Wheezing dragon

[Tecky]

Our bearded dragon always kinda made a squeak noise whenever it was agitated. She doesn't seem too agitated currently, but she's constantly making a wheezing or squeaking noise when she breathes. Could she be sick?

 

[Zemanski]

wheezing is not good - a vet trip I think in case she has a respiratory infection

how high is your humidity? beardies need it very low

 

[auntylolo]

Just to clarify a couple of things, wheezing is not good, but squeaking is nothing worry about (even tho it's rare). Loki will squeak when she's not happy about something :evil:
Beardies don't need the level of humidity to be very low, around 40% is perfect. Air that is too dry can dry out the inner ear membranes and cause balance issues.

 

[Zemanski]

my vet said keep it below 30% to lower the risk of RI

if the beardie already has RI it definitely needs to be lower

given it has been over 70% in the uk this summer I think keeping it lower than the ambient humidity is wise - at least here

 

[auntylolo]

If your temps are where they should be then 30% will definitly not cause an RI.
I have never measured the relative humidity in my vivs, because I am confident that my temps are good. And could you please tell me how you get the humidity lower in your viv than what it is outside?

 

[Zemanski]

it is generally lower because the heat burns off some of the moisture but when it was in the 80s here it rose into the 60s and 70s at night so I used a mini dehumidifier.
It's about 6"square and an inch deep, completely sealed and non-toxic, when the beads change colour you simply plug it in to a socket somewhere to dry out

 

[auntylolo]

oh, so you have a tiny dehumidifier in your viv? Cool, I've never seen them before.

 

[Tecky]

I'm not sure if it's really wheezing, more of a squeak...hence her name...Squeak. And it usually only happens when her mouth is open and watching us. I don't hear anything now, but...I can't really tell what it is. Almost like a halfway hiss, she still doesn't know how to do it.

 

[Tecky]

The humidity is usually between 30-40%. So that's not an issue. We dust her crickets with calcium and vitamins, the temp is upwards of 100 degrees, she is shedding currently and had a flake of skin stuck in her nose. But today she is breathing kinda heavy, when she breathes, she puffs out her beard to do so. I never really paid attention when they breathe if they did that, but I noticed it today.

I don't have time to take her to the vet, nor do I trust any of the vets out here. Last time I took my other beardie to the vet, I got nothing accomplished, and the woman didn't know what she was doing, and the place I went to is the only one in the area that isn't 2 hours away. I work at night, so I never have time to get out and do anything, and they're not open at night.

Is there any sort of at home things I can do? Seems like most of the stuff they suggest is a simple solution that I can fix myself and save me hundreds of dollars.

 

[Zemanski]

as far as I'm aware the only way to deal with RI is antibiotics and lower humidity

it may not be RI but if it is then she will need to see a vet, sorry

perhaps you need to ask someone more experienced with these things - someone like Tracie (Drache613)

 

[Tecky]

If the vets out here knew anything about reptiles, I would take it to the vet. But they're completely void of any knowledge of bearded dragons.

Last time I went, they gave me neosporin to put on my bearded dragons eye, and regular eyedrops. So they obviously just use over the counter drugs and charges $40 more dollars for them than they're really worth.

That's why I ask.