Gaping a lot? Possible Respiratory Infection?

[LilahFaye]

My beardie has been gaping a lot lately, and has been puffing his beard in a out a few times in a row, several times a day. I'm really worried that he may have a respiratory infection. I seem to have heard a small popping noise coming from him, but I'm not entirely sure. He doesn't sleep vertically (but he used to when he was a baby) But, he does have labored breathing in the night. His temps ranged from 100-110 at his basking spot, and from 75-85 on the cool side. What should I do to rule out if he has a RI or not (I've spent a lot of money on him at the vet, just to find out that nothing was wrong with him.) He's eating and pooping normally, and doesn't seem lethargic. If I do take him to the vet, what tests are run to see if he has an RI? I would like to have a rough estimate of how much things will cost me.

Thanks

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is a hard call. They can puff their beards out for no apparent reason quite often. When do you hear the clicking sound, during the day, or at night?
Does he keep his mouth open for extended periods of time? Have you noticed any mucous or discharge in his mouth or nose, or his saliva being off colored, thick or stringy at all?
They can do an x-ray to see if there is any congestion in the lungs, or just listen to his breathing to determine if he sounds congested.
How long has this been going on for?
What is the humidity in your tank?
A rough estimate of an office visit is around $50, then per x-ray around $30 or so, sometimes more. It depends on if they are using high or low resonance for detail.

Tracie

 

[LilahFaye]

Thanks. He's been gaping for some quite long periods of time, but it's always under his basking log, so I thought it was just because of the heat. I haven't noticed any mucous or anything else of that matter. This has been going on for a few days, and it's come to my attention now (it seemed odd for him to be gaping so much) He's about seven or eight months old, so he still likes his high temperatures (100-110) I did notice that when he was shedding, that he had pieces of skin hanging out of his nose, which later fell out when he had a bath, and I assumed that is normal (is it?). The humidity in my tank is usually at 30% on a normal day, on rainy or snowy days it can go up to 60% (but that's very rare,) I keep my lizard well hydrated too(I give him baths once or twice a week, I occasionally mist him, and I wet his veggies.)

One thing that also worries me, is that his breathing is pretty labored in the night time. Is that something that is normal? Sometimes I check in to see if he's fallen asleep yet, but when I see him sleeping, he's barely breathing (when he was a baby, I thought he was actually dead!) Until he takes one large breath, then he goes back to barely breathing.
When I heard the popping noise, it was after I picked him up while he was gaping. He had closed his mouth, and puffed his beard in and out a few times. When he did that, I heard the popping, but I'm not sure if that's just because you can hear the stretching of their skin? Now if I ever pick him up while he's gaping, I hear the slightest little noise coming from him when he puffs his beard in and out. So I haven't heard it at any particular time of day (When I heard it the first time, It was at night.)

I appreciate any help,

 

[Buggsy]

When they sleep they can actually go down to one breath every two or three min, so thats normal.

I havnent had experience with RI infections, but it seems you are doing everything fine. How is his appitite?

 

[Tiantha]

I have caught that popping sound too. Puff pop puff pop puff pop. In that order almost sounds like a very quiet knock on wood. If you make a p sound the pugh pugh pugh sound is similar. Tiantha does it the most often and she has never been sick with me and she was an adopted.

Rex had a respitory track infection. I had him on my shoulder and cocked my head and I could hear him wheeze in and out. They can cough or sneeze almost humanlike. Its a sound that is in between the cough and the sneeze.

The skin on the inside of the nose does shed and it will stick out of the nostiles nd eventually fall out.

That was wierd the first time I saw it too.

Gaping in a hot area is a sign of overheating. I swear they do it on purpose at times. Like the dog panting in front of the fire place. SOmetimes it just feels good on the bones.

If you see no sting or mucus no sneezing/coughing and no wheezing of breath I wouldnt worry overly much. You seem t be like me. You like to observe them and while that is fun and good it can lead you to worries. Note unusual behavior changes and those sudden changes that surprise you and continue. Those can be signs.

I noticed you said raining or snowing days. If the Beardies is older he might be doing 'fits of brumation'. My Alisha who is still a baby did a bit of that with the rough winter we had.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Your tank setup looks fine, & so does the humidity no problem. I would just stick with the bathing but no misting of him, just in case he does have a slight respiratory infection.
I am not sure if those popping noises are a respiratory infection, as they can make those noises normally. If you listen really closely at night when they are sleeping, you will hear a popping noise from time to time. The sound is simply the glottis opening & closing when they breathe. They can slow way down to 1-2 breaths per minute in their deepest sleep, it is incredible.
If he has been shedding, maybe check to make sure that he has no clogged nostrils that did not shed properly that could be causing him to have a slight breathing problem.
It is best to keep a close watch on him & if his appetite decreases or he begins to act ill, it definitely warrants a vet visit. For now, if you want to wait a few more days to take him to the vet, that is fine. However, it wouldn't hurt if you took him to the vet for a checkup, if you feel he should go in.
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[LilahFaye]

Thanks for the help you guys. I'm going to hold back on taking him to the vet right away, and I'll monitor him to see if his behavior changes. He seems fine now, and still has his little piggy appetite. The popping noise that I hear seems to be as if it's coming from him just stretching his neck skin/muscles. If he stops eating or I hear him wheezing, coughing, or sneezing, I'll get him checked out by the vet. For now, I'll just hope that my worries are for nothing, and that he'll be fine. He has sneezed before (but not very recently, that was about a month or so back.) Is it possible they can sneeze because of dust? (I have a book shelf over his viv, and I hadn't dusted it at that time. Now I make sure I keep it clean, and he hasn't sneezed since.)

Sometimes my Ricky gets a little sleepy during the day, and towards the late afternoon. I noticed that on colder days (even if It's warm in his viv,) he does this, where he gets a little lazy. Today, although it was fairly warm, he also had one of his "lazy days" I don't know if this would be classified as being lethargic, because he's still very alert while he's relaxing.

I'll keep everyone posted on his behavior, and hopefully he turns out to be just fine.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Lilah,

That sounds fine to me. I am sure you will keep a good eye on him!
They can sneeze or snort yes, if something irritates their nose or respiratory system. They are allowed "lazy days" on occasions so that doesn't necessarily mean he was lethargic if he was alert, just not moving around much. The weather plays such a vital role with their moods as well. It is the cold weather that affects them but also things like barometric pressure changes too.

I hope he is doing well!

Tracie

 

[LilahFaye]

He's still been gaping a lot today, but he's still ever as alert, and he's still eating plenty. Today I gave him a little bit of apple juice drizzled on his veggies to boost his vitamin C in case something is wrong with him (He really thought it was yummy!) Now he's still very alert. He was just sitting on a pillow looking outside the window at all the birds (he's fascinated by them,) and I realized that he's actually beginning to get chubbier, which makes me feel good. The temp in his tank is about 108 right now. Is this the reason why he may be gaping so much? (It's a tad higher then usual)

Thanks for all of the comments and help

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Well, perhaps he might be getting too hot. You could decrease the temps down to 100-105 to see if he prefers that.
It sounds like he ate a good amount today? So he liked the apple juice huh that is great.
Let me know if he does a little better with a lower basking temperature. Overall he seems to be doing well, staring out the window & everything.

Tracie