Hey guys I have an adult beardie I have had him for almost a year and he is very healthy. I know that if they make sounds when they breath it means they have a respiratory infection so I am just looking for a second opinion. Sometimes when I scoop him up from underneath he kinda snorts. I assume this is just from my hand pushing the air out of his stomach when I pick him up as he seems fine otherwise but I just wanted to make sure.
If you ever hear him wheezing, coughing, or "clicking" while he breathes normally, at rest, then these are signs/symptoms of an Upper Respiratory Infection, along with a lot of excess mucous in his mouth, visible when he opens-up his mouth and has thick "strings" of mucous showing. Him simply making a noise only when you pick him up is not a sign/symptom of having a Respiratory Infection...
I will say that you need to be careful not to squeeze him when you pick him up, because if he is actually making a noise every time you pick him up, that's not really "normal"; I've not ever heard a Dragon make a noise when they are being picked-up like you're describing, and while it's definitely not a symptom of an infection, it may very well be a sign that you're squeezing him way too hard...
If you ever hear him wheezing, coughing, or "clicking" while he breathes normally, at rest, then these are signs/symptoms of an Upper Respiratory Infection, along with a lot of excess mucous in his mouth, visible when he opens-up his mouth and has thick "strings" of mucous showing. Him simply making a noise only when you pick him up is not a sign/symptom of having a Respiratory Infection...
I will say that you need to be careful not to squeeze him when you pick him up, because if he is actually making a noise every time you pick him up, that's not really "normal"; I've not ever heard a Dragon make a noise when they are being picked-up like you're describing, and while it's definitely not a symptom of an infection, it may very well be a sign that you're squeezing him way too hard...
Thanks Ellen I see none of the symptoms you described and I’m pretty sure I’m not squeezing him to hard. I think it’s because when I’m picking him up I pick him up with a hand under his stomach and then brace him on my hand so I might be pushing specifically on his stomach but just for a second and it doesn’t happen every time.