Breathing Worry

[petethedragon]

Update: video is too big to add I guess. His breathing is sort of like a puffing of air out and it’s pretty constant but his mouth is not constantly open. No discharge outside of nose or mouth. It’s almost like little burps of hot air but with a kind of popping sound.

New owner here, 1 week in and I’m already a nervous wreck for our little beardie. He’s about 7 inches long and we did “rescue from Petsmart (my son really wanted to bring this one home…). To provide context, we initially housed little dragon in 20 gallon but our permanent habitat arrived just 3 days later and some we moved to that for a more spacious and environmentally friendly setting. Since bringing home, appetite has been consistent and started on crickets but we’ve since transitioned to Dubias as the more staple insect and they are a big hit. But 24 hours ago, my little dragon has started breathing off. His tank seems to be in good order with temps, humidity, gradient across the enclosure and UVB exposure but I would love to have more experience owners provide thoughts. Temps: Basking spot - 96 and 27% humidity
Mid Tank - 84 ish 30% humidity
Cool side -79 and 36% humidity

UVB is HO T5 UVB combo and sits 12-18 inches from basking area. We have a 4x2x2 Meridian Zen habitat the the UVB bulb is 31 inches leaving about. 13 inches without the T5 bulb directly above.

Until I can see a vet tomorrow, I would love to be able to discuss and chat with any experienced Beardie owners in the forum!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

He is super cute & very sweet!
For now, I would give him a bit more time as that behavior could just be him adjusting to
a new home/enclosure.
As suggested, it would be helpful to get his basking temperatures up to a higher range to
get him to more optimal temperatures. Since you are using the T5 & it is mounted inside
of his tank he should be getting plenty of UVB. Which brand is it? Is it mounted directly
overhead underneath of the screen?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[petethedragon]

Hello,

He is super cute & very sweet!
For now, I would give him a bit more time as that behavior could just be him adjusting to
a new home/enclosure.
As suggested, it would be helpful to get his basking temperatures up to a higher range to
get him to more optimal temperatures. Since you are using the T5 & it is mounted inside
of his tank he should be getting plenty of UVB. Which brand is it? Is it mounted directly
overhead underneath of the screen?
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

He is still doing the puff breathing like in the video I shared the link to in a previous reply. But he seems absolutely fine. He is eating just fine and when I interact with him, he moves around with plenty of energy. Normal poop and Still no mucous or anything odd like that from mouth or nose. He seems healthy in all other aspects. As a new owner with zero exposure to what normal beardie breathing or behaviors are, I just thought it was not a good thing.

 

[xp29]

The breathing is a little different, but i can also see some strees marks on his belly. I would just keep an eye on him until he settled in. It can take a few weeks or even more. He will eventually realize he is the king of the house and us hoomans are just here to do his bidding lol

 

[petethedragon]

Hi there, right now he looks pretty good and although there's a very slight chance that an R.I is coming on I don't see anything to seek vet visit for. Let him settle in for a while, keep a water bowl in during the day but take it out at night because sometimes they fall asleep in the water which can be a problem. I would have kept him in the 20 gallon until he's about 10" long, just so he can access the heat + uvb more easily if he does end up getting sick. For now just raise the basking temp. a few degrees and see how he does for the next few days.

Just want to have a warm fuzzy here. I just saw very tiny bubbles from the nose and tonight there seems to be a lot more mucous in the mouth. He rubbing his nose on the basking rock seemingly irritated by the potential fluid bubble in the nose. The breathing doesn’t seem to make him work hard yet but I feel I need to defiantly get him to the vet now as soon as possible. What do you all think?

 

[KarrieRee]

Just want to have a warm fuzzy here. I just saw very tiny bubbles from the nose and tonight there seems to be a lot more mucous in the mouth. He rubbing his nose on the basking rock seemingly irritated by the potential fluid bubble in the nose. The breathing doesn’t seem to make him work hard yet but I feel I need to defiantly get him to the vet now as soon as possible. What do you all think?

Yes

 

[petethedragon]

Thank you. Looks like early stage if RI? Do they get really bad fast or is it just like a cold for us? I’m making an appointment first thing in the morning to get seen as absolutely soon as possible but just wondering how quickly things progress in beardies.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thank you. Looks like early stage if RI? Do they get really bad fast or is it just like a cold for us? I’m making an appointment first thing in the morning to get seen as absolutely soon as possible but just wondering how quickly things progress in beardies.

I am not sure but I would keep his overnight temps around 80 if possible - ceramic heat emitter is best or place a heat pad in the tank on low -

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

If you are starting to see some issues such as fluids from the nose, mouth, etc then relocation
stress may have caused his immune system to be too taxed. It would probably be a good idea
to have him checked out by a vet, since he is young & doesn't have a fully developed immune
system yet.
Try to keep him warm overnight, as Karrie suggested to help him keep his system boosted. Let
us know how he is doing.

Tracie