How are you getting surface basking temps - NO stick ons please--- digital probe thermometers are the most accurate- what is the UVB coil or a long tube fixture? Where is the UVB if its a long tube fixture brand and bulb please? How old is the bulb? 4 months of brumation is a long time-- how are you getting the humidity levels - stick ons are inaccurate as well -My 5yo female bearded dragon went into brumation in July and started roaming around again yesterday/today. I noticed today that she was coughing/wheezing or something. She'd puff up, lurch forward, and make a squeak sound of some sort. The coughing appears to stop when she's in her hide on the cool side of the tank, not completely confirmed yet. While elsewhere in/out of the tank, the coughing/wheezing/whatever occurs in series, 30 seconds of repeated then several minutes of nothing.
I'm currently trying to determine if this is something for an emergency vet to handle today, or if it's something that can wait until Monday for the usual reptile vet. Notably, I don't think a reptile vet is staffed in the ER today.
Husbandry -
60x28x29" tank
4" mixed sand/soil/clay substrate
102F basking spot
80F cool side
22-24% humidity
Weigh ins -
July 7th - 495g
Oct 14th - 487g
Oct 28th - 485g
Nov 10th - 480g
I have more weigh ins noted somewhere from july to oct but dont have them offhand for this post. Will search if needed.
I've a herpstat with temp probe and humidity probe, a separate digital thermometer, and a digital hygrometer. Reptisun 34" 10.0 UVB T5HO tube, I don't recall measurements from basking spot offhand currently. It's off-center to the warm side of the tank.How are you getting surface basking temps - NO stick ons please--- digital probe thermometers are the most accurate- what is the UVB coil or a long tube fixture? Where is the UVB if its a long tube fixture brand and bulb please? How old is the bulb? 4 months of brumation is a long time-- how are you getting the humidity levels - stick ons are inaccurate as well -
I made a mistake in my original post. Basking temp was cutoff at 99F with cold side at 85F. I will return her to her usual 104 / 85 in the coming days. I did confirm this doesn't occur when she remains on the cold side of the tank, starts to occur on the warm side, and occurs far more frequently outside of the tank.Hi there,
Couple things of note that will hopefully ease your mind.
It's likely (and obvious) by the symptoms that there is in fact something going on with her lungs. The good news is, there is a good chance she will be able to fight it off herself.
Remember, in brumation, all of the bodies functions come to a stop/crawl. Including the ability to fight off infections. Your dragon just woke back up. Give her a chance to start warming up and eating and getting nutrients back in her body. Just like humans, dragons are able to fight off sickness's on their own without medication. Medication is only required when the body is unable to do so.
Make sure you're giving her a good diet full of nutrients, and make sure her temperatures are proper and she basking.
Typically, medications are only going to work for a bacterial URI anyways. A viral URI is going to need to be fought off by the body.
TLDR: Let your dragon come back to life (so to speak) and see if the issue resolves itself on its own. URI medications are very harsh, and are often given even without the vet checking if the URI is viral or bacterial.
-Brandon
Let's see what Tracie has to sayI've a herpstat with temp probe and humidity probe, a separate digital thermometer, and a digital hygrometer. Reptisun 34" 10.0 UVB T5HO tube, I don't recall measurements from basking spot offhand currently. It's off-center to the warm side of the tank.
I made a mistake in my original post. Basking temp was cutoff at 99F with cold side at 85F. I will return her to her usual 104 / 85 in the coming days. I did confirm this doesn't occur when she remains on the cold side of the tank, starts to occur on the warm side, and occurs far more frequently outside of the tank.
After talking with one of her reptile vets and a vet tech from another vet location, we've decided to monitor her over the weekend and have her seen on Monday. I'd be more willing to let things play out before going to the vet, but the wheezing/coughing/etc is fairly rapid at every 5-10 seconds and she began to black beard after awhile of this. She also began to claw at the sides of her hide at one point, which is abnormal for her.
Flagging to Tracie againThe vet is more focused on doing blood work, vitamin injections, ultrasound, and x-rays because they believe a healthy dragon with correct husbandry shouldn't have gone into brumation in the first place. Have not bothered to tryn listen to or check her breathing.
Blood work - check for infections or organ issues such as liver/kidney
Ultrasound/xray- check for follicular stasis because she hasn't laid eggs in 2+ years
Vitamin injections - VIT A&D, B12, and calcium gluconate to replenish what was lost during the 4mo brumation, though I'm not sure why this couldn't be done through a supplemented diet
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