Wheezing/ Squeaking Bearded Dragon

[krazylexi]

My 1 year old bearded dragon was wheezing and puffing up his bearded twice yesterday. It seemed like he was choking but then he would swallow and stop. Is he going to be ok? Was he choking, or is there something wrong with him?

 

[jarich]

Its a little hard to tell from just that information, but wheezing like you mentioned is often a sign of a lung infection. Do you see any mucus/fluid around the nostrils or mouth? Is your dragon eating and otherwise acting normally? Could you give us a run down of your enclosure temperatures/lighting/substrate/etc?

 

[krazylexi]

He didn't "hunt" like he usually does for his food. No mucus or fluid. His stomach felt a little tight. He's in a 55 gallon long,ReptiSun coil bulb, Power Sun 150 watt for heating, and reptile carpet.I don't have a temperature gauge for his new tank yet.

 

[jarich]

He didn't "hunt" like he usually does for his food. No mucus or fluid. His stomach felt a little tight. He's in a 55 gallon long,ReptiSun coil bulb, Power Sun 150 watt for heating, and reptile carpet.I don't have a temperature gauge for his new tank yet.

Ok thats a pretty big problem. A good digital thermometer is something you can order online for just a few bucks. You really need to know what temperatures you are reaching in your basking area, and what it is on the cool side of the enclosure. A poor temperature gradient can be a big problem and with 150 watt bulb in a small enclosure like that you are running that risk. How far from the bulbs is it to your dragon? Do you find your dragon basks all day or hides in the cool side all day? Can you post a picture of your enclosure?

 

[Tonja]

I see you have a coil reptisun bulb for UVB, those will cause problems in your beardie and can harm their eyes. What you need is the reptisun 10.0 tube light mounted inside the tank so he can get to within 6-8 inches of his light. Also he needs a bright white basking bulb placed next to the UVB to keep his eyes from being harmed. With the wrong UVB they can become lethargic, have digestive problems, eye problems and calcium absorption problems along with D3 not being properly synthesized for the utilization of calcium. I am not sure if the power sun does both heat and UVB but if it does I would turn off the coil bulb..he does not need 2 uvb lights. I also agree about the temps and thermometer.

 

[stonewallmama]

My 1 year old bearded dragon was wheezing and puffing up his bearded twice yesterday. It seemed like he was choking but then he would swallow and stop. Is he going to be ok? Was he choking, or is there something wrong with him?

Has he recently shed? I had something similar happen with one of my dragons who actually had plugs of shed skin stuck in her nostrils. Make sure that isn't the issue. Otherwise, it sounds like a respiratory infection. Make sure he is getting enough light/heat during the day. He will need a visit to the vet if he is still wheezing. Good luck!