Respiratory Infection?

[magpieandstuff]

I think there is a chance that Reptar has a respiratory infection but I am not completely sure. I will hear Reptar making popping noises and I will take him into the vet, only to have the vet tell me every time that Reptar is just trying to cough up some water. Today Reptar was puffing up his beard (which I know can also be a sign of a RI), but sometimes he will just do that for no reason. The only reason I am think it might be a RI this time is because a few days ago the humidity in Reptar's tank got to 40%. It was 40% for two days. Reptar does gape his mouth, but I have only seen him do this when under his heat lamp.

His basking spot is 99 F and the cool end is 84 F. At night the tank stays above 65 F.
The humidity stays between 20 and 30% (except for the two days it reached 40%).
He is eating, but unfortunately I am having a hard time getting my dubia roaches to breed. It is to cold to have new roaches shipped here and I do not trust buying insects from the local pet store (Reptar got parasites from crickets at Petco a while back). It has been a while since he has had insects but he eats mustard/collard greens regularly.
He is pretty active when he is not around his hide. When his hide is available to him he chooses to spend all his time laying inside.
Also I thought I would note that I spray his greens before giving them to him. That is his main sort of hydration on the days he does not get baths.

So what do you guys think? Is 40% humidity high enough to cause an infection? Is there a chance he is breathing in water while he eats his greens, and he is just trying to cough it up? Should I be worried about a RI?

 

[launpalm]

It sounds like you've got his care down quite well. Is he housed on reptile carpet? Maybe he's getting some kind of substrate or dust in him, and that could be causing the "cough".

 

[magpieandstuff]

I use paper towel for the substrate

 

[diamc]

Sorry to heaar Reptar is worrying you. So you've heard popping noises before recently? How long has that been going on?

They will puff up their beards on & off, especially in the mornings. It doesn't necessarily mean they have a RI though. A humidity level of 40% for 2 days shouldn't cause a RI. Gaping while in the basking spot is also normal, that's how they thermo-regulate unless he does it all the time.

What type of thermometer are you using, a digital strip, round gauge (dial), temperature gun or digital with a long wire & probe end? Where exactly are you getting the 99 degree reading?

How long has it been since he has had live insects? I read that he is about 2 yrs old but he still needs to have protein weekly. You should be able to safely have feeders sent to you as they use heat packs and insulated boxes. www.lindasgonebuggie.com has a big variety of feeders and packs them very well so that they safely arrive.

Once we find out the thermometer type you're using, we can make more suggestions with the temps.

 

[magpieandstuff]

I think I first noticed the popping this Spring, but it is not a constant thing. Every time I take Reptar to the vet to have the popping investigated, the vet can never find anything wrong. He keeps saying that Reptar is coughing up some water/something.

I use a temperature gun.

It has been about three weeks since he last had roaches.

I normally get dubia roaches through lllreptile, but they said they cannot guaranty live insects if it is below 30 F (I contacted them and one of the workers told me that he didn't think heat packs were included). So I will gladly try another company. I was looking at the Linda's Gone Buggie website and I did not see dubia roaches on there. Do you have another recommendation for a website?

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[Lindsay]

just curious, but how do you know the crickets from Petco were the cause for parasites?

 

[magpieandstuff]

I have a friend who also bought crickets from there. Her water dragon got parasites the same time Reptar did. The lizards have never been in contact with each other. When I took Reptar to the vet, the vet told me that the parasites most likely came from insects. The store keeps the crickets in lidless bins inside their dog training room. It's pretty gross. There is a chance that Reptar got the parasites from something else, but I am not taking the risk.