My 10 year old beardie had a rough night last night. After her lights went out and she curled up to sleep, she started gaping and opening her mouth a lot, and sit very upright with her nose pointed upwards. She was very sleepy, but anytime she tried to lay back down flat to sleep, she would have to get back upright and open her mouth back up. Today during the day she seems to be doing okay, she drank and ate fine but is occasionally swallowing thought the day for no apparent reason.
I'm suspecting respiratory infection or a possible aspiration from her bath the other day. I've PM'd Tracie for medical advice but I have a general question to throw out there. Tonight I'm gonna bump her temp up to 80 F and I want to position her better so she can rest a little more comfortably. I know for aspiration you should position them with their head lower than vent/tail so any fluid in the lungs can drain. Is this the same for if it's possibly a respiratory infection too?
If you didn't see her aspirate any liquid then another possibility may be that something is stuck in or irritating her throat or mouth. If you look into her mouth do you see anything out of the ordinary that may be causing distress?
I'd probably just keep the temps up overnight for a little while and watch her for signs of lethargic behavior or any changes to her mouth or throat (redness, growths, wounds, etc).