constant swallowing.

[ethanmelch]

Hi, My female bearded dragon is a year old and is getting over an ongoing respiratory infection. It started back in the beginning of september, She was going to a vet and was getting injections for two months until we did a culture that took forever to get back. We were actually sent to a specialist because they didnt know why she wasn’t improving. Well, when the results came in we found out she was on the wrong meds and that it was a very rare bacterial infection. The bacteria is called klebsiella (i think) and she was put on doxycycline dose: .03 and gentamicin dose: 0.5ML mixed with saline in a nebulizer until cured. Her recent xray from Jan 7th said there was no infection to be seen but were still doing the meds for another month just to be safe. But i wanted a second opinion on something, She still has the constant swallowing like she did as she was sick. Do you think it may be because shes getting over being sick or should i be concerned ? The specialist said it could just be damp back there still or it could be because shes overweight. She did weight in at 841 grams and we are now correcting her diet. Shes a picky eater but he said we had to do tough love on her. Were doing collard greens, cucumbers and two to three bugs with it a day. So what are your thoughts? Do you think she’s swallowing still because shes getting over the infection or is it because she’s overweight ? The swallowing sounds kind of squishy.

I wanted to quickly add that i give her calcium every other day and she has proper UVB. She has an arcadia T5 Tub 14% that i change every 12 months

Thank you !

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi, My female bearded dragon is a year old and is getting over an ongoing respiratory infection. It started back in the beginning of september, She was going to a vet and was getting injections for two months until we did a culture that took forever to get back. We were actually sent to a specialist because they didnt know why she wasn’t improving. Well, when the results came in we found out she was on the wrong meds and that it was a very rare bacterial infection. The bacteria is called klebsiella (i think) and she was put on doxycycline dose: .03 and gentamicin dose: 5ML mixed with saline in a nebulizer until cured. Her recent xray from Jan 7th said there was no infection to be seen but were still doing the meds for another month just to be safe. But i wanted a second opinion on something, She still has the constant swallowing like she did as she was sick. Do you think it may be because shes getting over being sick or should i be concerned ? The specialist said it could just be damp back there still or it could be because shes overweight. She did weight in at 841 grams and we are now correcting her diet. Shes a picky eater but he said we had to do tough love on her. Were doing collard greens, cucumbers and two to three bugs with it a day. So what are your thoughts? Do you think she’s swallowing still because shes getting over the infection or is it because she’s overweight ? The swallowing sounds kind of squishy.

I wanted to quickly add that i give her calcium every other day and she has proper UVB. She has an arcadia T5 Tub 14% that i change every 12 months

Thank you !

Where is the UVB? top of screen or inside the tank? How tall is the tank ? We need Tracie to answer your questions about the meds etc
@Drache613

 

[ethanmelch]

Where is the UVB? top of screen or inside the tank? How tall is the tank ? We need Tracie to answer your questions about the meds etc
@Drache613

Hi, thank you for replying. The UVB is on top of the mesh screentop. Shes in a 40Gal Thrive kit enclosure until i can upgrade her to something bigger. The enclosure is 18inch high

Dimensions: 36"L x 18"W x 18"H

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi, thank you for replying. The UVB is on top of the mesh screentop. Shes in a 40Gal Thrive kit enclosure until i can upgrade her to something bigger. The enclosure is 18inch high

Dimensions: 36"L x 18"W x 18"H

The 14% is too much for a 18" high but w/ it on the screen its going to cut out some of the strength of the rays - how far is the basking decor from the UVB?

 

[ethanmelch]

So should i switch to 12% or would the 14 still be okay? When shes on top of her hide, shes about 7inchs away from the UVB. But when shes just on the ground, She is about 13 and a half inches away

 

[KarrieRee]

So should i switch to 12% or would the 14 still be okay? When shes on top of her hide, shes about 7inchs away from the UVB. But when shes just on the ground, She is about 13 and a half inches away

You can switch but we can ask CooperDragon about the height and see what he recommends - does she bask for long periods of time under the UVB?
@CooperDragon

 

[CooperDragon]

It’s tough to say for sure without using a Solarmeter but generally a 12% would be a be a better match for those distances. If you keep the 14% I’d be sure to include lots of shade areas to provide a less intense option when needed.