HELP!!! Popping noise?!?!?!?!!??

[Birdy]

Hi, my BD started making this popping/clicking last night and it is still there this morning just less pronounced. Why? Could it be a respiratory infection? And do i need to take him to the vet?

Temp hot side 100
cool side 78
uvb? yes, coil he has done fine with this bulb. I looked into tube, thinking...
40 gallon tank
1 or so got him in 16
name Lou
gender male

 

[Birdy]

Anything?

 

[AHBD]

Hi Birdy, what wattage is the heat bulb you use, and how are you taking the temps. ? Has it become colder in your house and maybe lower temps. in the tank that you haven't noticed ? What is the temp. at night ? Post a few pics of Lou's set up. If you can, put up a video of his breathing. It may be the start of an R.I but if you catch it ....possibly raising the temp. a few degrees, esp. overnight.

Oh, and do you bathe him, if so does he stay out afterwards or go straight back in the tank to get warm again ?

 

[Birdy]

When I give him a bath he goes right back in his tank. His heat bulb is 75 watts but when he is up on his vines he is about 2in from it he is really close to it. I use laser temp gun i don't remember the exact name but i think you recommended it or somebody on here. At night I think it is around 70 but it has stayed about the same we have not brought down the temperature. I will go get some pictures here in a minute. oh, and his breathing i believe is faster than normal. Last night i counted the seconds of his breathing 40 seconds in between pops/clicks. Today i think they were closer together. i don't know how to do a video on here, is it just like the pictures?

 

[AHBD]

You'll probably need at least a 100 watt bulb, possibly a 150. Or you could get the 100 watt and insulate part of his tank which can be as simple as putting a towel over part of it. [ Just watch that it can't catch fire]

I don't know how to post a video either. :? Some people put them on youtube + then post the link here.

 

[Birdy]

i could not get the video upload, it said no unstable or something like that. i will look at youtube but IDK if i will do it.

 

[Birdy]

ok on the bulbs will get them soon, do you think it could be a R.I?

 

[AHBD]

It's possible, but like I said Lou might be able to shake it off if you get the temps. up a bit but if it gets worse quickly then you might want to get him to a qualified reptile vet. See if increasing the temps. helps first [ Just by a few degrees ] Don't bathe him for now but offer water by dripping it on his snout every 4-5 days for a drink.

Which bulb is he laying under ? Is the one on the left blue ? And how is his appetite ?

 

[Birdy]

That is the UVB light, Lou is laying under the heat lamp. And great news i looked around and at my extra bulbs (in case one goes out) and found 100 watt bulb! i just put it in 10 minutes or so and have been researching the R.I and symptoms. He is still eating i gave him dandelion greens at about 10 this morning and he ate almost all of it. I give him water with a spay bottle every other day, is that good?

 

[AHBD]

Yes, good that he's eating well and if he drinks when you spray him that's good too. What type of insects does he eat ? Can you post a full body shot of him too ? And what exact uvb coil do you have ? Some are pretty worthless, if you DO use one it should be the 26 watt rather than a 13 and he should be laying close to and underneath .

 

[Birdy]

. this is the UVB light. Will get a picture of Lou. supers, dubias and crickets this is what the pet store has i look for others, but forget to ask. Sometimes they have stuff in the back. I have some bee pollen and spirulina should i give him that? He can get very close to the uvb

 

[Birdy]

Oh, it's the 13 watt ok, will look at uvbs .He wont have trouble with his eyes, right? If i change the uvb light, i change it once a year

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah the 13w is no good. I would at least get the 26w Exo Terra UVB200 which would fit that socket. They still aren't the best for a larger tank like that though. It's probably worth investing in a 22'' T5 fixture and tube.

 

[AHBD]

The long tube t5 uvb Cooper mentioned will be a better bulb .

 

[EllenD]

I have the exact same EXO Terra as you, the rest of my enclosures are custom wooden ones, but I have my rescue boy with MBD in the EXO Terra, and you absolutely need a long tube UVB light, preferably a 10.0 (never 5.0) T5HO with a reflector behind it. That 13 watt coil is pretty worthless, and if you had it on top of the mesh lid it was blocking about 40% of the already too weak UVB light, and that bulb stops emitting UVB after 6 months. So you really need to get a new tube ASAP, cause he's had very little UVB.

No, it won't hurt his eyes, generally those coil bulbs are what cause serious eye damage.

If you buy a 10.0 T8 UVB tube (weaker than the T5HO) it must be mounted under the mesh lid and inside the tank, and within 6-8" of his basking spot to be effective, and the T8 must be replaced every 6 months. With that particular EXO Terra, it's far too low to mount a tube fixture inside, under the lid, so I'd recommend getting the 10.0 T5HO tube and matching length fixture, either an 18" or 24", because it can sit on top of the mesh and only has to be within 11" of his basking spot, which is good with that tank, just sitting it on top of the mesh DIRECTLY OVER HIS BASKING SPOT will put it within the correct distance. And the T5HO tube only needs replaced once a year.

One suggestion I will make is to get both your new UVB tube and your bright white basking bulb right alongside each other on the Hot Side of the EXO Terra, both directly over the basking spot, so he gets both at the same time while basking. This will replicate natural sunlight as closely as possible. I noticed you have the two lights on separate sides, with the UVB on the Cool Side, and that does him no good at all. This is the advantage of a long tube UVB with a reflector behind it, you can center it directly over the basking spot and right alongside the basking light over the Hot side to make his basking spot optimal, but the UVB light will still be reflected all over the tank if you buy a 10.0 T5HO tube.

Check Amazon.com, I just bought 3 22" 10.0 T5HO UVB tubes for $23 a piece, and I know that once you search and choose the actual UVB tube, they will show you a package deal that includes a matching 24" tube fixture that is rated for a T5 tube at a great price, best price I've seen.