Help Me 911 Please I can't get him in until tomorrow

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spike911

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I was on here a year ago when I first got him he was ill and have had no problems and got him to good health with your help. I just returned home from out of town leaving for a week. I have his lights on a timer and I kept the house at 78 while gone since it is so cold but the lady watching the home turned the heat down to 70. I took him out of his cage and he tilted his head up and made a gasping noise I thought he was hissing at me but then he did it again then in the bathroom just him and I he kept doing it. His beard turned black in a circle around his neck and I called a pet store. They said at first maybe he was startled but he is still doing it. They said if it got too cold he could have gotten an respiratory illness but I can't get him in until tomorrow. I have him on a heat pad on low and I am watching him carefully. I don't know how to explain it but everytime something goes wrong with him the pit of my stomache turns until I figure it out and get him healthy. It has happened a few times. Well we were going to stay gone longer and told my husband I just want to go home (Not like me) Now I know why it was because he was telling me he is not ok. What can I do. I can't just watch him suffer like this. My heart aches for him and I can't stop crying. I will be devastated if anything happens to him. I know people don't understand and I don't care but he is truely attached to apart of my heart and I need to help him. Please help me!!!!!!
 

diamc

BD.org Sicko
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Ok, take a deep breath. How old is he? Were the lights in his tank turned off too? How is his breathing and color now? Is he responding to you at all?
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
He is about a year and a half. He pooped when I took him up in the bathroom and he ran around a bit. He stuck his tongue out at the towel and as I layed him in his tank he made the gasping noise a few times. He is laying down now and not quite asleep but eyes closed opening them with sounds in the house. I put a towel to block the kitchen light and I put him on a heat pad in the tank. I have it on low and he is flat on it. His color is light except around the bottom of his beard and it seems like there are some dark lines on his side that normally are not there. He nestled into me as I held him and he knows who I am but he will not eat. I cleaned out the cage they had left some beatles in the cage which I told them not to. They were mealworms that turned into the beatles the pet store said it was ok to feed them to him but thats the only change in his diet. His lights stayed on and came on this morning with the timer. The only change I can see what the night temp. My daughter had H1N1 could he have gotten that?
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
He looks like he his breathing harder than normal for going to sleep. His sides are moving quit a bit. I never noticed it before so I don't know if it is different.
 

diamc

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
You don't need to worry about him having the H1N1, so just dismiss that thought, ok?

So, the person that was caring for him didn't turn his lights off while you were gone? Do you have a heat emitter or black bulb on him now?
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
The lights are on a timer. They turn on at 8am and off at 9pm so the lights were ok but I keep the house at 78 to keep his tank warm since I don't have a night heat lamp on it and she turned the heat down to 70 so I bet his tank got down to around 65 which maybe colder since our high here was only around 15 a few days so when it gets that cold out I have to keep the heat up to keep his tank ok at night. I just rubbed his back and he made the noise again it sounds like he is congested or sneezing it sounds weired and he isn't scared of me. He can't fully sleep but he is laying down. I will post a picture one sec so you can see what he is doing if I can figure it out.
 

diamc

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
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So, you don't have a heat emitter or black or red bulb on hand now? Do you have any hand or foot warmers?
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
I have a blue heat light but can't find it. I do have some of those emergency feet hand and body warmers that you break to let heat out. Is that what you mean?
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
He now has his eyes open again and his head tilted up and then starts falling asleep. It is almost like he is exhausted but can't sleep.
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
Ok he just made that horrid sound again and I went to the tank and he was arched clear up then he layed his head down and closed his eyes again.
 

diamc

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
It does sound like an upper respiratory infection so he should be seen by a vet tomorrow. Tonight you want to keep him nice and warm, try to keep him about 80 degrees. If you're going to use the heat pad, you need to make sure that it isn't getting to hot to burn his belly. Do you have a wash cloth or anything over it right now so that he isn't laying directly on it? Do you have a temperature gun so that you can check his body temp right now?
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
I have a probe thermostate in there but not sure what a probe gun is. I have a pillow case around the heat pad and had it on med while he was on me and now have it on low I keep checking it and it seems like it isn't very warm but I am too scared to keep it at medium. He keeps off and on waking up but I think it is from breathing not the warm temp. I took some pictures but can't figure out how to attach them on here. Poor guy I feel so bad for him. I will get him in first thing in the morning don't know how I am going to get him there without freezing him but I will figure out something. It is so cold here.
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
I just took the probe part and put it between him and the heat pad to see what kind of a reading I get. Oh everytime he breaths like that it makes me sad.
 

spike911

Member
Original Poster
It is slowly climbing but right now it is up too 95.9 and I am turning it off. Maybe another towel over it? I don't know what to do.
 

diamc

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
You can use the feet or hand warmers to keep him warm for the vet trip. Check the package to see how high they heat up, if they go as high as 120 to 130 or so, you will need to wrap a thick towel over one then place your beardie on it and then wrap him and the thick towel up in another thick towel. Another thing you could do is put him inside your winter coat and button or zip it most of the way up. You will have to buy either a heat emitter or black bulb tomorrow because he needs to have heat at night so that his tank stays at close to 80 degrees and it will be healthier for you too to have cooler temps at night.

You don't think he could have fallen and gotten injured, do you?
 
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