PogoLover
Juvie Member
I have had Lucky for about 6 months. He is about 9 months old, 20 " and 560g. He has been healthy. I have a good set up for him (had a sick dragon before him and know all about proper lighting, heating, etc.).
I have noticed that sometimes he opens his mouth when he is looking out the window, or just when he is running around on the floor. He does the normal gaping when he gets really hot, but this is just completely random and usually in around an 80F environment, so not likely to be over-heating. He doesn't have any signs of respiratory infection (no coughing, wheezing, sneezing, runny nose), and his mouth is normal pink inside. He is eating and pooping normally and only has an occasional black beard (usually when the dog walks by or when he sees birds out the window).
The only think I can think of is it reminds me of when I first got him. He was a little guy then and if I tried to touch him first thing in the morning before he had warmed up, he would give me the puffed beard and hiss. Hasn't done that in many months . . . but the open mouth looks almost like he is thinking about getting ready to hiss, but he does it without puffing or blackbearding. He also used to do it the first few times I took him outside.
Is this a behavior anyone has noticed before? Almost like they are tasting the air? I will note that Lucky does not have a lot of normal dragon behaviors. He doesn't bob or wave. Never has. He will blackbeard occasionally but only rarely does the full on blackbeard with the puffed out front (and when he does that he usually pops it in and out a few times like he is stretching and then he stops). He is a very curious dragon - licks everything as he walks by, gets into everything (we have to watch him really carefully, because he will crawl under or jump up onto almost anything). He actually climbed up a bubble wrapped ReptiSun 36" bulb box and tried to jump from there onto a 4 foot high pedestal. Luckily he's a little too hefty to do that these days.
I have noticed that sometimes he opens his mouth when he is looking out the window, or just when he is running around on the floor. He does the normal gaping when he gets really hot, but this is just completely random and usually in around an 80F environment, so not likely to be over-heating. He doesn't have any signs of respiratory infection (no coughing, wheezing, sneezing, runny nose), and his mouth is normal pink inside. He is eating and pooping normally and only has an occasional black beard (usually when the dog walks by or when he sees birds out the window).
The only think I can think of is it reminds me of when I first got him. He was a little guy then and if I tried to touch him first thing in the morning before he had warmed up, he would give me the puffed beard and hiss. Hasn't done that in many months . . . but the open mouth looks almost like he is thinking about getting ready to hiss, but he does it without puffing or blackbearding. He also used to do it the first few times I took him outside.
Is this a behavior anyone has noticed before? Almost like they are tasting the air? I will note that Lucky does not have a lot of normal dragon behaviors. He doesn't bob or wave. Never has. He will blackbeard occasionally but only rarely does the full on blackbeard with the puffed out front (and when he does that he usually pops it in and out a few times like he is stretching and then he stops). He is a very curious dragon - licks everything as he walks by, gets into everything (we have to watch him really carefully, because he will crawl under or jump up onto almost anything). He actually climbed up a bubble wrapped ReptiSun 36" bulb box and tried to jump from there onto a 4 foot high pedestal. Luckily he's a little too hefty to do that these days.
