Respiratory infection?

[Brockz]

Hey guys I'm worried about by beardie lately I've noticed he's making a weird noise almost like he has an RI. He's very lazy and doesn't eat much even when I try to feed him. I've taken him to the vet and the vet noticed his eyes were kind of puffy so gave me some antibiotics for that. But didn't say much about an RI.

Lately everytime I give him he drinks a ton of water which he never does! I keep water in the tank for him and I mist him as well. And I find he tends to make that noise after he's done drinking.

He's on playsand and has been since I've had him. He's about 12 now.
Using a 30 watt reptisun 5.0 uvb light
2 basking lamps( as his tank is huge) one 150 and one 100

The vet said I should try him with a pinkie as he is losing some weight since he hasn't eaten much. I'm very worried for him. If anyone has any info on what I could do to help him please help.

 

[Suey777]

Respiratory infections can be caused by exposure to low temperatures and/or high humidity. Some signs of a respiratory infection include gaping of the mouth, visible breathing difficulties, puffing up their body or throat, and excess mucus around the mouth and nostrils.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Where and how do you take temps? Are they bright white basking lights? I'd change the uvb as the 5.0 is for shade animals. A reptisun 10.0 tube is one of the ones most recommended on here. How close can he get to the lights?

 

[Brockz]

I take the temps using the digital probe right at his basking spot. I'm getting a new one tonight as I'm scared the other one wasn't working right so when I get the new one tonight i will let you know. As for the basking light I'm using the zoo meds repti basking spot lamp. I don't know what you mean by bright white? Thanks I'll look for the 10.0, usually I use the repti glows but I've seen ppl say they aren't great. He can get within 7 inches if not closer if he really wanted too. I find he doesn't spend a lot of his time on his basking log anymore perfers the warm sand more.

I'm worried because I can't get him to eat and he's been awhile without food. I'm going to try some baby food tonight and try to "assist" him in eating. Any tips would be great.

I'm also thinking I'm going to take the sand out incase it's too dusty or to see if that helps any, but I don't wanna stress him out by changing too much up. Does anyone have any thoughts.

 

[CooperDragon]

The ZooMed Repti Basking spot lamp is good for a basking light and produces the bright white light described. As long as you're getting a basking area temperature between about 100-105 with a gradient down to 75-80 or so on the cool side, that's good. I'd definitely replace the 5.0 UVB with a stronger bulb as the 5.0 is designed for shade critters. If you're using a T8 ReptiSun 10.0 the best output is at 6-8'' from the bulb (using a fixture w/reflector). If you upgrade to a T5 bulb, then the optimal output is at 12-14'' from the bulb. It's definitely a good idea to replace the sand and switch to a solid substrate such as tile or shelf liner. The sand can harbor bacteria when it gets wet and is difficult to keep sanitary.

 

[Brockz]

Ok I've taken out his sand and replaced with paper towels. And I had some tiles so I put those in there too till I can get something better for him. On the cool side it's about 75 degrees and on his basking side its 108-109 degrees. I'm looking into getting the 10.0 uvb as well.

I tried some baby food today and he ate some, I had to make him tho. I also mixed some calcium in water and he drank that off a plate pretty quick. But after he's done drinking he makes his air gasp noise so I'm still worried about his RI so I'm hopeful the meds help very quick. He's very larthergic tho I'm not sure what else to do.

 

[CooperDragon]

That should help. Temps are good. I'd boost the overnight temps to about 80 or so if you can using a ceramic heat emitter or maybe a space heater. The increased UVB exposure will help too once you can get that in place. I'd be sure to offer water in small amounts at a time so he doesn't overdo it which could make things worse. Keep trying with the baby food. Hopefully that will give him some energy.

 

[Brockz]

That should help. Temps are good. I'd boost the overnight temps to about 80 or so if you can using a ceramic heat emitter or maybe a space heater. The increased UVB exposure will help too once you can get that in place. I'd be sure to offer water in small amounts at a time so he doesn't overdo it which could make things worse. Keep trying with the baby food. Hopefully that will give him some energy.

Ok. I'll look into the ceramic heater. The overnight temp is about 75.7 in there right now. Ill see if I can get it up alittle higher without making it to warm. How often do you think for water for him? Anytime I give him alittle he drinks it like it's going out of style.

 

[CooperDragon]

That's a pretty good overnight temperature really. Maybe bump it a few degrees with a space heater. A low wattage CHE would work but you'd want to mount it high up or to one side of the tank so it only bumps the temps a few degrees. 75.7 would be really good if he weren't sick. The extra warmth helps relieve a bit of stress on their immune system supposedly.

It sounds like he's thirsty. Give him plenty of fluid but I'd break it down into several smaller doses instead of all at once. If you're measuring it, try maybe .5ml at a time or even a bit less and just offer more frequently. That way he'll get what he needs without risking him taking in too much at once.

 

[Brockz]

Ok thanks I'll look into what I can do about some extra heat in his tank. And I'll also try to give some smaller doses of water as well and see how he makes out with that.