Swollen beard?

[Xenon1]

So I've noticed that my 4-year-old beardie's beard got kinda large/swollen a few days ago and stayed like that so I'm kinda worried. Can anyone tell me what might be causing it and if I should take her to the vet?

Here's the photo:

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, sometimes it just develops in mature, well fed dragons and is normal. Just watch that she doesn't have any food stuck back there [ if she opens her mouth ] and watch that she doesn't have a problem breathing. It's usually not a problem but sometimes can be a sign of an R.I., especially if you see excess saliva, gaping, coughing, etc.

 

[Xenon1]

Hi there, sometimes it just develops in mature, well fed dragons and is normal. Just watch that she doesn't have any food stuck back there [ if she opens her mouth ] and watch that she doesn't have a problem breathing. It's usually not a problem but sometimes can be a sign of an R.I., especially if you see excess saliva, gaping, coughing, etc.

Thank you! I'm a bit calmer now. She did have a piece of red chicory stuck in her throat but I don't see it anymore so I think it's gone. She only opens her mouth when she's basking, but sometimes her mouth is slightly (like 1 mm) open for no reason but she's been doing this for a while now so I'm not that concerned. Anyways, thank you again for your reply, it really helped out!

 

[AHBD]

You're welcome ! BTW, I noticed that you keep her on the wood chips so if she had one in her throat that's a definite reason to change her substrate ASAP. You can use a sand/topsoil mix which is very safe and passes right through if accidentally ingested. My beardies have been kept that way and none ever had a problem. Other owners keep beardies on tile but I personally don't like it, I think it hurts their joints over time. But get rid of the wood chips for sure.

 

[Xenon1]

Yeah, about that, that was the only substrate the store where I buy supplies for my reptiles had atm but I will definitely change it. Personally, I'm not a fan of loose particle substrates because they are annoying to clean and get everywhere so I'll probably try to keep her on tiles but if I notice that she doesn't like it I will check other options.

 

[AHBD]

Sounds good. You can also use non adhesive shelf liner on top of newspaper.