JessiesGirl
Member
So, I'm a newbie to beardies. I'm a newbie to having reptiles in general, so obviously I'm a bit paranoid . Almost two weeks ago I bought myself a new young/baby beardie from Petsmart and he/she's (too young to gender yet, I think) been doing pretty great according to everything I've been reading off this forum and other bearded dragon sites.
They've been eating crickets and mealworms, but i think they prefer the crickets haha, and (reluctantly) greens like basil and mint for now. Their poop seems pretty solid/"normal" and I don't think I've had to deal with any diarrhea/weird poop at all yet. Poops are also fairly regular, and I'm trying to get them to poop during baths. They kind of started shedding/doing pre-shed stuff right when I got them, so I've been giving them regular baths since I read it helps with the process. I've noticed Jessie is very curious and seems to enjoy being held(?) and will chill with me when I'm drawing or on the computer; they're very sweet. I think the only major mess-up I need to fix right now is the fact that I bought a UVB bulb instead of a UVB tube for their tank.
But ever since I got them, I've noticed them breathing weirdly hard?? Like, they'll just be sitting under their basking light and suddenly I'll see them inhale very deeply a couple times and then open their mouth as if they're exhaling kinda. At first I thought they were coughing or choking on something, but it very rarely has ever made noise; I've heard a weird "pop" sound once or twice the whole time I've had them (I wouldn't really describe it as clicking or wooshing). No mucus strings from the mouth/in his mouth and he shows basically 0 symptoms of a URI. The breathing thing doesn't really seem to bother them and I only see them do it whenever they're basking or in warm water, never when they're sleeping or when I'm handling them. I've listened to all kinds of beardie coughing/wheezing audios on YouTube but none of them sound even close to them. I've even held them close to my ear and I've heard nothing at all.
Does it have something to do with temperature regulation or should I be worried about a mild URI??
They've been eating crickets and mealworms, but i think they prefer the crickets haha, and (reluctantly) greens like basil and mint for now. Their poop seems pretty solid/"normal" and I don't think I've had to deal with any diarrhea/weird poop at all yet. Poops are also fairly regular, and I'm trying to get them to poop during baths. They kind of started shedding/doing pre-shed stuff right when I got them, so I've been giving them regular baths since I read it helps with the process. I've noticed Jessie is very curious and seems to enjoy being held(?) and will chill with me when I'm drawing or on the computer; they're very sweet. I think the only major mess-up I need to fix right now is the fact that I bought a UVB bulb instead of a UVB tube for their tank.
But ever since I got them, I've noticed them breathing weirdly hard?? Like, they'll just be sitting under their basking light and suddenly I'll see them inhale very deeply a couple times and then open their mouth as if they're exhaling kinda. At first I thought they were coughing or choking on something, but it very rarely has ever made noise; I've heard a weird "pop" sound once or twice the whole time I've had them (I wouldn't really describe it as clicking or wooshing). No mucus strings from the mouth/in his mouth and he shows basically 0 symptoms of a URI. The breathing thing doesn't really seem to bother them and I only see them do it whenever they're basking or in warm water, never when they're sleeping or when I'm handling them. I've listened to all kinds of beardie coughing/wheezing audios on YouTube but none of them sound even close to them. I've even held them close to my ear and I've heard nothing at all.
Does it have something to do with temperature regulation or should I be worried about a mild URI??