Weird breathing

[Crazyoscar]

Oscar has been puffing her beard then opening her mouth. She even does it outside of her tank when ther is no heat on her. I don’t know if is a one time thing or if this is serious

 

[CooperDragon]

Do you see signs of a shed? They do that to loosen skin around their face and beard sometimes. They also do that after meals quite often. If you can get a video of it and upload it to a hosting site like vimeo or youtube you can post a link here and I can take a look if you want.

 

[Crazyoscar]

She did finish shedding about 4 days ago. She stopped opening her mouth today but today it looks like she is putting a lot of effort into breathing. Her chest really goes in and out more the it usual does.

 

[Crazyoscar]

https://vimeo.com/245841705

 

[CooperDragon]

I don't see a lot of mucous around her mouth or nose which is good. She is breathing pretty deeply though. How long has this been going on? It's possible there is a respiratory infection but it could also be irritation around her mouth or throat perhaps. It doesn't look like she's in distress but if the deep breathing continues for a while it might be a good idea to have an experienced vet take a look and perhaps test for infection and look for irritation around her mouth/throat. In the meantime, I'd limit baths and keep the overnight temps a little higher than usual (maybe high 70s to around 80) to help her if she's fighting something off. It's also possible that her back/belly is about to shed (again?) and she's just loosening the skin in the area.

 

[Crazyoscar]

This is the third or fourth day. She does have nose plugs but this is the first time she has been breathing like this with nose plugs.

 

[CooperDragon]

It's possible she's trying to force them out. She doesn't look like she's in distress and I don't see mucous buildup so I'd just watch her closely and see if it stops once she's freed the nose plugs.

 

[EllenD]

I agree with Cooper, keep her out of the bath for now, and listen for any wheezing, coughing, or clicking when she breaths, if you hear any of that it's most likely an upper respiratory infection and she needs a culture done to determine the correct medication she needs.

If she stops doing it after the nose plugs both fall out then you'll know it was due to them, but if it continues at that point, after this long I'd be getting her to an experienced reptile vet for a culture to determine whether or not she has an infection and needs an antibiotic, an antifungal, or both.