Hello all,
This is my first post here though I've been reading the forums for the last couple years. I've found a lot of great information and I'm really glad this community is here.
So my beardie, Bowser, is a little over five years old. He's never been excessively energetic, and check-ins with the vet have found that he dealt with parasite issues and maybe other things early on in his life due to his quality of care (I didn't get him until he was about 8 months old). We took care of the parasite issue a few years back, thankfully.
He is now dealing with an issue that's been ongoing for about the past two months. His beard has stayed black to medium gray ever since it started, and he often opens his mouth and keeps it open. My assumption is that he's doing this to breathe easier; he will even do it from time to time as he sleeps. His energy level seems to be on the low end, though on some of the warmer, sunnier days, he will have plenty of energy to run around (he enjoys looking out the windows and we have ramps and boxes for him to do so) and bob his head a lot.
He's not eating much, though he does deal with some slowing of the metabolism during the winter (despite trying to get him to fully avoid brumation, shorter daylight and slightly cooler room temperatures still trigger it a bit) and a certain degree of that seems to be expected. Every once in a while (maybe every couple weeks) he'll eat a few superworms or a dubia roach or two. His primary diet has been Critical Care every two to three days (10ml per feeding) since he shows little to no interest in eating on his own, and I switch off between the Herbivore and the Carnivore. He'll also eat some small apple slices and a blackberry or two every few days.
I know there are a number of threads regarding beardies with respiratory issues and I've tried some of the suggestions from them:
- Increasing his water intake. He will drink while in the bath every once in a while but I supplement that with water from an oral syringe, 1-2ml per day.
- Keeping him a little warmer at night. Using a heating pad set to the low-mid 80s, as opposed to the normal nighttime temp of about 70 in the house.
I did try the antibiotic Baytril (0.04ml/day x 14 days) for this issue and clearly it's something else, as it had no noticeable effect on his behavior or color.
I apologize if I've missed something in another forum post that might shed some light on this problem. Regardless, any thoughts or advice would be deeply appreciated.
-Dan
P.S. I did load current setup specs into my profile, but just so it's here too...
Basking spot: 102 degrees, about 8" from source to Bowser. Cool areas: 75, heating pad 82-85. Basking spot on 12hr/day.
This is my first post here though I've been reading the forums for the last couple years. I've found a lot of great information and I'm really glad this community is here.
So my beardie, Bowser, is a little over five years old. He's never been excessively energetic, and check-ins with the vet have found that he dealt with parasite issues and maybe other things early on in his life due to his quality of care (I didn't get him until he was about 8 months old). We took care of the parasite issue a few years back, thankfully.
He is now dealing with an issue that's been ongoing for about the past two months. His beard has stayed black to medium gray ever since it started, and he often opens his mouth and keeps it open. My assumption is that he's doing this to breathe easier; he will even do it from time to time as he sleeps. His energy level seems to be on the low end, though on some of the warmer, sunnier days, he will have plenty of energy to run around (he enjoys looking out the windows and we have ramps and boxes for him to do so) and bob his head a lot.
He's not eating much, though he does deal with some slowing of the metabolism during the winter (despite trying to get him to fully avoid brumation, shorter daylight and slightly cooler room temperatures still trigger it a bit) and a certain degree of that seems to be expected. Every once in a while (maybe every couple weeks) he'll eat a few superworms or a dubia roach or two. His primary diet has been Critical Care every two to three days (10ml per feeding) since he shows little to no interest in eating on his own, and I switch off between the Herbivore and the Carnivore. He'll also eat some small apple slices and a blackberry or two every few days.
I know there are a number of threads regarding beardies with respiratory issues and I've tried some of the suggestions from them:
- Increasing his water intake. He will drink while in the bath every once in a while but I supplement that with water from an oral syringe, 1-2ml per day.
- Keeping him a little warmer at night. Using a heating pad set to the low-mid 80s, as opposed to the normal nighttime temp of about 70 in the house.
I did try the antibiotic Baytril (0.04ml/day x 14 days) for this issue and clearly it's something else, as it had no noticeable effect on his behavior or color.
I apologize if I've missed something in another forum post that might shed some light on this problem. Regardless, any thoughts or advice would be deeply appreciated.
-Dan
P.S. I did load current setup specs into my profile, but just so it's here too...
Basking spot: 102 degrees, about 8" from source to Bowser. Cool areas: 75, heating pad 82-85. Basking spot on 12hr/day.
![20240326_132226[1].jpg](/data/attachments/87/87431-2179b091724daa50ad8d80a1fece74f4.jpg)
![20240326_132806[1].jpg](/data/attachments/87/87433-7b35eec49b9072c15b982f0eb2d380fc.jpg)
