Why does he hang out with his mouth open?

[raoulduke]

I've noticed Raoul spends a lot of time basking with his mouth open. Sometimes he even opens his mouth wider when I come closer to him. It seems harmless, but I just wanted to know if anyone can tell me why beardies do this?

Thanks,

Emily

 

[diamc]

Hi Emily, what size tank is he in and what wattage basking bulb are you using? Is it a white or colored light? What are the temps and what type of thermometer are you using to check them? Also, what brand UVB do you have, is it a coil, compact or strip fluorescent bulb and how close is he to that bulb? These answers could help us a lot.

 

[raoulduke]

He's in a 50 gallon I believe with a 100 watt UVB bulb. It's a white light that keeps the cage at about 80-85 degrees during the day. There's a digital thermometer in his cage, but it's not directly under the light so it may be warmer than 80 right under the light where he usually hangs out. I'm not sure what the brand is.. something with Repti- in the title I believe? It's a compact light that is about 6 inches or so above him?

Sorry I don't know exact specifics, but hopefully that helps!

 

[dreshany]

I have read there are two possible causes for this. The first is thermoregulation; this is similar to how a dog pants. Secondly, it can be a type of defense mechanism. Is it a new beardie? have you changed his surroundings recently? Does he have a cool spot in his cage? Check his cage and make sure there is a place that is cool and a place for him to hide

 

[diamc]

Ok, so he's in a 50 gallon tank. You must be using a 100 watt basking (heat bulb), correct? You mentioned that you're using a digital thermometer, but does it have a probe on the end similar to this?

It's important that we know because it you're using a digital and it doesn't have a long wire with a probe on the end, then you're not getting an accurate reading. With a good thermometer, the basking temp should be about 100 and up to 110 (but no higher). Since he is gaping, I'm betting that the basking temp is much hotter than the 80 to 85 reading that you're getting now, so it's very important that you find out because too high of temperatures can be dangerous and cause rapid dehydration. So, please fill us in on the details of the thermometer you're using now.

It's also very important that you give us the specifics of the UVB light. Any type of coil or compact UVB is very dangerous and we don't recommend their use as they cause all sorts of serious health issues. If you could post a picture of the UVB, it would be very helpful.