Gulping

[RaeAnn]

Hey guys,
I'm wondering if it is normal for a beardie to "gulp" often? I've noticed this in Spyra for awhile now and always assumed she's just swallowing. Today I read a few things that made me a little paranoid and just want to make sure it's not something more serious.

She acts fine, set up is great, temps are perfect, and she makes no noises or anything when she does it but she does so it a lot. It really just looks like she's swallowing. Like her beard puffs out slightly and goes back in like so. The only thing I can think that may be an issue is that her humidity does spike some nights. At times it gets up to 60% but most of the time it's around 50%. I know that's a little steep but didn't really think it could cause any issues?


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[Eavlynn]

Gulping doesnt have to be a sign of anything bad, unless its excessive. Usually I associate excessive gulping with signs of MBD, but I know you and Maddie are meticulous about husbandry. The humidity is definitely a tad high, which could cause respiratory issues, gulping could be a sign of that as well.

I remember a thread on here that talked about ways to lower humidity, but I can't for the life of me remember the title! I wouldn't panic just yet, but I'd brainstorm ways to bring the humidity down and bounce ideas off of others who struggle with high humidity.

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[RaeAnn]

Thanks Eavlynn.
It is a tad bit excessive, she does it every minute or so. We are going to grab a small fan to attach to the top of her mesh screen to blow air out. Maybe the circulation will help bring the levels back down into the 40% range. The last thing the girl needs is a respiratory infection.


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[Hdrydr31]

They will gulp also when they stretch their skin to shed as well. I do agree with bringing down the humidity being a good idea. I know Patsy struggled with humidity in her reptile room and has a desktop dehumidifier that has worked really well.

 

[RaeAnn]

We looked into them awhile back and right when we were about to purchase one the humidity levels went down. But this past month they have been reaching higher levels than I would like. It definitely fluctuates here for some reason. I do think we will need a dehumidifier, I just don't see a small fan bringing humidity down by 10-15 percent.

Aside from gulping are there any other signs of respiratory infections I should look out for? Her breathing seems fine, no wheezing or odd noises (except for an occasional hiss bc she's a brat) and inside of her mouth looks good as far as I can tell.


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[Hdrydr31]

We looked into them awhile back and right when we were about to purchase one the humidity levels went down. But this past month they have been reaching higher levels than I would like. It definitely fluctuates here for some reason. I do think we will need a dehumidifier, I just don't see a small fan bringing humidity down by 10-15 percent.

Aside from gulping are there any other signs of respiratory infections I should look out for? Her breathing seems fine, no wheezing or odd noises (except for an occasional hiss bc she's a brat) and inside of her mouth looks good as far as I can tell.


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I do know that what patsy has works really well for the room she uses it in so it might do just fine for you..Or just get a small one as they make them in all sizes..
Gulping and making noises are the big ones that I know of, I'm not sure but they may not want to eat as much...

 

[RaeAnn]

Thank you.
We will work on getting the humidity down asap. In the mean time I'll keep an eye on the gulping and her appetite. She's had no appetite the past two days other than a little salad. But I think this is because her lips are shedding, she tends to get pretty miserable when her face sheds.


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[Eavlynn]

Aww, poor kid. I'd be miserable if my face was shedding, too. Mushu gets cranky when any part of him is in shed.

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[RaeAnn]

It definitely looks like a miserable experience. She pops her eyes out and it looks so weird lol. That's when I know yup her face is about to shed


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[PatsyB]

I have a small room humidifier and it works great! Keeps it at around 42% humidity or so.

When was the last time she pooped? I have a friend whose dragon started gulping more frequently and then stopped eating. The vet did an exam and they found he was impacted. The gulping was a sign of it but she couldn't remember how he explained it. Her beardie has YF and she was so worried that the gulping and not eating was a sign he was going downhill, so she didn't take in everything the vet said.

 

[RaeAnn]

She did go a day without pooping which she does from time to time. I gave her some probiotic and she went yesterday and it was extremely runny. She's also refusing food again today :/ I'm starting to get a little worried since it's not like her to refuse a meal much less go 3 days without eating.
We are going to go ahead and order a small humidifier to at least get her humidity level in a good range.


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[RaeAnn]

She is shedding her lips and face right now, so we are hoping maybe that has something to do with the loss of appetite. Do you guys think it would be wise to go ahead and syringe feed her tonight?


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[PatsyB]

She did go a day without pooping which she does from time to time. I gave her some probiotic and she went yesterday and it was extremely runny. She's also refusing food again today :/ I'm starting to get a little worried since it's not like her to refuse a meal much less go 3 days without eating.
We are going to go ahead and order a small humidifier to at least get her humidity level in a good range.


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Dehumidifier, sorry that's what I meant.

 

[PatsyB]

Don't force the syringe in her. If she will lick it off her nose then great but I wouldnt start forcing anything yet. 3 days is concerning but she's not going to starve herself.

 

[RaeAnn]

Thank you Patsy. I meant to say dehumidifier as well sorry it's been a long day lol. And okay we will not force anything on her yet. She hasn't lost weight so I'm assuming she will eat when she's hungry. We will continue offering food and giving her warm soaks. Once her face is finished shedding if things don't get better we will plan a vet visit


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[PatsyB]

Thank you Patsy. I meant to say dehumidifier as well sorry it's been a long day lol. And okay we will not force anything on her yet. She hasn't lost weight so I'm assuming she will eat when she's hungry. We will continue offering food and giving her warm soaks. Once her face is finished shedding if things don't get better we will plan a vet visit


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Glad you knew what I meant, been a long week here and being pulled in a few directions, I gave someone else advise earlier today and forgot to finish my sentence and gave the wrong advise

 

[RaeAnn]

[emoji23] it happens. I know how it feels to have so much going on it's hard to think clearly.

I'm thinking maybe she could have a mild impaction going on. She didn't poop again today so I think we will continue giving warm soaks and probiotic to see if we can get her sorted out. Would you recommend we raise her basking temp slightly or would it be best to just leave that alone?


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[PatsyB]

I wouldn't raise it, raising it could possibly dehydrate her and make the impaction worse.

 

[RaeAnn]

Ok, thank you Patsy. I appreciate you taking the time to help us out with things


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[Hdrydr31]

have you tried 100%pure pumpkin in the can?? when my Izzy didn't go for 16 days I did that and a drop of olive oil she poo'd the next day