Wheezing/Coughing post-brumation

[Deabrua]

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.

 

[Deabrua]

She was under her 2nd warmest hide for much of the day but she did eat and she did bask for a few hours. No coughing/wheezing or dark bearding.

We're back to not eating salads though.

 

[KarrieRee]

She was under her 2nd warmest hide for much of the day but she did eat and she did bask for a few hours. No coughing/wheezing or dark bearding.

We're back to not eating salads though.

They will go off their food -- its a slow down period w/ them this time of year -- keep offering - I take it shes eating insects?

 

[Deabrua]

They will go off their food -- its a slow down period w/ them this time of year -- keep offering - I take it shes eating insects?

Yes, she's eating insects and we're still offering her salad.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

How long did she brumate, she started in
July & is just starting to come out of that now?
Is her weight stable right now?
She shouldn't be brumating two times in
a row though, so try to encourage her to
stay basking for a good portion of the day.

Tracie

 

[Deabrua]

She started going into brumation in the first week of July. She started becoming active again 7 days ago (Nov 10?).

I will weigh her again tonight. She was 480g on 11/10 and still 480g on 11/13.

I am not home for the vast majority of her light hours. Her light cycle is currently 7:00A-8:00P and I'm away from home 8:00A-5:30P. Her light cycle is as such so I can give her salad before leaving and insects when I get home if she doesn't get insects in the morning.

 

[Deabrua]

She stays in the heat if placed there, or goes closer to it if placed nearby. Doesn't seem to seek it out on her own after waking up, but she remains vigilant in her hides.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Ok, that length of brumation is pretty normal time wise. If her weight is stable & she appears healthy & somewhat active then just continue to encourage her to bask as much as you can.
Double check her basking temperatures to be sure they are optimal for her. Sometimes they stay slown down for awhile but are perfectly fine.
Feel free to post more pictures if you would like.

Tracie

 

[Deabrua]

Test results.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Her blood test looks pretty normal, no infection is indicated. Her calcium is in good range, & so is
her AST or liver enzymes. The Uric acid is a little elevated, possible dehydration?
How is she doing today?

Tracie

 

[Deabrua]

Eats insects but not salads, basks when placed on or near heat, otherwise stays in one of the two warmer hides. The only change is previously she was staying in one of two cold hides.

I'm thinking she may not like the layout of this tank. Her old tank had the basking spot against a corner, and this one has it a couple inches from the wall. Percy is similar in that his was against a wall (not corner), and he elects to sit against the wall in the warmest spot along the walls.

I can fix Percy's by just angling the light in the current layout, but I may need to move the lights around for dezzy.

EDIT: I was waiting a few attempts to confirm it, but she seeks out the basking spot after eating bugs.

Edit 2: she has basked all day, ate a few bites of salad but not much.

 

[Deabrua]

Eating salad a little, still minimum. Basking unprompted. Has only pooped three times since waking up, one of which was today. Looked fine today but I don't have pictures.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is good news she is eating some & is basking on her own. How are her colors looking, are they
bright?
Definitely when you can get pictures, post some as you can. I am glad to hear she is starting to come
around some now. Keep encouraging her to try out her greens!

Tracie