Gaping from Affection?

[dullnova]

Hello! I have an ~8-month-old beardie, and he has recently developed this habit of gaping each time that I get him out of his viv. There are no signs of respiratory illness (mucous, heavy breathing, etc). Could this be chalked up to a weird beardie personality trait, or could I be missing some underlying evidence of illness?

My general viv info:

Basking temp. — Around 100-105 degrees (fahrenheit)
Hot side temp. — 85-90 degrees
Cool side temp. — 70-80 degrees
Humidity — hovers anywhere from 30-50 (I live in the southern US, so it’s quite humid in my home, anyway.)

I do leave a small dish of water in the viv daily so that Gil can get his soak on, but it’s far from any heat source and doesn’t seem to drastically change the tank’s humidity.

Thanks!

 

[CooperDragon]

I see them do that outside of the tank sometimes. It's common while they are basking though. I consider it typical behavior and if all else is well then it's not cause for concern.