URI???

[audreyjb]

Help! Every morning, my beardie opens her mouth and puffs out her beard as if to stretch. this has been going on since i got her, and every time i can hear this clicking noise as she opens her mouth until she shuts it. she stays a little puffed up. her basking spot in her new tank is a little over 100, with a warm side being 83ish and a cool side wing 78. she has two options for basking and usually chooses the cooler one. i read this can mean an upper respiratory infection. her uvb hasn't come yet, her previous owner didn't have one. I dust her food with calcium. how can i make this go away? We don't have a vet near us. (i will be mounting the t5 5.0 reptisun inside her 40gal.)

 

[audreyjb]

here is a picture of the setup. like i said no uvb yet. i bathe her around 3 times a week. should i cut her greens into smaller pieces? i always make sure fruit and crickets are smaller than the space between her eyes on her head. i do hand feed her crickets and fruit sometimes. she is done "stretching" for today. and is enjoying her new tank, but i don't know if hearing those poppings every morning make normal stretching worrysome. if i can't go to a vet, what do i do?

 

[kingofnobbys]

How old is she ?

What other symptoms are you seeing : see http://www.anapsid.org/rti.html

And need much more information and details on your beardie's setup and your husbandry otherwise we can't even hazard a guess.

Here's my Cheat Sheet :
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=234738&p=1806050#p1806050

If you work through it methodically , the chances are there are likely a lot of issues that need to be tweeked or changed and they will pop right out at you, if you can give very detailed answers we will then be in a position to offer help. Is impossible to help you if you don't provide thorough details .

It may prove necessary to involve a reptile vet if your bearded dragon has serious health issues.Are you in a position to afford to take him to a good reptile vet should this prove necessary ?

 

[Savora]

Also, I'm sorry, but 5.0 bulbs provide just enough UVB for rainforest or nocturnal reptiles, which would get lots of shade and less UVB exposure in the wild. Bearded dragons are constantly exposed to the sun's strong UVB in the wild, and therefore they need a 10.0 bulb. If you are able to return your 5.0 bulb for a refund to pay for a 10.0 bulb, your beardie will get enough UVB in order to process calcium and other nutrients.

 

[EllenD]

First of all, the 5.0 Reptisun T5 will not help your beardie one bit, and since she's never had a UVB light I'm assuming she has MBD already, and my be stunted, have digestion and nutrient absorption issues, and she will not get better and start to thrive without very strong UVB light for at least 14 hours every single day. The 5.0 T5 is for tropical reptiles only, not desert reptiles, and does not provide nearly enough UVB light for a healthy beardie, let alone a sick beardie that has never had a UVB light. You must get her a 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube, either 18" or 24" (NOT THE COMPACT VERSION, IT'S NOT GOING TO HELP EITHER!) So if you already ordered the 5.0 T5 tube and a matching T5 rated 18" or 24" tube fixture, as soon as it arrives I'd call the place you ordered it from and tell them you want to exchange it for the 10.0 T5 High-Output in the same length, pay the difference between the two, which shouldn't be much at all, and get it back in the mail so the 10.0 will arrive quickly. If you ordered the 5.0 T5 Compact bulb then it's really completely worthless and you must return both the bulb and clamp lamp or dome lamp, and order either the 18" or the 24" Reptisun 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube and a matching length flourescent tube fixture immediately. PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE US AND SIMPLY USE THE 5.0 OR ANY COMPACT VERSION, SHE NEEDS AND DESERVES TO FINALLY HAVE PROPER UVB LIGHT!!! And please mount the 10.0 T5 High-Output UVB tube within 11" of her main basking spot, right alongside the bright white basking bulb!!!

It sounds like an upper respiratory infection, but the only way to know is to take her to an experienced reptile vet and have CULTURES DONE! Do not just take antibiotics after a vet simply looks at her, that seems to be the trend lately. Upper respiratory infections can be caused by a bacteria, a fungus, or more often than not both, so she may need both an antibiotic and an antifungal med, so they ABSOLUTELY MUST DO A CULTURE AND SENSITIVITY!!! Aspergillus is a very dangerous fungal infection that is often the cause of respiratory infections in reptiles and birds, and if misdiagnosed and given the wrong medication it can end badly.

 

[audreyjb]

Also, I'm sorry, but 5.0 bulbs provide just enough UVB for rainforest or nocturnal reptiles, which would get lots of shade and less UVB exposure in the wild. Bearded dragons are constantly exposed to the sun's strong UVB in the wild, and therefore they need a 10.0 bulb. If you are able to return your 5.0 bulb for a refund to pay for a 10.0 bulb, your beardie will get enough UVB in order to process calcium and other nutrients.

