Coughing/Wheezing Bearded Dragon

[motoengineer]

Hi everyone. I have a 2.5 year old bearded dragon whos in and out of brumation at the moment. He regularly gets real sunlight several times a week and eats a mixture of greens and bugs. His indoor conditions ~45% RH and otherwise typical with a tube UVB bulb and a 100w heat lamp. He free roams and has his own tank.

Ive had him since he was several weeks old and have cared for him without any issues. He recently came out of a 5 day sleep and started coughing this morning. He is coughing about 3x every few minutes.

His inhale/exhale cycle varies between every 20-30 seconds to every 5-10 seconds. There is no mucus building up in his nose or eyes.

We've recently had high humidity in the area and my dehumidifier has been running full blast to keep the humidity levels low but there may have been several hours each day where it was above 60. I dont believe this is enough to cause a URI is it?

Here is a video of his breathing. He is currently in a smaller room so my dehumidifier has more effect. It's now around 37.

I have F10 coming tomorrow and plan on nebulizing.

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi everyone. I have a 2.5 year old bearded dragon whos in and out of brumation at the moment. He regularly gets real sunlight several times a week and eats a mixture of greens and bugs. His indoor conditions ~45% RH and otherwise typical with a tube UVB bulb and a 100w heat lamp. He free roams and has his own tank.

Ive had him since he was several weeks old and have cared for him without any issues. He recently came out of a 5 day sleep and started coughing this morning. He is coughing about 3x every few minutes.

His inhale/exhale cycle varies between every 20-30 seconds to every 5-10 seconds. There is no mucus building up in his nose or eyes.

We've recently had high humidity in the area and my dehumidifier has been running full blast to keep the humidity levels low but there may have been several hours each day where it was above 60. I dont believe this is enough to cause a URI is it?

Here is a video of his breathing. He is currently in a smaller room so my dehumidifier has more effect. It's now around 37.

I have F10 coming tomorrow and plan on nebulizing.

F10 ? that is a vet disinfectant -- please dont do any nebulizing till you get some advise from Tracie- shes the vet tech on here -- where is the UVB? inside the tank or top of screen ? The 60% humidity is fine as long as its not going above 70% - I would get him into the vet and have a X ray done to see if hes got a RI going and maybe blood work as well -- A few days of high humidity is not going to bring on a RI instantly @Drache613

 

[motoengineer]

F10SC* is an antiseptic solution and was recommended by our vet (previously) when asking about URIs in general. Its recommended to be used by the manufacturer for nebulizing and has been documented for nebulizing reptiles.

I'm still waiting to find an open slot to get him to the vet but it will be several days until they can see him.

The UVB is on top of the tank without a scrreen, but I also have several setup in various locations where he basks around the house. He gets an annual checkup once a year and has had blood work and xrays done and his lighting hasnt been a problem. I've not changed anything regarding husbandry.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[xp29]

Has his face shed recently? I see one of my males do something similar when trying to blow out nose plugs from shedding. Maybe not related in any way, but might be worth checking

 

[motoengineer]

Good point! It hasn't. I do make sure the nostril and ear plugs are accounted for at each shed. I really try to take care of him as best as I can. He's coughed 100+ times this morning and since moving him to a higher temp and lower humidity environment (110F & 27-30% RH) he has a nice gape and no more coughing. I really don't know what caused it. I listened to his lungs and they sound clear and free of any burbling or phlegmy obstructions.

 

[xp29]

I would still probably take him to the vet just to be safe.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How is your dragon doing tonight?
Are you using a loose substrate or a solid substrate?
You can use the F10 for nebulizing. How much are you using & are you mixing distilled water
in with the treatments?
How long has he been partially brumating for?
They can cough for various reasons, but if it persists & doesn't improve with the nebulizing, it
would be a good idea to see a vet. You don't want him brumating if he is ill.

Tracie

 

[motoengineer]

He stopped coughing entirely and is back to normal, but im keeping in an higher temp and dryer environment. He has a cork mat but hes not in his enclosure most of the time.

I did not nebulize him yet because he just stopped coughing. I plan on using the manufacturers recommended mixtute (im not home at the moment but believe its 1:250) and yes, it will be with distilled water (purchased not made as to avoid chorline and fluoride)

Hes been looking to brumuating for the past 5 or 6 weeks. 3 weeks ago i started leaving him alone and hes been sleeping 5days at a time.

 

[xp29]

He might have inhaled something that irritated his longs or something . It's good he is back to normal

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That's great to hear he is back to normal! It's hard when they sleep for so many days in a row,
it makes it hard to check on them! At least he did stop coughing then, bless him.
Keeping the humidity a little lower while he is sleeping should help quite a bit.

Tracie