Could this be a respiratory issue? Infection maybe?

[RAYofFNsunshine]

Hello, long time lurker first time poster here. I've had my little guy, Meatball for almost 2 months. He is almost 7 months old(5 months when I got him). He has had a vet check up and was cleared as having perfect health, and very few parasites (few enough that treating could have been more harmful than good). He has a very large wood enclosure, 6 foot long and 3 foot tall. I use a 160W mercury vapor bulb over his basking area(11 inches above) his basking area is 105-112° at all times. I supplement heat throughout the enclosure with a regular heat bulb and I use a CHE at night, the cool side ranges from 80° to 85° depending on the area. Humidity typically stays between 28 to 35, sometimes I bump it up to 40 if I notice a shed sticking around for very long. He's very shy and not too keen on being handled, so I typically do in the evenings when he is sleepy, and let him fall asleep on me. He eats great on Dubias, BSFL, hornworms and his salad(depending week to week I'll feed either kale, mustard greens, collard greens or a greens mix when I can find it, butternut squash and carrots). Dubias are gut loaded with carrots and i dust them with calcium once daily. He is fed insects(typically dubias) twice a day and generally eats between 10-15 mediums at a time.

So, my concern is his breathing. It's not all the time, but enough to start causing me to be concerned.Lately I've noticed his taking really deep breaths, they seem like hard breaths where his sides go in pretty far, then his beard puffs out and he opens his mouth to exhale. I'm getting nervous it may be an infection? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[KarrieRee]

You only have the MVB for UVB/ heat? What brand is the MVB and is it unobstructed? My recommendation is you get another tube fixture UVB if you have just the MVB- often times they do not put out enough UVB and its good to have another one in the tank - just for reassurance - I would recommend you get a 24"-30" fixture w/ reflector for your tank - w/ a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 bulb or a Arcadia D3 12% bulb-- https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood.html
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/arcadia-12-uvb-t5-reptile-bulb.html
Its possible he could have a RI -- are there any wheezing noises or watery issues around his mouth? Is he still eating or has that slowed? I am going to have some others on here chime in on this
Karrie

 

[RAYofFNsunshine]

No, I have 2 tube lights also. The enclosure was an old display cabinet so it already had fluorescent bulb mounts and I forgot I had installed 2 of those as well, they are probably nearing the end of their uvb output though and need to be replaced soon. The MVB is above the basking area, it is unobstructed, inside a reflector and is a zoo med powersun, the tubes are zoo med as well, I think they are T8, and I have two other bulbs that supplement heat because the enclosure is so large.

No watery issues from the nose or mouth, sometimes I can hear a soft clicking type sound when he breathes hard, but not so much a wheezing that's consistent.

 

[KarrieRee]

T 8's need to be replaced every 6 months -- I would recommend a month before - also they need to be inside the tank approx 6-8 inches from basking decor and directly over him -- I would recommend you upgrade the T 8 to a 24" fixture w/ reflector and a Reptisun 10.0 T 5 since you said your enclosure is big -- or you can go w/ a Arcadia 12% bulb they are are very good --- the clicking your hearing might be a RI - a vet visit probably wouldnt hurt -- also what is the humidity in the tank? Here is a website in case you dont have a vet
www.arav.org
Karrie

 

[RAYofFNsunshine]

Humidity is listed in my original post.

 

[KarrieRee]

Ok sorry so that doesnt seem to be a issue- well some others can way in on the issue and see what they think -- I would get him into the vet just in case if it continues
Karrie

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Your tank setup sounds nice & is definitely large enough for him, what a lucky guy!
His nostrils don't look plugged up as if they were going to shed. Could something be
stressing him that would be causing him to breathe heavier than normal?

Tracie