden started acting as if something was poking him and crawling on his head. He would scratch his ear so hard that he grew water out of the sink. All I did a minute before that was rub his tummy.
Also, he spends a lot of time when he isn’t in his tank, trying to climb up the back wall. It’s getting so bad that he has started to ignore his crickets I give him.
Also, after he tries to climb the back wall, he is so out of breath and uses his beard to breathe. He doesn’t have a runny nose, or a cough.
What is going on with him? He’s getting me worried. I’m going to call the vet tomorrow and see what she says.
His heat in his tank stays between 88 and lately at night and up as high as the low 90s now that the sun is getting stronger.

When you say "climbing the wall" is he literally climbing up the wall (like on a backing or decoration) or just frantically scratching at the wall as if he was trying to climb?

Also, can you specify your temps again? That last bit seems to be worded a bit odd. What is his direct basking temp (surface, not air temp), and the ambient temp on his cool side? What about at night?

Sorry. It’s like he’s trying to get out. Since I posted this, I ordered a backdrop thinking that may help.
The basking area at night is 88ish (?). During the day it gets as high as 98-100 depending on whether the sun is coming in the window. In the cooler side, it’s around 80. I’m seriously thinking on getting a CHE. (What wattage should I get though?)
Also, would you recommend getting a UVB light the goes the width of the tank?
Just curious.

UncleGael":2rddnnu9 said:

When you say "climbing the wall" is he literally climbing up the wall (like on a backing or decoration) or just frantically scratching at the wall as if he was trying to climb?

Also, can you specify your temps again? That last bit seems to be worded a bit odd. What is his direct basking temp (surface, not air temp), and the ambient temp on his cool side? What about at night?

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Way too hot at night!!! The Australian Desert where they come from is pitch black and very cool, even cold at night, and their bodies need a much cooler nighttime temperature to properly rest and recover. They will not sleep soundly or deeply at all at night if their nighttime temperature is not much, much cooler than their daytime temperatures...As long a Bearded Dragon's tank is 65 degrees at night, they need absolutely no nighttime heat source at all!!! 65-70 degrees is perfect, and most people need no nighttime heat source because as long as your house temperature is about 62-63 degrees then their tank will be at least 65 degrees. You've got his nighttime air temperature at 88-93 degrees? You're cooking him! This is most likely why he's climbing the walls, my guess is that your daytime temps are too high too. I've owned dragons for 15 years and never needed a CHE at all. Ever.

During the day, his tank should have Cool Side Air/Ambient Temperature between 75-80 degrees F and no higher at all, this is extremely important as he always need a side to go to that is considerably cooler than the other side. This temperature (air temperature) can be taken on a stick-on thermometer, as it's an Air Temperature.

In the Hot Side of the tank, the side that should have both his UVB tube and his bright-white colored Basking Bulb over top of it, should be his Basking Spot/Platform, which should be located directly underneath both lights, so that he gets both at the same time while basking. The SURFACE TEMPERATURE of whatever you use as his Basking Spot/Platform needs to be between 105-110 degrees F for a Dragon under a year old, and for a sub-adult or adult that is over a year old it should be between 100-105 degrees F, and this temperature MUST BE TAKEN WITH EITHER A TEMPERATURE GUN OR A DIGITAL THERMOMETER WITH A PROBE ON A WIRE, AS IT'S A SURFACE TEMPERATURE, OR THE TEMPERATURE OF THE ACTUAL BASKING PLATFORM HE'S LAYING ON. You cannot measure his Basking Spot Surface Temperature with a stick-on thermometer.

The you have the Temperature of the Air surrounding the Basking Spot/Platform in the Hot Side of the tank, which should be no higher than 93 degrees F at any time, and honestly I and a lot of other people believe it should actually be under 90 degrees, 88 at a high. This temperature would be the Air Temperature measured with a stick-on thermometer located in the Hot Side of the tank.

So you definitely do not need more heat. Please do not turn on the heat lamp at night anymore, he's probably not rested soundly at all. Again, a perfect nighttime temperature for a Bearded Dragon is right around 65-70 degrees. The ONLY time the nighttime temperature should ever be bumped up a bit is when they are sick or suffering from an upper respiratory infection, and even that is a maximum of 80 degrees!!!

Contrary to what you just "educated" me on, I brought Spike to the exotic vet - that specializes in reptiles - and I am happy to say he is in perfect health and acting normally.
I took actual pictures of the tank set up and pictures of the DIGITAL thermometers on both ends of the tank, during the day and when his red light was on at night.
She was happy with what I showed her and has confirmed that I am doing everything correctly. Conntrary to your statement that I am "cooking" him, she confirmed that the temps ar fine.
Spike is healthy and according to her, is one of the best looking Bearded Dragons she has seen.
So, I have decided that since people may think I am a 12 year old girl who has no idea what she is doing, I am no longer going to ask for anyones opinion here. I dont know what your degree is in, but all I can see is that you are not a vet, so I will happily follow the advise of Spikes vet instead of yours.
Thank you