puberty or is something wrong ?

[DonnaRaine]

My dragon Zee is about 6 months, maybe 7 cause we dont know how old he was when we got him, he was about 5 inches, has had a black beard ALL MORNING and he never does this, not in the 5 months Ive had him. He aspirated a little water last night, not enough that any came out when I pointed him nose down, but I could hear a few popping noises. I dont know if hes black because hes uncomfortable or maybe hes hitting puberty ? Ive read quite a few different things some saying as young as 4 months, some saying not until 8 months, but Im legitametly worried, vet visit isnt until monday (its friday) im keeping a close eye on him but I cant figure it out. Hes eating, hes moving aorund, relatively alert :? :? :?

 

[DonnaRaine]

All of these are within two hours of each other

 

[kingofnobbys]

He aspirated some water ? He's BBing because he has water in this lungs and his breathing is compromised ,he's sick, I fear he risks a nasty URI and worse if this can't be resolved quickly .

Beardies do not have cilia in their lungs, so they can't cough up the water - a downward facing position will allow it to run out of her lungs , not sit in them. Also bump the temps a bit to about 110F for a while, and if you can keep the temps up overnight with a CHE, you should do that as well. Heat will help that water evaporate out of his system HOPEFULLY.

I hope he makes it but if he's still alive tomorrow , get him to a good HERP vet urgently , they might have a treatment that will help him. (Extra-dry oxygen theropy in a pressurized heated tank maybe).

 

[DonnaRaine]

No water came on when I tilted him down, Ive tilted him about 30 times now and opened his mouth, no water, none from his nose either, the crackling noise is so faint Im not even positive I heard it, I do know the basic symptoms but it dosnt seem like he has any water in his lungs

 

[DonnaRaine]

And I have a herp vet shes scertified to work with reptiles, hes been in before and her techs arent seeing anything wrong with him I spoke to them this morning. you hope hes alive tomorrow. thats nice. cause Im not freaking out enough already, Ive been online and made a vet appt already since 9 this morning

 

[DonnaRaine]

you didnt even ****ing read my post thanks *******

 

[CooperDragon]

If he is alert rather than acting lethargic I'd take that as a good sign. Aspirating some water doesn't necessarily mean it will translate into an infection. The black beard may be related or it could be something different such as hormones as you mentioned or maybe his shed has him a bit irritated. Perhaps boost the overnight temps to around 80 or so for a bit and see if that helps him feel better. If no water is coming out of his lungs then that's probably the best you can do for now. If he's active, give him some time to run around a bit if he wants to. Burning off energy may help if this is age related. If he's still black bearding or has labored breathing or excess thick mucous around his mouth/nose on Monday a vet visit would be a good idea.

 

[DonnaRaine]

thanks to the jackass above I had a panic attack and took him in immediately, no aspiration, no mucus in the mouth, he was dehydrated from his parasite meds and needed some fluids. thank you for your response I very much appreciate it and so does Zee

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm glad it was just a bit of dehydration. That's usually pretty easy to take care of. I would keep offering drops of water on his nose so he can lick it and get extra hydration if he wants to. I'm glad to hear he is OK. It's better to err on the side of caution and have a vet checkup if something seems off and it's good peace of mind when it turns out not to be serious =).