What is considered normal breathing?

[Lee23]

Is there such a thing as “normal breathing” for bearded dragons?

I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time. I occasionally watch my beardie Rango breathe because I’m a weirdo and want to make sure he’s breathing okay. I just don’t know how slow or fast they’re supposed to breathe or how to tell if they’re breathing is caused by sickness or anything like that.

This is my first ever beardie so I am a bit obsessed I guess you can say by making sure he’s comfortable and not sick or in any pain.

P.s if anyone has advise on sharp nails and how to deal with them on a beardie that would be amazing!

 

[CooperDragon]

They tend to have shallow breathing. When they are sleeping it's tough to tell they are breathing at all. Sometimes they will yawn or sigh or burp. If you look at their sides just below their shoulders that's usually where you'll see the most movement from their breathing.

As far as sharp nails goes, you can file them with an emery board or you can use clippers to snip the very sharp tip off if needed. They don't tend to like it much so be prepared to just do one hand or foot at a time and then let them run around a bit before moving on. Having a harder substrate like tile or including some rough items like rocks in the enclosure can help keep the nails at bay naturally but that doesn't always do the trick.