Thank you! i will get the 10.0

 

[audreyjb]

Also, I'm sorry, but 5.0 bulbs provide just enough UVB for rainforest or nocturnal reptiles, which would get lots of shade and less UVB exposure in the wild. Bearded dragons are constantly exposed to the sun's strong UVB in the wild, and therefore they need a 10.0 bulb. If you are able to return your 5.0 bulb for a refund to pay for a 10.0 bulb, your beardie will get enough UVB in order to process calcium and other nutrients.

Thank you! i will get the 10.0

 

[AHBD]

Just wanted to mention that the t5 , even though it's a 5.0 , is a decent bulb for now if it's mounted inside and she can within get 8-10" of it. It's the equivalent of a Reptisun 10.0 t8. Either bulb will produce better uvb if you have a fixtue with an aluminum reflector. If it doesn't have the aluminum you can actually put a piece of aluminum foil in the fixture behind the bulb.

So the 10.0 is stronger but don't throw out the 5.0, it's also a good bulb.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Also, I'm sorry, but 5.0 bulbs provide just enough UVB for rainforest or nocturnal reptiles, which would get lots of shade and less UVB exposure in the wild. Bearded dragons are constantly exposed to the sun's strong UVB in the wild, and therefore they need a 10.0 bulb. If you are able to return your 5.0 bulb for a refund to pay for a 10.0 bulb, your beardie will get enough UVB in order to process calcium and other nutrients.

Thank you! i will get the 10.0

make sure it's a GOOD QUALITY brand ( ie Exo Terra , Zoo Med , Arcadia ) and if it's a compact choose the 26W version and install it UNDER the mesh lid in an Exo Terra Nano Hood.
If you are buying a 10% tube , you are much better off buying a GOOD QUALITY (see above brands) T5HO tube and mounting it UNDER the mesh lid in a reflector hood.
See viewtopic.php?f=34&t=235611 for UVB flux vs distance for some compacts and T8 and T5HO tubes , aim for a UVB flux about 160-190 microW UVB / sq.cm at the basking spot.

 

[AHBD]

Yes she stated in the beginning it's a Reptisun t5 5.0

 

[kingofnobbys]

Just wanted to mention that the t5 , even though it's a 5.0 , is a decent bulb for now if it's mounted inside and she can within get 8-10" of it. It's the equivalent of a Reptisun 10.0 t8. Either bulb will produce better uvb if you have a fixtue with an aluminum reflector. If it doesn't have the aluminum you can actually put a piece of aluminum foil in the fixture behind the bulb.

So the 10.0 is stronger but don't throw out the 5.0, it's also a good bulb.

I somehow missed that .... bit distracted tonight .

looking at 6% UVB T5HO , adequate UVB is achieved at about 7 inches from the tub IF IT"S mounted under the lid in a reflector hood. A 5% UVB T5HO will need to be about 20% closer.

 

[AHBD]

I raised quite a few dragons without ever having the bulb that close. The solar meter readings may say one thing but the proof is in the health of the dragon over many years.

BTW, can you post a few full body pics of her to show her condition ?

 

[audreyjb]

I raised quite a few dragons without ever having the bulb that close. The solar meter readings may say one thing but the proof is in the health of the dragon over many years.

BTW, can you post a few full body pics of her to show her condition ?

not home right now but will post them soon. everything on her seems fine when her beard isn't a little dark, and of course she looks a little dark while basking. usually she is super light with a white beard, white tummy, and seldomly has stress marks . she has a few faint ones every now and then, but she is just getting used to her new home!

 

[audreyjb]

Just wanted to mention that the t5 , even though it's a 5.0 , is a decent bulb for now if it's mounted inside and she can within get 8-10" of it. It's the equivalent of a Reptisun 10.0 t8. Either bulb will produce better uvb if you have a fixtue with an aluminum reflector. If it doesn't have the aluminum you can actually put a piece of aluminum foil in the fixture behind the bulb.

So the 10.0 is stronger but don't throw out the 5.0, it's also a good bulb.

i was going to get a 24" fixture for the repti sun 10.0 and mount it inside the back of her cage under the lid. she will be able to be within 8-10" of it at all times (height accounted for) does this sound good?

 

[AHBD]

O.K, good. The reason I asked for pics is that it can sow any visible signs of MBD. If she doesn't have ay and is moving around O.K. then she is very fortunate if she actually lived with no uvb. There may still be issues unseen, but if there are no deformities or real problems moving [ which there usually would be if she had no uvb for a long time ] then she dodged a bullet.

And the 10.0 t8 is fine mounted inside , if it's the t5 it can actually be placed on top of the screen as long as it's not the super fine flyscreen type mesh. A 10.0 t5 may bother her eyes if mounted inside.