Abdomen Contraction + Gaping

[SkeptiBee]

Okay, so after I witnessed my rescue, Sienna, the other night doing a full on slow bob while she was sleeping, I've got to thinking perhaps something else is triggering this.

First off, here is an example of what I'm talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boU-T4AbsJA
This has all took place tonight by the way. I'm not sure how many times this has been taking place before now.

In the video she isn't asleep (though she is now) but this occurred shortly after lights went out and she began to snuggle down for bed. I placed her on my desk since I felt my body heat was getting too high for her to be comfortable and that's when I noticed what was happening. As she tried to fall asleep (these experiences woke her up each time) her abdomen started with small contractions. These were very mild at first, but gradually they became stronger to the point she was lifting her head and opening her mouth. Just as I after cutting the camera off, she turned at me and did it again, this time she pushed air out of her lungs. After that, I picked her up and set her at an incline on my lap, her head higher than her feet. This stopped everything.

She was totally drained and instantly fell asleep. In fact, she's still in my lap right now.

Does anyone have a clue why she would be struggling for breath tilted one way but not the other? The part of the desk she was on left her tilted very slightly down, where her rear feet were a touch higher than her front feet. On a flat surface she's never reacted this way either. I'm very puzzled. But it also makes a lot of sense that she never uses her hide to sleep in. She prefers to sleep on her basking spot which allows her to sleep on an upward angle.

 

[Tonja]

At first I thought maybe hiccups but, bearded dragons do not possess movable diaphragm muscles and, as such, cannot hiccup. Do you hear any wheezing or clicks when she breathes or does this behavior? I would be concerned about a respiratory infection and would take her to a vet if this keeps up. If you can up her temps by 5 degrees to keep her extra warm and to boost her immune system. Keep a close eye on her and listen for any clicks and maybe someone with more experience with this will pop in to answer your questions. Her head being tilted down eased her breathing is probably because she has some fluid in her lungs and the incline with head down allows it to drain some. This is just my opinion on the video I watched of her breathing. It looks like shes forcing inhalation and expiration of air to me but, I am not a vet.

 

[SkeptiBee]

Thanks for the reply Tonja!

There is no clicking, just a quick whoosh of air from her lungs when she exhales, nothing after that. I can pump up her temps for the time being as her vet appointment isn't until next Wednesday. She's still eating well and moves around a lot so whatever is causing this isn't making impacting too badly. Still, I don't want this getting worse. I'll keep the thread posted.